Portlanders wore face masks in 1980 to avoid breathing in volcanic ash. Following the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18th, 1980 the wind blew east sparing the city until the wind shifted. The eruption released a massive ash cloud that spread across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. While Portland was not directly in the path of the heaviest ash fall, it still received a considerable amount.
OHS has preserved a Mount Saint Helen’s oral history series.
