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{{About|rock music festival|the field study on tornadoes|VORTEX projects#VORTEX1}}
{{Infobox music festival
| music_festival_name = Vortex I: A Biodegradable<br/>Festival of Life
| image        = 
| caption      = 
| location     = [[Milo McIver State Park]] near [[Estacada, Oregon]]
| years_active = [[1970 in music|1970]]
| founders     = The Portland Counterculture Community with help from Oregon governor [[Tom McCall]] 
| dates        = August 28 &ndash; September 3, 1970
| genre        = Various
| website      = ''(none)''
}}
'''Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life''', more commonly known as just '''Vortex I''', was a week-long [[rock festival]] in [[Oregon]] in 1970. It was sponsored by the Portland counterculture community, with help from the state of Oregon in [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas County]] near [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]. The festival was meant to demonstrate the positive side of the anti-War Movement and to prevent violent protests during a planned appearance  by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]] at a convention of the [[American Legion]].<ref name=pqedaco>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8JpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5932%2C6028055 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |last=Stahlberg |first=Mike |title=Portland quiet, edgy as convention opens |date=August 28, 1970 |page=1A}}</ref><ref name="flickr">{{cite web
|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/theoregonian/2683660204/ 
|title=Vortex |access-date=2008-07-26 
|author=The Oregonian 
|author-link=The Oregonian 
|work=[[The Oregonian]] |date=19 July 2008 |publisher=[[Flickr]] 
|quote=Oregon's 1970 Vortex gathering near [[Estacada, Oregon|Estacada]] may have been the only government-sponsored festival of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll in U.S. history. About 100,000 people attended the week-long event, remembered by some for its spirit of community. Police and the [[Oregon National Guard|National Guard]] were on hand for Vortex, but they were told to look the other way as revelers broke loose during [[Oregon]]'s version of [[Woodstock Festival|Woodstock]]. Although the event had that gathering-of-tribes feel, it also drew some non-counter culture Vortex "tourists." The festival was held in order to alleviate potential demonstrations during a proposed visit by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]].}}</ref> Nixon ended up cancelling his appearance due to scheduling conflicts, with Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] appearing instead.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stahlberg |first1=Mike |title=Agnew pays surprise visit to Portland Legionnaires |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L7RVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6410%2C165506 |access-date=31 January 2024 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |date=September 2, 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://av.lib.umd.edu/media_objects/6d56zx24c | title=Agnew addresses American Legion Convention, Portland, Oregon, September 02, 1970 - Avalon }}</ref> It remains the only state-sponsored rock festival in [[History of the United States|United States history]].

==Background==
In 1970, President Nixon scheduled an appearance at the national American Legion convention in [[Portland, Oregon]],<ref name=pqedaco/><ref name=lcouws>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4f9XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4616%2C863508 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Legion convention opens under watchful scrutiny |date=August 28, 1970 |page=1}}</ref> in order to [[Vietnamization|promote the continuation]] of the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Far out, man: When the state threw a rock festival|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=2010-02-07|work=The Oregonian|pages=TV Click}}</ref> A coalition of Portland-based [[Opposition to the Vietnam War|anti-Vietnam War]] groups, called the People's Army Jamboree, planned a series of demonstrations and other anti-war activities, to be held at the same time as the convention.  Law enforcement at all levels, expecting massive numbers of protesters on both sides, were concerned about large-scale violence&mdash;an FBI report estimated a potential crowd of 25,000 Legionnaires and 50,000 anti-war protestors, and suggested that the result could be worse than the protests at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Chicago]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

A loose association of Portland counterculture groups banded together to devise a strategy that would highlight the best parts of the newly-evolving peace community. Koinonia House, a peace-activist Christian group hosted a public meeting and from there the idea of a "Biodegradable Festival of Life" called Vortex 1 came into being. Mike Carr, Lee Meier, Kristen Hansen and Nik Hougen were the first to go meet with Ed Westerdahl to discuss this concept, People from the following meetings including Bobby Wehe, Kaushal Yellin, and Glen Swift who went to meet Governor [[Tom McCall]] while others began to scout parklands nearby Portland that could accommodate such an event.

In order to keep the peace, McCall acted on a suggestion by staffer Ed Westerdahl who had been meeting with the Vortex volunteers.<ref name=OEarticle>{{Oregon Encyclopedia|vortex_i|Vortex I}}</ref> He made an agreement with representatives of local anti-war factions to permit a rock festival to be held in a state park at the same time as Nixon's scheduled visit, and to turn a blind eye toward behavior that had been widespread at the [[Woodstock Festival]], like nudity and [[Cannabis in Oregon|use of marijuana]].<ref name=OEarticle/>  McCall has been heard to remark that by making this agreement—less than three months before the upcoming November vote, in which he was running for re-election—he had "committed political suicide."

==The event==
[[Image:Milo McIver SP Clackamas.jpg|thumb|right|alt=|[[Milo McIver State Park]], the location of the festival]]
The festival was held from August 28 through September 3, concurrent with the American Legion convention.  Between 30,000 and 100,000<!-- people--> attended the event,<ref name="flickr"/><ref name="harvard">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=225596
 | title = Nature's Advocate
 | author = Thomas J. Meyer
 | work = The Harvard Crimson
 | date = 1983-01-14
 | access-date = 2009-02-02
}}</ref> held at [[Milo McIver State Park]], near the city of [[Estacada, Oregon|Estacada]].  Admission was free of charge, so the gates to the event were not monitored (and accurate attendance figures were not available).  On the busiest day of the festival, a line of automobiles ran {{convert|18|mi|round=5}} from the park gates to southeast Portland.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

Per agreement with the governor, the police and the [[Oregon National Guard]] largely ignored non-violent offenses<ref name="flickr"/> such as drug use and public nudity, both of which were present at the festival. The festival became known as "The Governor's Pot Party".<ref name="harvard"/>

The music at the festival was primarily performed by local acts. Oregon bands featured at the concert included Brown Sugar with Lloyd Jones, Jacob's Ladder, Portland Zu, Mixed Blood, and concert openers TuTu Band.  The media reported that many prominent national acts of the time would appear, including [[Carlos Santana|Santana]], [[Jefferson Airplane]], and [[Grateful Dead]], but none did. Nationally known artists that did perform, though not rock bands, included blues harmonica player and singer [[Charlie Musselwhite]] and his blues band.<ref>Gautschi, Isabel. “The Price of Admission Was Love”,  Estacada [Oregon] News. August 13, 2014.</ref> Soul/R&B singer [[Gene Chandler]] also performed, backed by the band Funk. [[Ginger Baker]] of [[Cream (band)|Cream]] came to visit the event but did not play. This did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the attendees.<ref name="harvard"/>

The Vortex 1 festival was essentially divided in two areas: the first at the higher elevations of McIver Park, held a huge home-built stage made of huge Oregon timbers; and the second, below by the Clackamas River held a sprawling encampment. The Portland community-based activist groups tended collectively to the various needs of the festival. The food co-ops and organic restaurants put together a facility that provided free food for the tens of thousands of attendees. The community free clinics (Outside In and LookingGlass) provided medical care. The motor heads parked the cars. The rock and roll halls from Portland ran the stage. Yoga groups held classes. Peace activist groups sponsored teach-ins and so on. It was truly a community-based, non-commercial event. The early pioneers of the [[Rainbow Gathering]]s worked there making an information booth, helping with security, lost children, supply trucks, stage building and that is where they took the name [[Rainbow Family]].

==Aftermath==
Though no doubt aided by a last-minute cancellation by Nixon, the event had its desired effect. Both the American Legion convention and the anti-war activities of the Jamboree were carried out without any major incident. The concert was considered by many to be an excellent means of preventing violence; there was no interpersonal violence or harm, and the damage to property in Portland was limited to a single broken window.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCall |first1=Tom |title=Letter to Roffie G. Bailey |date=September 10, 1970 |location=Oregon Historical Society}}</ref> Far from committing political suicide, McCall won re-election that November, defeating opponent [[Robert W. Straub]] handily.

McCall later told [[Studs Terkel]]: "It was the damnedest confrontation you'll ever see. We took a park, {{convert|20|mi|spell=in}} south of Portland, and turned it into an overnight bivouac and disco party.…There was a lot of pot smoking and skinny dipping, but nobody was killed."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Post Cards from the Past: 1970s—Your Day Off|journal=[[Portland Monthly]]|date=September 2007|pages=96}}</ref>

Because the event was non-commercial, had no commercial backers and the performers were mostly local bands, the mainstream press largely ignored it as a music event, focusing instead on the political aspects. It was one of the largest rock and roll festivals of the era.

==See also==
{{Portal|Rock music|Oregon}}
*[[List of historic rock festivals]]
*[[List of music festivals]]

==References==
{{More footnotes needed|article|date=April 2009}}
<!-- ===Footnotes=== -->
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | first = Matt | last = Love | title = The Far Out Story of Vortex I | publisher = Nestucca Spit Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-9744364-1-0 }}
*{{cite web | first = John | last = Kirkland | title = News: Off the Shelf: Winter 2005 | publisher = PSU Magazine | date = January 19, 2005 | url = http://www.pdx.edu/magazine/news/4416/ | access-date = 2007-04-12}}
*{{cite web | title = Oregon Heritage News | publisher = Oregon State Library | date = 2004-10-27 | url = http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/heritage/2004-October/000283.html | access-date = 2007-04-12 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050908161051/http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/heritage/2004-October/000283.html | archive-date = 2005-09-08 | url-status = dead }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.powells.com/blog/on-oregon/the-vortex-baptism-by-matt-love/ "The Vortex Baptism" by Matt Love]
*[http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2010/02/far_out_man_when_oregon_threw.html Far out, man: OPB documentary looks back on Oregon's Vortex rock festival] - ''The Oregonian''
*[http://www.opb.org/television/programs/oregonexperience/segment/vortex-i/ Vortex I]  Documentary produced by ''[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]]''
*[http://pamplinmedia.com/en/30-news/318051-197268-getting-back-in-the-vortex-groove A 2016 article, out of Estacada, Oregon]

{{Historic rock festival}}
{{Rock festivals}}

[[Category:1970 in music]]
[[Category:1970 in Oregon]]
[[Category:Concerts in the United States]]
[[Category:Festivals in Oregon]]
[[Category:History of Oregon]]
[[Category:Music festivals established in 1970]]
[[Category:Politics of Oregon]]
[[Category:Protests against the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Rock festivals in the United States]]
[[Category:Music festivals in Oregon]]