On the night of May 19, 1915 lava overflowed from crater of Lassen Peak. It was most acute on the northeast side. The lava in turn melted snow, causing a cascade of water, that was soon transformed of a stream of mud and debris headed towards Hat and Lost Creeks.
Around 11 o’clock that night, Harvey Wilcox who had a cabin on upper Hat Creek was first person to witness the catastrophic event. He was awakened by the sounds of horses running past his cabin. He ventured out to see what happened, and in the nick of time barely escaped the mudflow, only to watch his cabin swallowed up by the mud flow. His neighbor, Elmer Sorahan was awakened by his barking dog. He, too, escaped and alerted the Hall family downstream.
This was just a preview of things to come. On May 22, 1915 witnessed Lassen Peak’s greatest eruption.