
Who were the first settlers in Oregon?
The period begins after the explorations of the lower Columbia River by Robert Gray and George Vancouver in 1792, along with the 1804–1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition to Oregon Country, and runs until circa 1890 when railroads and urban centers created a more settled state.
How did the United States begin settlement in Oregon?
Starting in the 1830s, many groups of pioneers travelled to the state on the famous Oregon Trail, and the U.S. began joint settlement of the area with the United Kingdom.
Who was the first person to settle in California?
The settlers were led by American Ewing Young, with others such as Jason Lee of the Methodist Mission and John McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company providing additional investment. Young led a small group to California, sailing from the Willamette River to San Francisco Bay.
How did the Oregon Trail affect the settlement of Oregon?
The Oregon Trail brought many new settlers to the region, starting in 1842–1843, after the United States agreed to jointly settle the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom.

What Presbyterian missionary led the great migration to Oregon Country?
Elijah White, a Presbyterian missionary who had made the trip the year before, served as guide. The first section of the Oregon Trail ran through the relatively flat country of the Great Plains. Obstacles were few, though the river crossings could be dangerous for wagons.
How did missionaries like the Whitman's attract other people to settle in Oregon?
They found passes through the Rocky Mountains and later showed settlers the trails west. How did missionaries like the Whitmans attract other people to settle in Oregon? Missionaries sent back glowing reports about Oregon Country.
What happened in the years following the 1818 joint occupation of Oregon by the United States and Britain?
They brought settlers to the region and received large government land grants. What happened in the years after the 1818 "joint occupation" of Oregon began? -Many white settlers arrived from the United States and soon outnumbered British settlers. -A measles epidemic struck the Indian tribes in the area.
Which term is used to name the fur trappers who first explored and lived in the Oregon Country?
mountain menThe first Americans to live in the Oregon Country were fur traders. These men trapped beaver for their skins. Fur companies bought the skins to sell in the United States and Europe. The fur trappers were called mountain men.
What attracted settlers to the Oregon Country?
Explanation: 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.
Who settled Oregon?
John Jacob Astor, as the head of the Pacific Fur Company, began European American settlement of the Oregon country with the establishment of a trading post at Astoria in 1811.
How did America acquire Oregon?
In 1846 the Oregon Treaty was signed between the US and Britain to settle the boundary dispute. The British gained the land north of the 49th parallel, including the Vancouver Island and the United States received the territory south of the parallel.
Why was the Treaty of 1818 important?
Today in History, 20 October 1818: Under Monroe's first term as president, Britain and the U.S. signed the Treaty of 1818, which established the boundary between U.S. and Canadian territories at the 49th parallel.
Why Oregon was called a pioneers Paradise?
Why was Oregon called a pioneers paradise? Weather was always sunny, no diseases, trees grew thick, free farms and one even said that pigs are running in the forest.
What are three reasons Americans moved to Oregon?
People went on the journey westward for many reasons. For example, it could have been for religious resons like Manifest Destiny and spreading their religion. Financial reasons like escaping debt, starting businesses, or raising a farm with fertile soil. Another reason was just for the sense of fun and adventure.
Which country did not claim the Oregon Country?
Which of these countries did not claim the Oregon Country? A. Russians.
What was the name of the most popular route American settlers used to travel to the Far West?
The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. The trail was arduous and snaked through Missouri and present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and finally into Oregon.
Why was Whitman Mission important to the Oregon Trail?
The Whitman's established their religious mission at Waiilatpu on the Columbia Plateau in 1836. During the 1840s, the mission also served as a way-stop on the Oregon Trail, providing emigrants with food, medicine, and, if needed, a place to stay during the winter.
What was the Whitman Mission and what happened at the mission?
The Whitman Mission was the first Christian mission established in the Pacific Northwest. Although the mission failed in establishing a positive relationship with the Indians, the Whitman Mission tragedy opened the door for the United States to claim Oregon officially.
What were some of the important legacies of the early missionaries to Oregon?
Chapter 16: Life in the WestQuestionAnswerWhat was an important legacy of the early missionaries to Oregon?They opened the west for settlers.What did pioneer women achieve well before women int he East?They voted in elections.What did Biddy Mason achieve in the West?She legally won her freedom from slavery.16 more rows
Who were the missionaries on the Oregon Trail?
With the exception of a handful of explorers, traders, and mountain men, the first Americans to arrive in the Oregon Territory were Protestant Missionaries sent by the Methodist-Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Congregational churches.
Who explored the land in Oregon?
Fur traders and trappers, initially from the Hudson's Bay Company, explored the land more thoroughly, documenting encounters with most of the local Indian tribes. Christian missionaries, and later immigrants planning to settle permanently in Oregon, sent glowing reports back to their families in the east.
Who was the Spanish explorer who explored Oregon?
The Spanish exploration team led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sighted southern Oregon off the Pacific coast in 1543. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents. Stops along these trips included Oregon as well as the strait now bearing his name. Exploration was retaken routinely in 1774, starting by the expedition of frigate Santiago by Juan José Pérez Hernández (see Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest ). Soon the coast of Oregon became a valuable trading route to Asia.
What is Oregon Territory?
Oregon Country, a large region explored by Americans and the British (and generally known to Canadians as the Columbia District ); Oregon Territory, established by the United States two years after its sovereignty over the region was established by the Oregon Treaty; and. Oregon, a U.S. state since 1859.
What caused the 1700 Cascadia earthquake?
The 1700 Cascadia earthquake resulted from a rupture at the Cascadia subduction zone along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The earthquake caused a tsunami that was destructive in Japan; it may also be linked to the Bonneville Slide, in which a large part of Washington 's Table Mountain collapsed into the Columbia River Gorge, damming the river and forming the Bridge of the Gods, a land bridge remembered in the oral history of local Native Americans.
How did the railroads affect Oregon?
This included the connection of the state to the Eastern United States via links to the transcontinental railroads that allowed for faster movement of goods and people. Immigration to Oregon increased after the connection to the east. Additional transportation improvements included the construction of several locks and canals to ease river navigation.
Why was Oregon sent north?
troops were withdrawn and sent east. Volunteer cavalry and infantry were recruited in California and sent north to Oregon to keep peace and protect the populace.
What are the states of Oregon?
The term "Oregon" may refer to: 1 Oregon Country, a large region explored by Americans and the British (and generally known to Canadians as the Columbia District ); 2 Oregon Territory, established by the United States two years after its sovereignty over the region was established by the Oregon Treaty; and 3 Oregon, a U.S. state since 1859
What is Oregon pioneer history?
Oregon pioneer history (1806–1890) is the period in the history of Oregon Country and Oregon Territory, in the present day state of Oregon and Northwestern United States . It was the era when pioneers and mountain men, primarily of European descent, ...
When was Oregon created?
The portion that became part of the United States in 1846 remained unorganized until Congress created the Oregon Territory in August 1848. In 1853, the northern boundary of the current state of Oregon was defined, with roughly half of the original Oregon Territory becoming the Washington Territory.
What did Lewis and Clark do to help the Pacific Northwest?
The Lewis and Clark Expedition helped expand interest in the Pacific Northwest. Although seaborne traders had been engaged in the fur trade along the coastline for many years, Lewis and Clark's news and descriptions of the region spurred others in the United States to seek fortunes in the fur trade business in Oregon Country. The first Americans to return were members of John Jacob Astor 's Pacific Fur Company as part of an expedition that established Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1811. However, some of the first British traders overland include members of the North West Company that crossed the Rocky Mountains in 1808 and traveled down what they named the Fraser River in modern British Columbia. The fur trade envisioned by the American Pacific Fur Company and put into practice by the North West Company, and later Hudson's Bay Company, was a triangular trade that sent furs to China, Chinese goods such as tea to England, and manufactured goods to the Pacific Northwest for trade with the Native Americans.
How did the Native Americans travel to Oregon?
Many of these people were involved with the fur trade and would use the well worn trails of the Native Americans. Travel overland was mainly by horse, mule, and foot until the later 1830s when wagons slowly worked their way into the region. The Oregon Trail began seeing mass migration involving wagon trains in 1843. Boats were used extensively to haul cargo in the region, including steamboats, with the SS Beaver as the first steamboat in Oregon.
What territory is Idaho in?
The remaining northeastern portion of the territory became part of the Washington Territory. In 1863, Idaho Territory was created from the eastern section of the Washington Territory, with other former eastern portions of the Oregon Territory becoming parts of Montana Territory and Wyoming Territory. Washington became a state in 1889, followed by ...
What was the name of the treaty that set the boundaries of the United States and Great Britain?
In 1818, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of 1818 that led to what has been termed a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Country.
When did the Willamette Valley begin?
Beginning in 1841 with the death of Ewing Young, settlers in the Willamette Valley held a series of meetings at Champoeg, Oregon. Eventually, in 1843 the majority of participants voted to create a government to rule over the pioneers until the boundary question would be settled.
When was Oregon mapped?
Following exploration by the Spanish and French, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Oregon was mapped by the Lewis and Clark expedition in their search for the Northwest Passage. Starting in the 1830s, many groups of pioneers travelled to the state on the famous Oregon Trail, and the U.S. began joint settlement of the area with the United Kingdom. In 1846, the border between U.S. and British territory was formally established at the 49th parallel – the part of the territory that was given to Britain would ultimately become part of Canada. Oregon was officially admitted to the union as a state on February 14th, 1859. Today, Portland, Oregon’s largest city, is considered one of the top cities in the nation in terms of quality of life, and the state is also known as one of the nation’s top producers of wine, boasting over 300 wineries.
What percentage of hazelnuts are grown in Oregon?
Oregon grows 99 percent of all hazelnuts produced in the United States. It is also the country’s leading producer of Christmas trees, with an output of more than 4.9 million trees in 2009. Oregon’s Crater Lake, formed in the remnant of an ancient volcano, is the deepest lake in the United States.
What state has a beaver on its flag?
Known as the “Beaver State,” Oregon features a picture of a beaver on the back of its state flag. Beginning in 1836, roughly 12,000 emigrants made the 2,000-mile trek from Independence, Missouri, to the Oregon Territory.

Overview
Settlement by pioneers
The Astor Expedition of 1810–1812, financed by American businessman John Jacob Astor, brought fur traders to the future site of Astoria by both land and sea. Fort Astoria was the first permanent white settlement in the region. Although the fort would remain under American control for only a short time, it would become a component of the United States' later claim on the region. A party returning east discovered the South Pass through the Rocky Mountains, which would become an …
Geology
Volcanic activity in the region has been traced to 40 million years ago, in the Eocene era, forming much of the region's landscape. In the Pleistocene era (the last ice age, two million to 700,000 years ago), the Columbia River broke through Cascade Range, forming the Columbia River Gorge.
The Columbia River and its drainage basin experienced some of the world's gre…
Native people
Although there is considerable evidence that Paleo-Indians lived in the Pacific Northwest 15,000 years ago, the first record of human activity within the boundaries of present-day Oregon came from archaeologist Luther Cressman's 1938 discovery of sage bark sandals near Fort Rock Cave that places human habitation in Oregon as early as 13,200 years ago. Cressman found more evid…
Early European exploration
The perception of Oregon by early European explorers and settlers varied according to the purpose and method of exploration. Official explorers came, at first, primarily by sea, in many cases seeking the Northwest Passage, and later over land, but missed many areas of the state now known as Oregon. Fur traders and trappers, initially from the Hudson's Bay Company, explored the la…
Oregon boundary dispute
Great Britain and the U.S. both claimed ownership of Oregon, ignoring any claims by indigenous peoples to their territories. The dispute, friendly at first, escalated into the threat of war before it was resolved amicably in 1846 by splitting the region 50-50.
Following the Anglo American Treaty of 1818, the region was "jointly occupied" …
Oregon in the Civil War
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, regular U.S. troops were withdrawn and sent east. Volunteer cavalry and infantry were recruited in California and sent north to Oregon to keep peace and protect the populace. Oregon also raised the 1st Oregon Cavalry that was activated in 1862 and served until June 1865. During the Civil War, immigrants continued to clash with the Paiute, Shoshone and Bannock tribes in Oregon, Idaho and Nevada until relations degenerated into the …
Railroads and growth
In the 1880s, the proliferation of railroads assisted in marketing of the state's lumber and wheat, as well as the more rapid growth of its cities. This included the connection of the state to the Eastern United States via links to the transcontinental railroads that allowed for faster movement of goods and people. Immigration to Oregon increased after the connection to the east. Additional transportation improvements included the construction of several locks and canals to ease river n…