ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Oregon The Beaver State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 OREGON INTRODUCTION Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest Oregon has been attracting visitors for centuries In the mid-1800s some 300,000 to 500,000 pioneers followed the Oregon Trail westward from Missouri many of them taking it all the way to Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley These early settlers were attracted to the state’s abundant supply of furs its fertile land and its rich forests Their journey has been called the Great Migration No one knows for sure where the name Oregon came from It is believed that early French settlers used the name ouragan meaning hurricane for the mighty Columbia River Today Oregon’s stunning combination of mountains forest and coastline has led many to refer to the state as the Pacific Wonderland Reaching heights of over 10,000 feet Oregon’s mountains are an impressive sight Salem was established as the territorial capital of Oregon in 1851 Oregon’s birthday is on St Valentine’s Day Feb 14 1859 Oregon is nicknamed the Beaver State The beaver was an important source of income for early trappers in Oregon The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwestern United States along the Pacific coast It includes the states of Washington and Oregon as well as parts of northern California western Canada and southern Alaska Portland’s Japanese Garden is considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens of its kind outside of Japan
INTRODUCTION 5 Oregon’s western border follows the Pacific coast The state is bordered by Washington to the north Idaho to the east and California and Nevada to the south The Columbia River forms most of the border dividing Oregon from Washington and the Snake River forms a large section of the border dividing Oregon from Idaho Oregon’s road network is immense The state’s area of more than 97,000 square miles is crossed by well developed roads and highways Running the length of the Oregon coast the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway offers spectacular views of the picturesque coastline Portland International Airport is the largest of seven commercial-passenger airports in Oregon The airline industry is an important part of Oregon’s economy as Portland and other airports serve as gateways to Asia Oregon Location Map Oregon was the first state to complete its part of the interstate freeway system in 1966 Nine historic lighthouses dot the Oregon coastline from Tillamook Rock Lighthouse in the north to Cape Blanco Lighthouse in the south Oregon has the only state flag with a different image on each side On the front the words State of Oregon are written in gold across the top of the flag On the back a gold beaver is pictured on a field of navy blue Front side of Oregon flag 0 0 30 48 60 96 Mi Km Scale Highest peak Mount Hood 11,235 feet Capital Salem Population 3,421,399 Interstate highways Size 97,052 square miles
