Tour explores origins of Donora Smog

By Matt Petras

For the MV Independent

Angie Bidleck did some reading about the Pittsburgh area’s history, but wanted to learn more. When she learned of a tour through the former Donora Zinc Works, ground zero of the historic 1948 Donora Smog incident, she was interested. 

“I hadn’t done much beyond that book,” she said, “and actually physically seeing, ‘This is where something happened,’ brings it home a lot better than reading about it.” 

Venture Outdoors, the Group Against Smog and Pollution as well as the Donora Smog Museum teamed up to present the tour, which concluded with lunch and an educational presentation at the museum Saturday. 

The event, which drew a crowd of more than 20 people, was a repeat of one that took place in May. Venture Outdoors regularly hosts outdoor activities such as hikes and kayak trips, while GASP is a nonprofit group that advocates for clean air. 

Some of the out-of-towners knew little about Donora before they arrived for the tour. One man asked if Donora still had a street for shopping and asked how many still live in the borough. Mark Pawelec, a Smog Museum volunteer, explained that the town’s business community and population have shrunk quite a bit over the years. 

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