Oregon History

The Pacific Northwest was occupied by peoples migrating across the Alaskan land bridge probably either by foot or by boat from what is now Siberia as early as 10,000 years ago. They settled in the interior, along the Columbia River and later along the Pacific Coast.

In the inland valleys the people harvested nuts, roots and game utilizing cedar for almost all of their material needs: clothing, utensils, shelter and canoes. By the coastal streams they lived in small villages of plank houses and harvested the berries and game, salmon and shellfish of the area. Further up the Columbia and along the banks of the Willamette the first Oregonians settled in villages and developed an important trade in salmon. In the South in the vicinity of the present Klamath Lakes the native people were marsh and lakeside dwellers subsisting on waterfowl and plants and living in subterranean, earth domed lodges. On the plateau from the upper Columbia to the Wallowas the Indian tribes rode horses and lived in long teepee-type mat houses.

The first of many explorers to the Oregon coast was a Spaniard named Cabrillo in 1542. Many followed in search of fabled riches and a passage to the Orient. Sir Francis Drake arrived on the Southern Oregon coast in 1579. After many attempts to find the “great river of the West”, in 1788 Captain Robert Grey sailed into the mouth of the river and named it Columbia after his vessel. A brisk trade with the natives for beaver, otter and other pelts was developed by Russian, British and American trappers. Shipped to the Orient and traded for tea, silk and spices to be shipped to Boston the furs represented an important link in a triangle of trade.

Departing from St. Louis in the spring of 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the first overland expedition to explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory at the request of then President Thomas Jefferson. Returning to St. Louis in September of 1806 this remarkable expedition recorded the animals, plants and geography, established friendly trade relations with the Indians and laid the basis for claim to the Oregon Country against the claims of the English and the Russians.

In 1810 John Jacob Astor sent a company, the Pacific Fur Company, by land and by sea to establish a settlement in Astoria. Although short lived, it resulted in a more extensive knowledge of the region, including the Willamette Valley. The dominating force in the American country for the next three decades were the British firms: the Northwest Company and later the Hudson’s Bay Company. Here, where the Willamette and the Columbia Rivers joined together was Ft. Vancouver, the headquarters for the fur enterprise. Dr John McLoughlin was appointed the Chief Factor of Ft. Vancouver. The District stretched from Alaska to California. During his lifetime a subject of controversy, he is now named the Father of Oregon and some historians conclude he administered the fort settlement with fairness, compassion and intelligence.

In 1834, Jason Lee and his associates established the first Methodist mission in the Willamette Valley in Salem. Part of the Evangelical Christian movement was to minister to the native peoples, learn their language and introduce agriculture. The missionaries succeeded more as a major contributor to the settlement of Oregon. It was their reports of the region’s agricultural promise, new opportunities and healthy climate that encouraged American immigration. Between 1840 and 1860 there were 53,000 immigrants that traveled West by wagon train on the Oregon Trail. Starting at Independence, Missouri pioneer families traveled 2000 miles west reaching the Willamette Valley in about six months.

To make a living, most pioneers depended upon agriculture and although many crops were tried, wheat was the staple. With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, the settlers began shipping their crops southward. The California export trade gave rise to urban rivalries in Oregon. At Champoeg in 1843, a provisional government was created to try and settle the boundary question between Britain and the United States. Then, finally the United States government created the Oregon Territory in 1849. In 1853, Oregon’s present boundaries were set that separated Oregon from Washington at the Columbia River. Oregon became the nation’s 33rd state on February 14, 1859.