How many acres of land did settlers get in Oregon Territory?
It allowed white settlers — and only white settlers — to claim 320-acre parcels of land in the Oregon Territory, which included the modern states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Wyoming. Married couples could get double: 640 acres, or a full square mile of land, free of charge.
How did the United States get the Oregon Territory?
Formation. In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty. The British gained sole possession of the land north of the 49th parallel and all of Vancouver Island, with the United States receiving the territory south of that line.
What is the history of the state of Oregon?
Oregon Territory. The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries (see Oregon Country ),...
What was the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute?
In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty.
How was the boundary of the US settled by Oregon Country?
The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country; the area had been jointly occupied by both Britain and ...
How much land was the Oregon Territory?
288,541 square milesThe Oregon Treaty of 1846 added 288,541 square miles to US territory, stretching from the San Juan Islands to the Owyhee River canyons.
What did the Oregon boundary dispute result in?
Eventually both sides realized Oregon was not worth a war. After some tense negotiations, on August 5, 1846, the present boundary along the 49th Parallel was decided as the border between the British and American lands, giving the United States clear title to present-day Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
What boundary over the Oregon Territory was settled in 1846?
The Oregon Treaty was an agreement between Britain and the United States. It came into force on 15 June 1846. It formalized the border between the United States and British North America west of the Rocky Mountains....Oregon Treaty.Published OnlineFebruary 7, 2006Last EditedJuly 23, 2021Jul 23, 2021
Why was land free in Oregon?
The Donation Land Claim Act spurred a huge migration into Oregon Territory by offering qualifying citizens free land. The act took effect on September 27, 1850, granting 320 acres of federal land to white male citizens 18 years of age or older who resided on property on or before December 1, 1850.
Who owned the Oregon Territory before 1846?
The Oregon Country was originally claimed by Great Britain, France, Russia, and Spain; the Spanish claim was later taken up by the United States.
What does 54-40 or fight mean?
The "54-40 or Fight" meaning was that the United States ought to claim all the territory up to 54 degrees and 40 minutes north parallel or fight Great Britain for the land.
What 4 countries claimed Oregon Country?
In the early 1800s, many Native American nations claimed the Oregon Country. Four countries did also. They were the United States, Great Britain, Spain and Russia.
What was the outcome of the Oregon Treaty?
The result of negotiations was a border at 49 degrees north, which gave the British possession of Vancouver Island, an important acquisition for Britain and a concession for the United States.
What was the last area of land that the US acquired?
Alaska, the last major acquisition in North America, was purchased from Russia in 1867.
What was the halfway point on the Oregon Trail?
South Pass marks the halfway point of the Oregon Trail, a powerful symbolic landmark that lacked any distinguishing feature which we would actually think of as a landmark. Here, the emigrants crossed the Continental Divide and the eastern boundary of Oregon Territory.
Who were the first settlers in the Oregon Territory?
The explorers The first Europeans to see the Oregon coast were Spanish sailors in the mid-16th century, who produced rough maps describing the area.
Why did the US want the Oregon Territory?
The Western Frontier was the last great place to be settled by the U.S., and U.S. Citizens wanted that land to be theirs. The land was optimal for farming and had plenty of space to spread out from the over populated cities. U.S. Congressional Map on states that had formed from the Oregon Treaty.
What was the last area of land that the US acquired?
Alaska, the last major acquisition in North America, was purchased from Russia in 1867.
Why was Oregon so popular in the 1800s?
The rich farmlands of Oregon drew thousands of settlers. The land was free to those who could make it the Oregon Territory. People who were farming on marginal lands in Indiana, illinois and Missouri found the lure of rich farmland in the Willamette valley irresistible.
What territory did the US gain?
List of U.S. territorial acquisitionsTerritories acquired by the United StatesAcquisition/AgreementYear acquiredSize of territory by square mileLouisiana Purchase1803827,987British Cession181845,417Florida Purchase181972,10124 more rows
When was Oregon Territory organized?
The Oregon Territory, as originally organized, in 1848. The Oregon Territory (blue) with the Washington Territory (green) in 1853. The State of Oregon (blue) with the Washington Territory (green) in 1859. During the period of joint occupation, most activity in the region outside of the activities of the indigenous people came from the fur trade, ...
What states are in the Oregon Territory?
When established, the territory encompassed an area that included the current states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of Wyoming and Montana. The capital of the territory was first Oregon City, then Salem, followed briefly by Corvallis, then back to Salem, which became the state capital upon Oregon's admission to the Union.
What was the state of Oregon in 1853?
In 1853, as a result of the Monticello Convention and its approval by Congress and President Millard Fillmore, the portion of the territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel east of the river was organized into the Washington Territory . The Oregon Constitutional Convention was held in 1857 to draft a constitution in preparation for becoming a state, with the convention delegates approving the document in September, and then general populace approving the document in November.
What was the most important activity in the Oregon region during the period of joint occupation?
During the period of joint occupation, most activity in the region outside of the activities of the indigenous people came from the fur trade , which was dominated by the British Hudson's Bay Company. Over time, some trappers began to settle down in the area and began farming, and missionaries started to arrive in the 1830s. Some settlers also began arriving in the late 1830s, and covered wagons crossed the Oregon Trail beginning in 1841. At that time, no government existed in the Oregon Country, as no one nation held dominion over the territory.
What was the name of the country that the British and Americans occupied in 1818?
The competing interests of the two foremost claimants were addressed in the Treaty of 1818, which sanctioned a "joint occupation", by British and Americans, of a vast " Oregon Country " (as the American side called it) that comprised the present-day U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, parts of Montana and Wyoming, and the portion of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia south of the parallel 54°40′ north.
How many churches were there in Oregon in 1850?
In 1850, 10 years after the end of the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840), of the 9 churches with regular services in the Oregon Territory, 5 were Catholic, 1 was Baptist, 1 was Congregational, 1 was Methodist, and 1 was Presbyterian. In the 1850 United States census, 10 counties in the Oregon Territory ...
What was the territorial government of Oregon?
The territorial government consisted of a governor, a marshal, a secretary, an attorney , and a three-judge supreme court. Judges on the court also sat as trial level judges as they rode circuit across the territory. All of these offices were filled by appointment by the President of the United States. The two-chamber Oregon Territorial Legislature was responsible for passing laws, with seats in both the upper-chamber council and lower-chamber house of representatives filled by local elections held each year.
How long did it take to settle the Oregon question?
Although final settlement of the Oregon question took almost half a century, the results stand today. The Canadian-American boundary has not changed. Significantly, it was diplomacy and not war that resulted in an agreement acceptable to all parties.
Who claimed Oregon Territory?
Early Exploration and Territorial Claims. By the time Captain George Vancouver claimed much of the Oregon Territory for Britain in 1792, coinciding American claims through the voyages of Captain Robert Gray destined to create long-term rivalries. Earlier Spanish and Russian claims had been relinquished by those nations.
What is the Columbia River Gorge?
The Columbia River Gorge facing east toward Beacon Rock. Decades of joint occupation of the Oregon Territory by the U.S. and Britain ended in 1845 when President Polk advocated an “All Oregon” campaign. American possession of the Oregon Territory was a primary issue in the presidential election of 1844.
Why was the border between Canada and Britain set at the 49th parallel?
The British-Canada boundary was set at the 49th parallel, in keeping with earlier British offers to settle the dispute. The speed of the resolution and U.S. Senate ratification was based on several factors that influenced the end of the dispute. For the United States, the Mexican-American War was the chief focus in late 1846. In Britain, a Cabinet crisis had resulted in a coalition government that was forced to deal with a “famine scare,” part of which involved the failure of the Irish potato crop.
What was the name of the treaty that ended the War of 1812?
The 1814 Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, provided for a return ...
Who led the Oregon movement?
Ultra-expansionist James K. Polk led the “All Oregon” movement with the campaign slogan, “fifty-four forty or fight!”. Along with Texas annexation, Oregon represented American commercial interests and Polk wished to end earlier agreements with Great Britain that provided for joint administration of the territory.
Who wrote the Oregon question?
Frederick Merk, The Oregon Question: Essays in Anglo-American Diplomacy and Politics (Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1967)
What is the Oregon Territory?
That period ended when Oregon became an American State on February 14, 1859. The Territory of Oregon encompassed the segments of present-day Ida ho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Montana as well as parts of British Columbia which is now a Canadian province. The Territory’s first capitol was Oregon City. The next capital was Salem and Corvallis became the capital city after Salem. When Oregon became a US state, the seat of government was transferred back to Salem again.
What was the first state capital of Oregon?
The Territory’s first capitol was Oregon City. The next capital was Salem and Corvallis became the capital city after Salem. When Oregon became a US state, the seat of government was transferred back to Salem again. The population of the Oregon Territory consisted mainly of Native Americans.
What was Oregon known for?
The Europeans first explored the territory from the sea. The region became known for its fur-trade and the British Hudson’s Bay Company dominated the market.
When was the Oregon Treaty signed?
In 1846 the Oregon Treaty was signed between the US and Britain to settle the boundary dispute.
When did trappers start to settle?
In the late 1830s , trappers began to settle down on the land and more and more settlers and missionaries started to arrive to the territory. There was no organized government in those parts at the time.
Why was California important to Oregon?
California was an important source of supplies for southern Oregon communities. Packers used the Oregon-California Trail—used for years by Indians and fur traders—to ship goods over the Siskiyou Mountains from Sacramento and San Francisco. Another important pack trail led into the Rogue River Valley from Scottsburg on the Umpqua River, where ships from San Francisco could safely stop. With Portland and Oregon City themselves dependent on California for goods in the early years, the region’s residents looked southward for necessities rather than to the region’s own population centers.
Why did the merchants abandon construction?
Ditch construction, spurred by the need for additional sources of water for mining the higher terraces, demanded labor and equipment and required investors to risk massive capital. Late in the 1880s, however, as less accessible placers forced miners to work deeper and higher gravels, the investment money eventually ran out, and men turned away from the mines.
How did hydraulic mining affect the landscape?
Although the economic influence of hydraulic mining in the region faded, its signs on the landscape lasted for years. Dams and diversion ditches had interfered with fish migration, and the hydraulic giants’ violent action had destroyed streamside banks, washed away soils, and caused seasonal flooding. Euro-American settlers removed the Native inhabitants whose careful management of natural resources had supported life for centuries. They reshaped the landscape in the images of the places they remembered, and in doing so, they found new ways to use and use up the region’s natural assets.
How did farmers get livelihoods?
While farmers won livelihoods from the land through agriculture, others turned to logging and mining. To supply materials for valley residents and the railroad, small logging operators skinned the timber from the hills and built sawmills on any stream with enough water to power their saws.
When did the California Stage Company start traveling?
In 1860, the California Stage Company began regular trips over the California-Oregon Trail between Portland and Sacramento. Pushing hard to cover 710 miles in six days, the large, swaying coaches, pulled by four- or six-horse teams, carried passengers and freight over steep mountains and through dust-choked valleys. “The journey from Sacramento to Portland,” one traveler complained, “seems interminable, and there are rumors of passengers who died of old age upon the road.”
What trees were logged in the foothills?
In the foothills and interior valleys, loggers harvested Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, oak, and madrone, leaving large heaps of debris in their wake. These abandoned slash piles increased fire hazards. “The once open forest,” resident Orson Stearns recalled, “soon became a forest of young pine and other trees, with a mass of rotten tree tops and limbs, the refuse of the waste of logging.” When they cut timber from riparian areas, the water temperatures rose sufficiently to endanger coldwater fishes. Although timber cutting was limited to lower elevations, by the end of the century loggers had largely cleared the foothills and horse teams had gouged skid roads higher into the mountains. The largest trees in rugged, inaccessible watersheds remained untouched.
How many acres of land did the Oregon Territory have?
It allowed white settlers — and only white settlers — to claim 320-acre parcels of land in the Oregon Territory, which included the modern states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Wyoming. Married couples could get double: 640 acres, or a full square mile of land, free of charge.
When did the Willamette Valley get claimed?
By just 1851, the land in the Willamette Valley had been entirely claimed by white settlers. This meant many native tribes that had been living alongside white settlers for years suddenly found themselves in the position of only being permitted to stay on that land at the settlers' discretion. THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
What were the first Indigenous people to work in Oregon?
But by the 1860s, many began going back to their traditional land — to work for white settlers. “People at Grand Ronde and Warm Springs and Siletz and Klamath all came to the Willamette Valley and helped to do this activity,” Lewis said. In effect, they became the first Indigenous farm labor force in Oregon.
What did Lewis say about the settlers?
“By that time, a lot of settlers had been there for a decade or more and they had already built their farms” Lewis said. “Once they’d built their farms and they were settled, they didn’t have any allotted need for the native people anymore.”.
What did the settlers do to the tribes?
Settlers would employ the tribes on their new land claims and hire them as day laborers and teach them skills about how to run a farm. By the 1840s, many tribes had already spent a decade working side-by-side with the new settlers and begun adopting some of their customs.
What treaty governed tribal members' ability to travel off the reservation to hunt, fish and forage?
Congress finally moved to nullify one of the treaties that sprang up in the years following the implementation of the Donation Land Act — the Warm Springs Treaty Of 1865, which governed tribal members' ability to travel off the reservation to hunt, fish and forage.
What law said land in the territory could be claimed by white male citizens?
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 had stated that that native people’s “lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed.”. But this new law said land in the territory could be claimed by white male citizens.
What was the debate about Oregon's boundaries?
The other significant debate relating to boundaries centered on the committee's proposal to take the land between the Columbia and Snake rivers from Washington Territory and add it to the state of Oregon. Thomas Dryer, never at a loss for words, spoke in favor of the annexation: "By some hocus pocus we had been robbed of a portion of our territory, and the little one-horse territory of Washington was created [in 1853]." Others worried that Congress might reject statehood based the convention's insistence that the disputed land be part of Oregon. They favored an amendment allowing Congress to decide the issue and the convention agreed. Thus, when Congress passed the act of admission for Oregon in 1859, it chose to exclude the land from the new state and keep the existing boundary with Washington Territory.
What is the yellow shading on the Oregon Territory map?
The added yellow shading on this early map of the Oregon Territory shows the State of Oregon as Charles Meigs envisioned it at the convention. His vision was not well received. (Image courtesy Cartography Associates) Enlarge image.
What did the Dalles stand for in Oregon?
The Dalles stood to gain if Oregon set its eastern boundary at the Cascade Mountains. (Image courtesy Online Archive of California) Enlarge image.
Overview
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries (see Oregon Country), the region was divided between the UK and the US in 1846. When established, the territory encompassed an area that included the current states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, …
Background
Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the region that became the Oregon Territory was explored by Europeans first by sea. The first documented voyage of exploration was made in 1777 by the Spanish, and both British and American vessels visited the region not long thereafter. Subsequent land-based exploration by Alexander Mackenzie and the Lewis and Clark Expedition and development of the fur trade in the region strengthened the competing claims of Great Britain an…
Formation
During the period of joint occupation, most activity in the region outside of the activities of the indigenous people came from the fur trade, which was dominated by the British Hudson's Bay Company. Over time, some trappers began to settle down in the area and began farming, and missionaries started to arrive in the 1830s. Some settlers also began arriving in the late 1830s, and co…
Government
The territorial government consisted of a governor, a marshal, a secretary, an attorney, and a three-judge supreme court. Judges on the court also sat as trial level judges as they rode circuit across the territory. All of these offices were filled by appointment by the President of the United States. The two-chamber Oregon Territorial Legislature was responsible for passing laws, with seats in both the upper-chamber council and lower-chamber house of representatives filled by local elect…
Gaining statehood
Oregon City served as the seat of government from 1848 to 1851, followed by Salem from 1851 to 1855. Corvallis served briefly as the capital in 1855, followed by a permanent return to Salem later that year. In 1853, as a result of the Monticello Convention and its approval by Congress and President Millard Fillmore, the portion of the territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel east of the river was organized into the Washington Territory. The Oregon Consti…
See also
• Historic regions of the United States
• Territorial evolution of the United States
Early Exploration and Territorial Claims
- By the time Captain George Vancouver claimed much of the Oregon Territory for Britain in 1792, coinciding American claims through the voyages of Captain Robert Gray destined to create long-term rivalries. Earlier Spanish and Russian claims had been relinquished by those nations. Exploration was followed by the lucrative fur trade. The Hudson Bay Company operated as a Brit…
Joint Occupation and Jurisdiction of The Oregon Territory
- Negotiations with the British government during the Monroe and John Quincy Adams administrations resulted in a treaty stipulating joint control of the territory but the treaty did not address specifics. The 1814 Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, provided for a return to all original pre-war boundaries. Although the treaty did not specify boundary questions regarding Or…
Increased American Settlement and Commercial Opportunities
- The Oregon Territory had long been important for New England merchants engaged in the China trade. Otter and beaver furs brought high profits in China, along with Hawaiian sandalwood and New England ginseng. Before the 1848 Mexican Cession, the Oregon Territory was the only link between American shipping and the Pacific trade. By the time new negot...
James Polk and The “All Oregon” Democrats
- James Polk asserted in 1845 that his victory over the Whig Henry Clay gave him a mandate to expand the nation to the Pacific. This included Mexican-held lands, resolved by the Mexican-American War, as well as settlement of the Oregon question, inherited from the prior Tyler administration. Polk soon realized, however, that a stubborn position on Oregon would not have …
Diplomacy Averts War with Britain
- The British-Canada boundary was set at the 49th parallel, in keeping with earlier British offers to settle the dispute. The speed of the resolution and U.S. Senate ratification was based on several factors that influenced the end of the dispute. For the United States, the Mexican-American War was the chief focus in late 1846. In Britain, a Cabinet crisis had resulted in a coalition governme…