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  # Entered Union   Year Settled 33rd      Feb. 14, 1859     1811  Nickname Beaver State  Rank     Population 27th      3,790,060  Rank     Square Miles 9th         98,381  State Bird  State Flower Mountain Laurel (state flower)  State Tree  State Motto Alis volat propriis           She flies with her own wings  Spanish sailors in search of a northwest passage were the first Europeans to see what is known today as Oregon. Settlers traveling in wagon trains over the Oregon Trail in the 1840s followed the missionaries who had come in the 1830s. Oregon was admitted as the 33rd state in 1859.  Oregon is a state of great natural beauty with places such as Crater Lake National Park and the Columbia River Gorge. Its mountains, covered in forests, make Oregon the leading state in the production of wood products. The capital is Salem. The origin of the state's name is unknown, but one theory holds that it may have come from the Wisconsin River, shown in a 1715 French map as "Ouaricon-sint.  Why are those three covered wagons surrounded by a fence? If you look closer you'll see that they aren't the kind of covered wagons you can ride in. They are being used as a canopy for the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a museum devoted to the history of the Oregon Trail.  The Oregon Trail was a route used by people who traveled to Oregon Country, which is what Oregon was called before it became a state in 1859. The Oregon Trail was the most popular way to get to Oregon Country from about 1843 through the 1870s. The trail started in Missouri and covered 2,000 miles before ending in Oregon City.  Most people moving west traveled in covered wagons, which were large enough for all their belongings as well as the food they needed for a journey that could take months. The wagons also provided shelter from the weather. Teams of oxen or mules pulled the wagons along the dusty trail.  People didn't ride in the wagons often, because they didn't want to wear out their animals. Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals. It was even hard on the wagons, which usually had to be repaired several times during the trip.  To help remember the hardships these pioneers faced, Oregon City constructed this museum so others could learn about the lives and experiences of these pioneers.  Congress Created the Oregon Territory Have you ever been to the Pacific Northwest? On August 14, 1848, Congress created the Oregon Territory, an area that includes what is today Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and western Montana. The Oregon Territory quickly became a popular place for various groups of immigrants and settlers.  Settlers had been traveling west for years. In 1843, one Missouri lawyer named Peter Burnett decided to join an expedition for the Oregon Territory in the hopes that he would be able to make enough money to repay his debts back east. Some 40 years later, Burnett recalled, "I saw that a great American community would grow up, in the space of a few years, upon the shores of the distant Pacific; and I felt an ardent desire to aid in this most important enterprise."  Starting in the 1830s, thousands of people from the Midwest traveled to the Pacific Northwest in covered wagons. The first permanent settlement was established in the Willamette Valley by a group of Methodists, led by Jason Lee. Covered wagons and wagon trains were regularly making their way along the Oregon Trail by the early 1840s. What do you think the early settlers found when they arrived at their destination?  Today's state of Oregon is a land of great geographic diversity, ranging from rain forests, to mountains, to valleys, and deserts. The main industry in Oregon is timber since about one-half of the state is forested. The fishing industry is another big part of the state's economy. Salmon fishing, traditional to Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest (particularly the Chinook) still remains an Oregon industry.  Did you know there was a volcano in Oregon? And that when it erupted and collapsed it created a lake?  Around 7,000 years ago, the volcano Mount Mazama erupted and collapsed and, as a result, formed Crater Lake. Molten lava cooled and sealed up the bottom, forming a huge bowl-shaped crater. Over the years, rainfall and melting snow have filled it with over four trillion gallons of water, making it the deepest lake in the United States. The lake is also known for its deep blue color.  Accounts of the eruption of Mount Mazama are found in stories handed down by the Klamath Tribes, who are descendants of the ancient Makalak people. According to Makalak legend, there was a battle between Skell, the spirit of the sky, and Llao, the spirit of the mountain. When Skell defeated Llao, the spirit of the mountain's home, Mount Mazama, erupted and collapsed.  Crater Lake is now a national park and draws approximately 500,000 visitors a year.  |
