Oregon: The Beaver State

Oregon: The Beaver State — page 1 — 4 OREGON INTRODUCTION Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest Oregon has been attracting visitors for centuries In the mid-1800s some 300,000 to 500,000 pioneers followed the Oregon Trail westward from Missouri many of them taking it all the way to Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley These early settlers were attracted to the state’s abundant supply of furs its fertile land and its rich forests Their journey has been called the Great Migration No one knows for sure where the name Oregon came from It is believed that early French settlers used the name ouragan meaning hurricane for the mighty Columbia River Today Oregon’s stunning combination of mountains forest and coastline has led many to refer to the state as the Pacific Wonderland Reaching heights of over 10,000 feet Oregon’s mountains are an impressive sight Salem was established as the territorial capital of Oregon in 1851 Oregon’s birthday is on St Valentine’s Day Feb 14 1859 Oregon is nicknamed the Beaver State The beaver was an important source of income for early trappers in Oregon The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwestern United States along the Pacific coast It includes the states of Washington and Oregon as well as parts of northern California western Canada and southern Alaska Portland’s Japanese Garden is considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens of its kind outside of Japan

Oregon: The Beaver State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 Oregon’s western border follows the Pacific coast The state is bordered by Washington to the north Idaho to the east and California and Nevada to the south The Columbia River forms most of the border dividing Oregon from Washington and the Snake River forms a large section of the border dividing Oregon from Idaho Oregon’s road network is immense The state’s area of more than 97,000 square miles is crossed by well developed roads and highways Running the length of the Oregon coast the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway offers spectacular views of the picturesque coastline Portland International Airport is the largest of seven commercial-passenger airports in Oregon The airline industry is an important part of Oregon’s economy as Portland and other airports serve as gateways to Asia Oregon Location Map Oregon was the first state to complete its part of the interstate freeway system in 1966 Nine historic lighthouses dot the Oregon coastline from Tillamook Rock Lighthouse in the north to Cape Blanco Lighthouse in the south Oregon has the only state flag with a different image on each side On the front the words State of Oregon are written in gold across the top of the flag On the back a gold beaver is pictured on a field of navy blue Front side of Oregon flag 0 0 30 48 60 96 Mi Km Scale Highest peak Mount Hood 11,235 feet Capital Salem Population 3,421,399 Interstate highways Size 97,052 square miles

Oregon: The Beaver State — page 3 — 6 OREGON Spanish explorers may have first sailed the coastal waters off Oregon as early as 1543 Eventually many European nations were drawn to the area for its wealth of fur-bearing animals and their valuable pelts Following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 U S President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the North American continent west of the Mississippi River Their successful expedition to the Oregon coast encouraged trappers and settlers to journey to Oregon throughout the 1800s With the European settlers came European diseases which resulted in the deaths of many Native Americans Competition between the settlers and the Native Americans over valuable land and natural resources often developed into violent conflicts In 1823 the U S Supreme Court ruled that because the Native Americans were wanderers they did not own their land This ruling provided a convenient justification for taking the Native Americans homelands away from them In 1859 Oregon became the 33rd state of the United States and the logging and farming industries fueled the new economy The Portlandia statue in Portland is the second largest hammered-copper statue in the country Douglas Engelbart who is responsible for inventing the computer mouse was born near Portland The state gemstone is the sunstone a brightly colored transparent gem in the feldspar family Oregon has more than 1,700 lakes

Oregon: The Beaver State — page 4 — INTRODUCTION 7 During the second half of the 20th century some of Oregon’s traditional industries such as forestry and fishing were threatened Overfishing of salmon and aggressive logging of national forests led to a severe decline of these resources Environmental protection laws were created to protect the state’s natural resources While the traditional industries were forced to adapt to these challenges new high-technology industries such as electronics developed and strengthened the state’s economy Oregon is a haven for outdoor recreation The mountains and coastline provide a wealth of opportunity for activities such as swimming skiing boating hunting and fishing The Columbia River Gorge in northern Oregon has become one of the most popular places in the world to windsurf Today Oregon’s friendly population and diversified economy attract people from all over the world One environmental protection program the Oregon Plan was developed to restore salmon and trout populations in the state In 1996 Oregon became the first U S state to elect a senator entirely by mail-in ballot Oregon has one of the highest minimum wages in the United States At 620 feet Multnomah Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the United States Oregon’s motto is Alis Volat Propiis a Latin phrase meaning She Flies with Her Own Wings The state song is Oregon My Oregon by J A Buchanan and Henry B Murtagh Oregon has nearly 300 miles of coastline

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