Curious Northwest

How Oregon’s GOP governor teamed up with hippies to throw a festival and prevent clashes in the streets

By Bryan M. Vance (OPB) and Tiffany Camhi (OPB)
Milo McIver State Park, Ore. Aug. 29, 2020 2:30 p.m.

In August of 1970, at the height of the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon was slated to come to Portland, and so were thousands of antiwar protesters. Oregon was preparing for violent protests in the streets of Portland. That’s when the idea of Vortex 1 was born.

Tags: Culture, Curious Northwest, History, Oregon History