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 ),...
Who first explored the Oregon Territory?
Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the region that became the Oregon Territory was explored by Europeans first by sea.
How many Native Americans lived in Oregon before European settlement?
When the first Europeans arrived in the Oregon country —a region vaguely defined at the time but roughly comparable to the present Pacific Northwest—about 125 Native American groups lived in and around the area.
How did Oregon pioneers get to Oregon?
Oregon pioneer history. Some also arrived via the Pacific Ocean, traveling by ship either around Cape Horn or by changing ships at Panama. 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,...
Who led the first white settlers to Oregon Country?
John McLoughlin was the first to do this when he platted Oregon City in 1842. Despite the steady flow of immigrants many settlers were genuinely isolated. Only 5 newspapers were published in 1849.
Who discovered the Oregon Territory?
Robert Stuart of the Astorians (a group of fur traders who established Fort Astoria on the Columbia River in western Oregon) became the first white man to use what later became known as the Oregon Trail. Stuart's 2,000-mile journey from Fort Astoria to St.
Who lived in Oregon before European settlers?
People have lived in the land of Oregon for thousands of years. When the Europeans first arrived in the land, there were numerous Native American tribes. Some of the major tribes included the Nez Perce, the Chinook, the Klamath, the Paiute, the Molalla, and the Cayuse.
Who owned the Oregon Territory before 1846?
Originally Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States claimed the territory. In 1819, under terms of the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain ceded its claims to the territory to the United States.
How did we get the Oregon Territory?
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.
When did the US get the Oregon Territory?
August 14, 1848On August 14, 1848, Congress formally established the Oregon Territory, which embraced the present-day states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
When was the Oregon Territory acquired?
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.
Who owned the Oregon Territory in 1803?
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 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 ...
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 did mass migration begin?
Mass migration began in 1842 when a wagon train of around 100 wagons came overland along the Oregon Trail. In 1846 McLoughlin retired from leading the HBC in the region. Then in 1849 the United States Army arrived after the creation of the Oregon Territory and set up adjacent to Fort Vancouver.
OREGON CEMETERIES
The following are hard to find Cemetery Listings, not found on USGenweb or Rootsweb. All have 1 or more of our ancestors buried there.
Multnomah County
Columbian Cemetery Partical listings of 850 burials, of the more than 5,000 total burials in this cemetery.
Umatilla County
Hermiston Cemetery Partical listing of over 113 burial sites, located in the Hermiston Cemetery, Hermiston, Umatilla Co., Oregon.
Yamhill County
Amity Cemetery Partical listing of over 800 burial sites, located in the Amity Cemetery, end of 6th Street, Amity, Yamhill Co., Oregon.
Descendant Line
WILLIAM ROBERT HARTSOOK Descendant line of William Robert Hartsook, born in 1858, Washington Co., Virginia. William married Telitha Cuma Payton.
Indirect Descendant Lines
The following are indirect descendant lines, to the above families. The common link with these lines, all were pioneers to Oregon, arriving before 1865, settling first in MARION, MULTNOMAH, POLK and YAMHILL counties.
What was the territorial Oregon?
Territorial Oregon did not keep its boundaries for long. An influx of Free Staters in the years before the American Civil War (1861–65) led to political tensions, and in 1853 the portion of the territory north of the Columbia River was given independent status as Washington Territory—which, unlike Oregon, allowed African Americans to migrate freely. The question of where the territorial seat would be was another point of division; contenders included Corvallis, Oregon City (where the legislature was located for a brief period), and Salem. The question was finally settled by the U.S. Congress, which declared that Salem would be the territory’s seat of government.
Why did people migrate to Oregon?
Newcomers frequently cited the state’s clean air and water, small cities, and scenic natural environment as reasons for migrating to Oregon. By the early 21st century, however, Oregon’s urban areas faced severe traffic congestion, pollution, and an infrastructure in need of expansion.
What was the first permanent settlement in the Willamette Valley?
Beginning in 1830, thousands of people from New England and the Midwest migrated to the Pacific Northwest. Missionaries played a role in settlement. In 1834 the Methodists, headed by Jason Lee, established the first permanent settlement in the Willamette River valley. The migrations that carved the deep wagon wheel ruts still visible in the Oregon Trail began in the early 1840s. After 1838, U.S. claims and rights to the region were constantly before Congress. Settlers in the Willamette valley made known their desire to become part of the United States. In 1843 representatives met at Champoeg (near present-day Newberg) to organize a provisional government; a set of laws patterned after those of Iowa was accepted.
What was the purpose of the meeting at Champoeg in 1843?
In 1843 representatives met at Champoeg (near present-day Newberg) to organize a provisional government; a set of laws patterned after those of Iowa was accepted. “Ridiculous Exhibition; or, Yankee-Noodle Putting His Head into the British Lion's Mouth,” cartoon by John Leech, 1846, on the Oregon boundary dispute.
What was the boundary of Oregon?
By 1844 the British government had concluded that the Columbia River boundary line would have to be abandoned, and the Hudson’s Bay Company moved its chief Northwest depot to Fort Victoria (now Victoria, B.C.). In spite of the “Fifty-four forty or fight” slogan of James K. Polk ’s 1844 presidential campaign, the 49th parallel was accepted by both the United States and Canada as the boundary, and the Oregon country became a U.S. territory in 1846. Its territorial boundaries, which extended initially between the 49th and 42nd parallels and from the Pacific Ocean to west of the crest of the Rocky Mountains, were revised to include what is now Idaho.
What were the two major fur companies in the Pacific Northwest?
The Northwest was also approached by land. Two British fur companies, the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company, raced across the continent to open routes to the Pacific; the Americans were not far behind. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached the mouth of the Columbia in 1805, strengthening the U.S. claim to the region. 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. In 1824 the Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Vancouver (now Vancouver, Wash.), and John McLoughlin was appointed to head the company’s far-flung operations in its Pacific Northwest territory. For the next 22 years he was the dominating figure in the region.
When did the Oregon Trail start?
The migrations that carved the deep wagon wheel ruts still visible in the Oregon Trail began in the early 1840s. After 1838, U.S. claims and rights to the region were constantly before Congress. Settlers in the Willamette valley made known their desire to become part of the United States.
How many Early Oregonians were there?
There are approximately 101,000 Early Oregonians represented in the database.
What is the Early Oregonians Database?
The Early Oregonians Database includes information from census, death, probate and other records to document the people who lived in Oregon before statehood.
What counties are in Oregon?
The list includes current Oregon counties plus additional counties of Champoeg, Clark, Island, King, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Thurston, Tuality and Vancouver.
What records were searched for in Oregon?
Records from the Oregon State Archives such as probate records, death certificates and marriage records were also searched to identify individuals who appeared to meet the criteria.
What is the date range for early Oregonians?
Date Range: A date range can be helpful when searching. The date range for Early Oregonians is 1700 – 1970. For example, if you want to find all Early Oregonians that lived in Marion County 1850 – 1880. If you are using the date range, the end date is not required. If left blank, the database will default to 1970.
What was included in the 1850 census?
Volunteers and interns reviewed and combined entries that appeared on both censuses. The 1850 census for Oregon Territory included what became Washington Territory in 1853. Individuals living in or born in that part of the Oregon Territory prior to 1853 are included in the database as Early Oregonians. As later census information became available ...
