Oregon
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State flag
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OREGON,
one of the Pacific states of the U.S., bounded on the N by
Washington, on the E by Idaho, on the S by Nevada and California,
and on the W by the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia R. forms much of
the N boundary.
Oregon entered the Union on Feb. 14, 1859, as the 33d
state.
Encompassing a land area of great topographic diversity and scenic
beauty, it has traditionally had an economy based on agriculture and
the exploitation of its vast forests. In the early 1990s manufacturing
and service industries also were very important. The origin of the
state name is uncertain. It may, however, be derived from the French ouragan, meaning “hurricane,” a
name formerly applied to the Columbia R. Oregon is called the Beaver
State.
| OREGON STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
February 14, 1859; 33d state |
| CAPITAL: |
Salem |
| MOTTO: |
She flies with her own wings |
| NICKNAME: |
Beaver State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Oregon, My Oregon” (words by J. A. Buchanan; music by Henry B. Murtagh) |
| STATE TREE: |
Douglas fir |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Oregon grape |
| STATE BIRD: |
Western meadowlark |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
3,421,399; 28th among the states |
| AREA: |
254,819 sq km (98,386 sq mi); 9th largest state;
includes 6172 sq km (2383 sq mi) of inland water |
| COASTLINE: |
476 km (296 mi) |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Mount Hood, 3426 m (11,239 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
Sea level, at the Pacific coast |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
7 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 5 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Ted Kulongoski (Dem.) Took office January 2003 |
Oregon, with an area of 254,819 sq km (98,386 sq mi), is the
ninth largest state in the U.S.; 52.3% of the land area
is owned by the federal government. The state is roughly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 475 km (about 295
mi) from N to S and about 605 km (about 376 mi) from E to W. Elevations
range from sea level to 3426 m (11,239 ft) atop Mt. Hood. The approximate
mean elevation is 1006 m (3300 ft). Oregon’s coastline
along the Pacific Ocean is 476 km (296 mi).
Oregon has considerable physiographic diversity. Along
much of
the Pacific coast lie the Coast Ranges. Lower than the coastal
mountains
of California or Washington, they have a maximum elevation of about
1219 m (about 4000 ft). To the S lies a small portion of the granitic
Klamath
Mts. Both of these regions are well covered with forest and undergrowth
and have inhibited E-W travel, except along such stream canyons
as those of the Columbia, Umpqua, and Rogue rivers. Inland, to the N,
lies the Willamette Valley. A southern extension of the Puget Trough,
this region is an alluvial plain, its rich soils having been deposited
by the Willamette R. and its tributaries. To the E lies the Oregon
portion of the Cascade Range. This region consists of a sloping
volcanic tableland, capped by a series of presently dormant volcanoes,
including Mt. Hood, the Three Sisters, and Mt. McLoughlin.
Covering much of the E half of the state is the Columbia Plateau.
Much of this area is covered to great depths by basaltic (lava)
flows. Streams, such as the John Day R., have cut canyons in the
surface. A unique portion of this region is the Blue Mts.; with
elevations exceeding 2743 m (9000 ft), the mountains are sufficiently
high to have experienced local glaciation during the Pleistocene
epoch. To the S of the Columbia Plateau lies a portion of the Great
Basin. A region of basins separated by low-lying mountains, the
Great Basin is internally drained.
The Columbia R., forming most of the Oregon-Washington boundary,
is the principal river of the state. It is sufficiently deep so
that oceangoing ships may reach The Dalles. Its major tributary,
the north-and-west flowing Snake R., forms part of the state’s
NE boundary and joins the Columbia R. in Washington. Both of these
rivers cut deep canyons along their courses in Oregon. Two other
north-flowing tributaries of the Columbia R.—the Willamette and Deschutes—drain much of Oregon’s Cascade Range.
Some other streams rising in the Cascade Range, but flowing W to
the Pacific Ocean, include the Rogue, Umpqua, and Klamath rivers.
The state has numerous natural lakes, especially in the Cascade
Range, although none of these is large. Beautiful Crater Lake, the
most famous, lies in the crater of an ancient extinct volcano. To
the SE is the larger Klamath Lake; to the E are the shallow Harney and Malheur lakes.
Western Oregon has an equable, humid climate, dominated by
marine influences; E of the Cascade Range the climate is dry and
continental, characterized by greater daily and seasonal temperature
extremes. In coastal areas the average temperature of the coldest
month is only 8.3° C (15° F) lower than that of
the warmest month; in the Columbia Plateau the difference is 22.2° C
(40° F). The recorded temperature has ranged from –47.8° C
(–54° F) in 1933 to 48.3° C (119° F)
in 1938. Annual precipitation along the coast averages 1778 to 2286
mm (70 to 90 in). The upper W slopes of the Coast Range receive
5080 mm (200 in) of precipitation annually; the Willamette Valley
to the E receives about 1016 mm (about 40 in). The Cascades receive
heavy precipitation and are high enough to prevent moist air masses
from moving inland; E Oregon is therefore semiarid, receiving only
203 to 508 mm (8 to 20 in) of precipitation a year. In all areas
precipitation is concentrated in the winter months. Although the
W is cool, humid, and cloudy, summers there are dry. The W slopes
of the Cascades receive 7620 to 12,700 mm (300 to 500 in) of snow
a year.
| OREGON AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Portland |
Pendleton |
| Average January temperature range |
0.6° to 6.7° C |
33° to 44° F |
–3.9° to 3.9° C |
25° to 39° F |
| Average July temperature range |
12.8° to 26.1° C |
55° to 79° F |
15° to 31.1° C |
59° to 88° F |
| Average annual temperature |
11.7° C |
53° F |
11.1° C |
52° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
965 mm |
38 in |
305 mm |
12 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
178 mm |
7 in |
457 mm |
18 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
152 |
99 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
66% |
52% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
69 |
107 |
Oregon has more standing commercial timber than any other state
except Alaska. Forest, mostly in the W, covers 43% of the
total land area. Conifers are predominant. Near the Pacific coast
is a tall forest dominated by spruce, cedar, and western hemlock.
Inland, over much of the Coast Range, are forests of Douglas fir.
The Willamette Valley also has Douglas fir groves, as well as remnants
of oak woods. In the Cascade Range are forests of silver and Douglas
fir. North of Klamath Lake is a sizable area of open ponderosa pine
forest with a grassy undergrowth. Farther N this grades into a juniper woodland
with shrubs and grasses. In the drier E half the vegetation is relatively
scanty, dominated by grasses and sagebrush, with saltbush and greasewood
in alkaline areas. The Blue Mts. region, which contains fir forests,
is an exception to this pattern.
The forests of W Oregon contain a diversity of wildlife, including
Roosevelt elk, cougar, fox, beaver, muskrat, otter, and mink. Seals and sea lions frequent the state’s Pacific coast. Salmon,
steelhead and rainbow trout, and bass are found in the rivers and
lakes. In the E, wildlife includes pronghorn, deer, coyote, jackrabbit, and rattlesnake.
Although gold was recovered near Jacksonville in the
19th century,
Oregon lacks the rich mineral resources of neighboring California,
Nevada, and Idaho. The principal mineral products are sand and gravel
and limestone. Other minerals found include nickel, clay, soapstone,
diatomite, and pumice.
According to the 2000 census, Oregon had 3,421,399 inhabitants,
an increase of 20.4% over 1990. In 2000 the average population
density was 35.6 people per sq mi of land area. Whites made up 86.6% of
the population and blacks 1.6%; additional population groups
included 45,211 American Indians, 101,350 Asians, and 7976 Native
Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. (These figures do not include
the 3.1% of the population who reported more than one race.)
American Indian groups included the Cayuse; Klamath Indians; Piute,
or Paiute; Wallawalla Indians; Umatilla; and Wasco. A total of 275,314
Oregon residents, or about 8.0%, claimed Hispanic ancestry.
The largest cities in the state were Portland; Eugene; Salem, the capital;
Gresham; and Beaverton.
According to the 1990 census, Roman Catholics (15.3%)
constituted Oregon’s single largest religious group; others
included Baptists (8.7%), Lutherans (6.7%), Methodists
(4.9%), Presbyterians (4.2%), and Mormons (2.4%).
In 1990 about 70% of all persons in Oregon lived in areas
defined as urban, and the rest resided in rural areas. The major
area of population concentration was in the W, especially in the
Willamette R. valley of the NW.
| POPULATION OF OREGON SINCE 1850 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1850 |
12,000 |
0% |
| 1870 |
91,000 |
9% |
| 1880 |
175,000 |
15% |
| 1900 |
414,000 |
32% |
| 1920 |
783,000 |
50% |
| 1940 |
1,090,000 |
49% |
| 1960 |
1,769,000 |
62% |
| 1970 |
2,092,000 |
67% |
| 1980 |
2,633,000 |
68% |
| 1990 |
2,842,321 |
70% |
| 2000 |
3,421,399 |
-- |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN OREGON |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Portland |
529,121 |
437,319 |
| Eugene |
137,893 |
112,669 |
| Salem |
136,924 |
107,786 |
| Gresham |
90,205 |
68,235 |
| Beaverton |
76,129 |
53,310 |
| Hillsboro |
70,186 |
37,520 |
| Medford |
63,154 |
46,951 |
| Springfield |
52,864 |
44,683 |
| Bend |
52,029 |
23,740 |
| Corvallis |
49,322 |
44,757 |
Oregon has a comprehensive statewide public educational system and a number of prominent cultural institutions, concentrated for
the most part in Portland.
In 1849 the territory of Oregon was officially
organized, and the passage of the Nathan Dane Act provided for funds to
establish
an educational system; Oregon’s first public school was
opened in 1851. In the late 1980s the state had 1190 public elementary
and secondary schools with a combined annual enrollment of about
340,300 elementary pupils and 132,100 secondary students. Some 32,600
students attended private schools. In the same period Oregon had
46 institutions of higher education with a total yearly enrollment
of about 161,800 students. Among the most notable of these schools
were Willamette University (1842), the oldest institution of higher
education in the Far West, in Salem; Lewis and Clark College (1867),
Reed College (1909), Portland State University (1946), the University
of Portland (1901), and Pacific Northwest College of Art (1909),
all in Portland; Linfield College (1849), in McMinnville; the
University
of Oregon (1876), in Eugene; Oregon State University (1868), in
Corvallis; and Pacific University (1849), in Forest Grove.
Three of Oregon’s most important museums—the
Portland Art Museum (containing the Rasmussen collection of Indian
artifacts), the Oregon Historical Society Museum, and the Oregon
Museum of Science and Industry—are located in Portland.
Portland is also the home of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, the
Portland Opera Association, and the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Other museums
of note in the vicinity are the University of Oregon Museum of Art,
in Eugene, and the Favell Museum of Western Art and Artifacts, in
Klamath Falls. The following five museums present the history of
the Oregon Trail: the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
(1995), Oregon City; the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center (1992), Baker City; the Four Rivers Cultural Center (1997),
Ontario; the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical
Museum (1997), The Dalles; and The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
(1998), Pendleton. Two prominent cultural events of the summer are
the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, in Ashland and Portland, and
the Peter Britt Music Festival, in Jacksonville.
The heritage of the Old West is commemorated in a number of Oregon’s
historical sites, such as Astoria Column and Fort Clatsop National
Memorial, both in Astoria. Period houses in the state include the
McLoughlin House National Historic Site (1846) and the Capt. John
C. Ainsworth House (1850), in Oregon City; Bush House (1877), in
Salem; and the Bybee Howell House (1856) in Portland.
Oregon’s national forests, which cover much of the
state, together with its scenic ocean shoreline, mountains, rivers, and
lakes, furnish ideal conditions for such outdoor activities
as swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, camping, mountain climbing, and
hunting. Golfing and horseback riding are popular sports, as
is skiing, with major ski areas located around Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor,
and Mt. Ashland.
The state is the home of a professional basketball team, the
Portland Trail Blazers.
In the early 1990s Oregon had 90 AM and 93 FM radiobroadcasting
stations and 29 television stations. The state’s first
radio station, KGW in Portland, was licensed in 1922. KPTV in Portland,
Oregon’s first commercial television station, went on the
air in 1953. The Oregon Spectator, Oregon’s
first newspaper and the first newspaper published W of the Rocky
Mts., began publication in Oregon City in 1846. In the early 1990s
Oregon had 20 daily newspapers with a combined daily circulation
of approximately 673,100. Major dailies in the state included the Oregonian,
in Portland; the Register-Guard, in Eugene; and
the Statesman Journal, in Salem.
Oregon is governed under its original constitution adopted
in 1857, as amended. Amendments to the constitution may be proposed
by the legislature, by initiative, or by a constitutional convention.
An amendment proposed by the legislature or by initiative must be
approved by a majority of the persons voting on the issue in a general
election.
The chief executive of Oregon is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and who is limited to a maximum of two
terms in any 12-year period. The same regulations apply to the secretary
of state, who succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die,
or be removed from office. Other elected executive officials include
the attorney general, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, and
labor commissioner.
The bicameral Oregon legislative assembly comprises a senate and a house of representatives. The 30 members of the senate are
elected to serve 4-year terms, and the 60 members of the house are
elected to 2-year terms.
Oregon’s highest tribunal, the supreme court, is
composed of a chief justice and 6 associate justices. The intermediate
court of appeals has 10 judges, and the major trial courts—the
circuit courts—have a total of 90 judges. All judges except
municipal judges are elected on nonpartisan ballots to 6-year terms.
In the early 1990s Oregon had 36 counties and 241 municipalities.
Most of the counties were governed by a county judge and several
commissioners, and cities generally operated under the mayor-council
form of government.
Oregon elects two senators and five representatives to the U.S.
Congress. The state has seven electoral votes in presidential elections.
Although the Democrats hold an advantage in party
registration, Oregon has a well-established tradition of political
independence. Republican candidates fared well in presidential
elections until the late 1980s, when a Democratic trend began. In the
early 2000s, Democrats held the governorship and four of the state's
five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
From its earliest settlement, Oregon has had an economy dominated
by the exploitation of natural resources, particularly forest and
agricultural resources. Since World War II, however, the state’s
economy has diversified with the growth of manufacturing and service
industries. By the late 1980s some 41% of Oregon’s
labor force was employed in government and services, and about 18% in
manufacturing.
| OREGON STATE ECONOMY (early 1990s) |
| STATE BUDGET |
| General revenue |
$5.8 billion |
| General expenditure |
$5.6 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$6.6 billion |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$1934 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$13,418 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
12.4% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (49) |
$22.0 billion |
 |
| LABOR FORCE (CIVILIAN NONFARM) |
1,207,000 |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
26% |
| Employed in services |
23% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
18% |
| Employed in government |
18% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Commercial, financial, and professional services |
51% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
24% |
| Government |
12% |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries |
4% |
| Mining |
less than 1% |
* Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year.
Sources: U.S. government publications |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF OREGON (early 1990s) |
| |
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$2.3 billion |
|
| CROPS |
|
$1.5 billion |
| Hay |
2.6 million metric tons |
$253 million |
| Vegetables |
975,000 metric tons |
$167 million |
| Wheat |
1.6 million metric tons |
$158 million |
| Potatoes |
1.1 million metric tons |
$135 million |
| Pears |
211,000 metric tons |
$62 million |
|
| LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS |
|
$755 million |
| Cattle |
226,000 metric tons |
$370 million |
| Milk |
716,000 metric tons |
$219 million |
| Eggs |
652 million |
$42 million |
| Chickens (broilers) |
51,000 metric tons |
$36 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$191 million |
| Stone |
16.7 million metric tons |
$81 million |
| Sand, gravel |
13.1 million metric tons |
$50 million |
|
| FISHING |
77,000 metric tons |
$79 million |
|
| |
|
Annual Payroll |
| FORESTRY |
|
$46 million |
|
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$5.5 billion |
| Lumber and wood products |
|
$1.5 billion |
| Industrial machinery and equipment |
|
$538 million |
| Food and kindred products |
|
$443 million |
| Instruments and related products |
|
$400 million |
| Primary metals |
|
$366 million |
| Printing and publishing |
|
$351 million |
| Electronic equipment |
|
$343 million |
| Paper and allied products |
|
$321 million |
| Fabricated metal products |
|
$280 million |
| Transportation equipment |
|
$261 million |
| Rubber and plastics products |
|
$111 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
$18.7 billion |
| Government |
|
$5.0 billion |
| Services |
|
$4.7 billion |
| Retail trade |
|
$2.7 billion |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$1.9 billion |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
|
$1.6 billion |
| Finance, insurance, and real estate |
|
$1.4 billion |
| Construction |
|
$1.1 billion |
| Sources: U.S. government publications |
Farming accounts for 3% of the annual gross state
product in Oregon. The state has some 37,000 farms, which average
195 ha (481 acres) in size. Livestock and dairy products make up
about one-third of Oregon’s yearly farm income. Beef cattle
is the leading livestock product; cattle ranching is concentrated
E of the Cascade Range. Dairy farming and poultry and hog raising
are important in the W. Sheep are raised in both the W and E parts
of the state.
Crops account for two-thirds of Oregon’s annual agricultural
income. Wheat is grown in the relatively dry E part of the state.
Other crops grown in this region include potatoes, barley, oats,
and—under irrigation—vegetables and sugar beets.
The state’s most productive agricultural areas, the Willamette
Valley and the narrow valleys W of the Cascade Range, are known
for their vegetables and fruits. Major crops here include pears,
cherries, strawberries, beans, peas, peaches, plums, and nuts. Flower
bulbs and other horticultural products are also grown in these areas.
Forestry is an important sector of the Oregon economy;
companies
making lumber and wood products account for more than 25% of
the state’s total manufacturing payroll. Oregon is a leading
state in its output of forestry products, supplying about 20% of
the nation’s saw timber and one-sixth of all plywood manufactured
in the U.S. The principal commercial species are the Douglas fir and
hemlock in the W and the ponderosa pine in the E. Logging occurs
in almost every county of the state but is concentrated in the Cascade
Range.
The fishing industry accounts for an annual catch of
about $79
million in Oregon. Chinook, coho (silver), and other varieties of
salmon are among the most valuable species caught; rockfish, sablefish,
and shrimp are also important. Most commercial fishing takes place
along the continental shelf, but a minor amount is conducted on
the Columbia R. and other inland waterways.
The mining industry accounts for less than 1% of
the annual gross state product in Oregon. Limestone and other stone
make up more than two-fifths of the total mineral value and occur
widely throughout the state. Sand and gravel account for over one-quarter
of the value and are mined in nearly every county. Other mineral
products include clay, diatomite, soapstone, pumice, chalk, and
nickel.
Manufacturing enterprises account for 20% of the
annual gross state product in Oregon and employ about 217,000 workers.
The leading manufactures are lumber, wood, and paper products; these
related industries employ approximately one-third of the state’s
manufacturing labor force. The other leading industries include
food processing and the manufacture of industrial machinery, precision
instruments, primary and fabricated metal products, and electronic
equipment. Other important manufactures include printed materials and
transportation equipment. Portland and Eugene are the principal
industrial
centers in Oregon and have attracted much of the state’s
high-technology industry.
Each year more than 7 million visitors to the state produce
over $2.7 billion for the Oregon economy. Crater Lake National
Park is the outstanding attraction among the areas administered
in Oregon by the National Park Service. In addition, Oregon maintains
a system of about 225 state parks and waysides, some 70 of which
have frontage on the Pacific Ocean.
Portland is the principal hub within a network of about 152,840
km (about 94,970 mi) of federal, state, and local roads that serve
all sections of Oregon. This includes 1159 km (720 mi) of interstate
highways that cross the state from N to S and E to W. The 4186 km
(2601 mi) of Class I railroad track extend mainly in a N-S direction,
with secondary E-W connections. The state has 18 marine and river
ports, of which Portland and Coos Bay are the most important. Oceangoing
barges and river craft are able to navigate the Columbia R. as far
inland as The Dalles. Portland International Airport is by far the
most important of the 285 airports and 81 heliports in the state.
Electricity generating plants in Oregon have a total
installed
capacity of about 11.2 million kw and produce some 49.2 billion
kwh of electric power each year. More than 80% of all electricity
is generated by hydroelectric projects, primarily from major dams
located at The Dalles, Bonneville, and other sites on the Columbia and
Snake rivers. The Trojan nuclear plant, near Rainier, supplies over
12% of Oregon’s electric power, and conventional
facilities operating on fossil fuels provide most of the remainder.
Among the early inhabitants of Oregon were the Chinook, Yakima,
Cayuse, Modoc, and Shoshoni Indians. In 1542–43 a Spanish
navigator, BartolomÉ Ferrelo (1499–1550), sailed
from Mexico to a point near southern Oregon. In 1602–3
his exploit was duplicated by another Spanish mariner, Sebastián
Vizcaíno. In 1579 the English navigator Sir Francis Drake
sailed along the Pacific coast, possibly as far north as Oregon.
Other Spanish explorers made voyages to Oregon coastal waters during
the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1775 the Spanish navigator Bruno
Heceta sailed to the mouth of the Columbia River. In 1778 the British
sea captain James Cook saw the Oregon coast near the mouth of the
Alsea River. Within the next decade various British and American
vessels frequented the northern Pacific coast. In 1788 occurred
the first known landing of whites on the Oregon coast, by seamen
of the American vessel Lady Washington, commanded
by Capt. Robert Gray. On a second voyage, in 1792, Capt. Gray sailed
the great river, which he named the Columbia, after his ship; the
U.S. later claimed the entire region drained by the Columbia, basing
its claim on Gray’s voyage. George Vancouver, a British
captain, was at this time exploring Puget Sound. Fur traders entered
the region in 1793. The immense wilderness, inhabited only by Indian
tribes, was explored in 1804–6 by the Americans Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark.
A trading post in the Columbia River region was established
in 1811 by the Pacific Fur Co. of John Jacob Astor at Astoria. After
the declaration of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the
U.S., Astoria was sold to the British North West Co. and renamed
Fort George.
Negotiations in 1818 led to the establishment of the 49th
parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and British possessions
as far west as the Rocky Mountains. Because an agreement could not
be reached regarding the boundary west of the Rocky Mountains and
north of the 42d parallel, the two countries agreed to a 10-year
period of joint occupancy. In 1819, Spain, which also had laid claim
to the Oregon country, relinquished its claim to all Pacific coast
territory north of the 42d parallel; and in 1824 and 1825, by treaties
with the U.S. and Great Britain, Russia relinquished claim to territory
south of the parallel 54° 40¢. The Anglo-American convention
was extended in 1827.
The rich Oregon fur trade was controlled by the British Hudson’s
Bay Co., which had absorbed the North West Co. During the 1840s
organized American immigration to the Oregon territory began, and
the “Oregon question” became a matter of concern.
By 1843, Americans were demanding that Great Britain relinquish
all jurisdiction south of 54° 40¢ latitude; in
1844 the Democratic party slogan, on which James Polk
was elected
president of the U.S., was “Fifty-four forty, or fight.” At
length, in 1846, the two countries agreed, in the Oregon Treaty,
on the 49th parallel as the boundary from the Rockies to the coast, and
a line along the midchannel between Vancouver Island and the
mainland to the Pacific Ocean. Oregon was established as a territory
in 1848; as originally established, it covered all the area between
the 42d and 49th parallels, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific
Ocean, and included present-day Washington and parts of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Many Oregon settlers left for California after the
discovery of gold there in 1849, but the depopulation was more than
compensated for after the passage by Congress of the Donation Land
Act in 1850, giving large tracts of land free to settlers in Oregon.
The increase of population and prosperity prompted the settlers
to hold a convention in 1857 and request statehood, which was granted
in 1859. Indian rebellions and wars became increasingly serious
after the American Civil War. The Modoc War (1864–73) and
the Shoshoni War (1866–68) were marked by fierce battles and widespread destruction. Many Indian engagements were fought
in the 1870s, when the tribes were being forced to move to reservations.
Between 1869, when the Union Pacific Railroad was completed, and 1900, Oregon’s population more than quadrupled. An
early leader in governmental reform, Oregon was among the first
states to enact the initiative and referendum (1902), the direct
primary (1904), recall (1908), and woman suffrage (1912).
From the beginning, lumber and agriculture played a central
role in the state’s economy. Both industries have been
greatly aided by irrigation water and low-cost electric power supplied
since the 1930s by several dam projects. Oregon’s various
World War II defense efforts led to enormous expansion. In 1956
the introduction of natural gas brought about further industrial and attendant population growth.
Since the 1960s the lumber industry has undergone many
changes, and new ways have been found to make more efficient use of
forest
resources. Nevertheless, a basic conflict between the industry and
environmentalists
seeking to preserve Oregon’s old-growth forests remained
unresolved in the 1990s. Voters in 1994 approved an initiative making
Oregon the first state in the U.S. to authorize physician-assisted
suicide for terminally ill patients; a ballot measure aimed at
repealing
the law was defeated three years later. In 1998, Oregonians passed
an initiative making their state the first in the U.S. to replace
traditional polling places with an all-mail ballot; the mail-in
method boosted voter participation rates in the presidential primaries
of May 2000 and the general election in November.