| Entered the Union: February 14, 1859 (33) |
Capital: Salem |
| Origin of Name: Unknown. First used by Jonathan Carver in 1778 – taken from the writings of Major Robert Rogers, an English army officer. It may derive from the word "ooligan" an Indian word for the smelt, a fish widely traded in the western parts of North America. Another possibility is a deritive of the French ouragan, meaning storm or hurricane. |
| State Nickname: Beaver State |
State Flower: Oregon Grape |
| State Bird: Western Meadowlark |
State Tree: Douglas Fir |
| State Insect: Oregon Swallowtail |
State Animal: American Beaver |
| State Fish: The Chinook Salmon |
State Nut: Hazelnut |
| State Rock: The Thunder-egg (geode) |
State Beverage: Milk |
| State Song: “Oregon, My Oregon" |
State Gem: Oregon sunstone |
| State Motto: Alis volat Propriis (She flies with her own wings) |
| National Park: 1 • National Forests: 13 • State Parks: 231 |
| Famous for: Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Oregon Dunes, Columbia River, Tillamook Cheese |
| Famous Oregonians: Robert Gray (discovered Columbia River), Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), Dave Kingman (baseball), Jane Powell (actress & singer), Doc Severinsen (band leader), Sally Struthers (actress) |
Native Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on
this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make. |
| State Fair: Salem |
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| Oregon Forests |
| Oregon State Parks |
| Coastal Oregon Historic Sites |
| Oregon Trail Historic Sites |
| Oregon Historic Sites & Museums |
| Oregon History |
| Mulnomah Falls - 2nd highest in USA |
| Crater Lake National Park |
| Windsurfing Capital of the World |
| Skiing in Oregon |
| Fishing in Oregon |
| Hunting in Oregon |
| Oregon Wildlife Viewing |
| Listen to W. Meadowlark's Song |
| Oregon Photo Galleries - 1 |
2 |
3 |
| Oregon Tulip Gallery |
| Oregon Trail Museum Gallery |
| Oregon Butterfly Gallery |
| Birds of the Northwest Gallery |
| Portland Rose Garden Gallery |
| Oregon Homeschooling |
| Oregon Resorts |
| Oregon RV Parks |
| Oregon Hotels and Reviews |
| Oregon Restaurants & Reviews |
| The first people probably came by a land bridge from Siberia over to Alaska, and then filtered southward to the Pacific Northwest 14,000 years ago. Along the coast of Oregon lived Salishan, Penutian, and Athapaskan. In central and eastern Oregon were Sahaptian. In the southeast were the Northern Paiutes. They hunted, foraged, fished, and traded -- but did not practice agriculture. Salmon was the staple food for most Oregon Indians. |
| The first white explorers came to Oregon by sea. Spain sent Juan Cabrillo, in 1542. Bartolomé Ferrelo, reached the southwestern coast in 1543 looking for a passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the Northwest Passage. In |
| 1776, the British sent James Cook to the Northwest to search for the Northwest Passage and to claim the land for Great Britain. |
| By the early nineteenth century, ownership of the Oregon Country was disputed among Spain, Britain, Russia, and the United States. |
| In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to lead the first American overland expedition to strengthen the American claim to Oregon. |
| In 1834, Methodist missionaries established the first permanent American settlement in Oregon (Wilamette Valley). |
| By 1843, thousands of American pioneers were migrating west on the Oregon Trail. The Trail began in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon City, crossing over 2,000 miles of prairie, desert, and mountains. The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States. |
| Wars with Native Americans began in 1847. Settlers were massacred, and conflicts rose with the discovery of gold. To protect those migrating to the state, the United States government forced Native Americans to move onto reservations. |
| Formed more than 6,500 years ago, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It is the only lake to be formed in the remains of a volcano and its crystal-blue waters are known around the world. |
| The Tillamook Cheese Factory is the largest cheese factory in the world. |
| The Carousel Museum contains the world’s largest collection of carousel horses. |
| At 8,000 feet deep, Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America. |
| “The Beaver State” – Prized for its fur, the beaver was overtrapped by early settlers and eliminated from much of its original range. Through partial protection, the beaver has been reestablished in watercourses throughout Oregon and remains an important economic asset. The beaver has been referred to as "nature's engineer," and its dam-building activities are important to natural water flow and erosion control. |
| The Columbia River forms most of the northern border between Oregon and Washington. The Snake River forms over half of the eastern boundary with Idaho. |
| Sea Lion Caves in Florence is the largest sea cave in the world. |
| Haystack Rock off Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world. |
| Oregon has one city named Sisters and another called Brothers. Sisters got its name from a nearby trio of peaks in the Cascade Mountains known as the Three Sisters. Brothers was named as a counterpart to Sisters. |
| Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano. Its crystal-blue waters are world renowned. |
| Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations. According to Oregon state law, an attendant must pump your gas. |
| Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets. |
| The Nike "swoosh" logo was designed by University of Oregon student Carolyn Davidson in 1964 -- four years after business undergrad Phil Knight and track coach Bill Bowerman founded the company they originally called Blue Ribbon Sports. Ms. Davidson was paid $35 dollars for her design. |
| The Carousel Museum contains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of carousel horses. |
| At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America. |
| Mount Hood, a dormant volcano, is the tallest peak in Oregon (11,239 feet). |
| Oregon has no sales tax. |
| There are nine lighthouses standing along the Oregon coastline. The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse. |
| Oregon's state flag pictures a beaver on its reverse side. It is the only state flag to carry two separate designs. |
| Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state. |
| The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing. |
| Oregon's state birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day. |
| Eugene is rated by "Bicycling Magazine" as one of the top ten cycling communities in the United States. |
| High above the city of Portland the International Rose Test Garden features more than 500 varieties of roses cultivated continuously since 1917. Portland is known as The City of Roses. |
| Fort Clatsop National Memorial contains a replica of Lewis and Clark's 1805-1806 winter outpost. |
| The small village of Bickelton is filled with bluebird houses seen on the posts of every house. |
| Oregon's Ethnic Roots: German 20.5%, English 13.2%, Irish 11.9%, American 6.2%, Mexican 5.5%, Native American 1.6% |
| Religion in Oregon: 70% Christian (54% Protestant, 15% Catholic, 1% Other), 24% No Religion, 5% LDS, 1% Other Religions |
The largest Sitka Spruce tree in the United States is in Kloochy Creek Park near Seaside, Oregon. It is about 750 years old, 206 feet tall, and has a circumference of over 52 feet. |
| Tillamook is home to Oregon's largest cheese factory. |
| Florence is known as Oregon's rhododendron capital. |
