Oregon

Lore & Background

Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring its Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. Spanish explorers sighted southern Oregon in 1543, and the legendary voyage of Juan de Fuca in 1592, though unconfirmed, is sometimes cited as an early mapping of the coast. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 19th century, and the first permanent European settlement was Fort Astoria, established in 1811 by John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 brought the region under American sovereignty, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848.

Reader's Guide

Oregon's significance lies in its role as a major lumber producer—the top in the contiguous U.S.—and its diverse economy, which historically included agriculture, fishing, logging, and hydroelectric power. In the 20th century, lumber dominated, and from the 1970s, technology grew with the Silicon Forest and companies like Tektronix and Intel. Nike, headquartered in Beaverton, is the state's largest public corporation. Oregon is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus beneath Malheur National Forest. The name 'Oregon' first appeared in 1765 in a petition by Robert Rogers, and its origin remains uncertain, with theories including a misreading of a map or an Algonquian word meaning 'good' or 'beautiful.' The modern spelling was popularized by Jonathan Carver's 1778 book and later by poet William Cullen Bryant.

Did You Know?

• Oregon's only national park is Crater Lake National Park, which contains the deepest lake in the United States.
• The state is home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus covering 2,200 acres in Malheur National Forest.
• Oregon is a major lumber producer, though not the top producer in the contiguous U.S.