Portal:Oregon

Oregon
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Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡən, -ɡɒn/ ^ⓘ ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon is a part of the Western United States, with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. As early as 1564, the Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in the early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country, and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. Oregon became the 33rd state of the U.S. on February 14, 1859.

Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km²), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital, Salem, is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents. Portland, with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The Portland metropolitan area, which includes neighboring counties in Washington, is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands. At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood is the state's highest point. Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae, a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) of the Malheur National Forest. (Full article...)

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Yasui v. United States, 320 U.S. 115 (1943) was a United States Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of curfews used during World War II as applied to citizens of the United States. The case arose out of the implementation of Executive Order 9066 by the U.S. military to create zones of exclusion along the West Coast of the United States where Japanese-Americans were subjected to curfews and eventual removal to relocation centers. This Presidential order followed the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 that brought American in to World War II and inflamed the existing anti-Japanese sentiment in the country. In their decision, the Supreme Court held that the application of curfews against citizens is constitutional. As a companion case to Hirabayashi v. United States, both decided on June 21, 1943, the court affirmed the conviction of Oregon-born Minoru Yasui who had violated curfew in Portland. The court remanded the case back to the United States District Court for the District of Oregon for sentencing as this lower court had determined the curfew was not valid against citizens, but Yasui had forfeited his citizenship by working for the Japanese consulate. The Yasui and Hirabayashi decisions, along with the later Ex parte Endo and Korematsu v. United States decisions determined the legality of the curfews and relocations during the war. In the 1980s new information was used to vacate the conviction of Minoru Yasui.

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Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844 – January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. Tongue attended the Tualatin Academy preparatory school in Forest Grove and graduated from Pacific University in 1868. A trained lawyer, he served in the State Senate from 1889 to 1893 and was the seventh mayor of Hillsboro, the county seat, serving two terms as mayor. A Republican, he was chairman of the state party, and national convention delegate in 1892. Tongue served as U.S. Congressman from 1897 to 1903 representing Oregon's 1st congressional district. While in Congress he worked to create Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon, succeeding in 1902. He died in office during his third term in the United States House of Representatives after winning election to a fourth term. His grandson, Thomas H. Tongue III, served on the Oregon Supreme Court. Both are buried at the Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery.

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In this month

May 1, 1839, the Peoria Party sets out on the Oregon Trail for the Oregon Country.
May 2, 1843, meetings at Champoeg create Provisional Government of Oregon.
May 9, 1850, member of the First Executive Committee and namesake of Hillsboro, David Hill dies.
May 11, 1792, Capt. Gray enters the Columbia River, becoming the first Euro-American to accomplish this feat.
May 18, 2007, tire king Les Schwab, founder of Les Schwab Tire Centers, dies at the age of 89 in Prineville.
May 21, 1998, Kip Kinkel goes on a shooting spree at Thurston High School in Springfield.
May 22, 1902, Crater Lake National Park is established as Oregon's only National Park.
May 30, 1978, sportswear company Blue Ribbon Sports officially changes its name to Nike.

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... that the Jensen Arctic Museum (pictured) in Monmouth, Oregon, is the only museum on the West Coast other than in Alaska that focuses solely on Arctic culture?
... that Harry V. Gates' former ranch became the Crooked River Ranch in Eastern Oregon, and his former house in Hillsboro, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places?
... that Lookingglass, Oregon, became nationally famous in the 1970s when a parking meter for horses was installed in front of the general store?
... that the Portland, a restored 1947 sternwheeler based in Portland, Oregon, was the last steam-powered tugboat built in the United States?

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... that during World War I, Roy W. Ritner was elected unopposed to the Oregon State Senate while serving with the American Red Cross in France?
... that in 1858, when Congress delayed its decision on Oregon statehood, Nathaniel H. Gates became the last Speaker of Oregon’s Territorial House of Representatives?
... that future state senator William T. Vinton was sent to jail for contempt of court when he refused to sign a city paving contract, but was later vindicated by an Oregon Supreme Court decision?
... that when John Emmitt was traveling to the Oregon Territory in 1852 along the Oregon Trail, two of his three children died of cholera and were buried along the route?
... that when Oregon journalist Larry Smyth was asked who he thought would win presidential elections, he invariably replied "the man who gets the most votes"?
... that in Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Oregon, decided 110 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the initiative process?
... that Interstate 182 was created as a compromise for the states of Washington and Oregon?
... that Oregon state senator William Kuykendall was a physician who founded the first hospital in Eugene, Oregon?

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The following are images from various Oregon-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Mount Mazama erupted several millennia BC, leading to the formation of Crater Lake. (from History of Oregon)
Image 2Schnitzer Hall (from Culture of Oregon)
Image 31601 AD map showing unexplored Oregon Coast (from History of Oregon)
Image 4Portland Art Museum (from Culture of Oregon)
Image 5Map of the Oregon Country, with most heavily disputed area highlighted. The 1846 Oregon Treaty awarded this area to the U.S. (from History of Oregon)
Image 6Engineer Conde McCullough designed many of Oregon's bridges, including the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. (from History of Oregon)
Image 7Unspecified artifacts of Native Americans (from a History of Oregon published in 1922). (from History of Oregon)
Image 8The construction of dams, like The Dalles Dam, was central to the power supply of the region (from History of Oregon)

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Credit: Mike Doukas of the USGS

Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon is Oregon's only national park. Its primary feature is Crater Lake. The park was established on May 22, 1902, as the fifth National Park in the U.S. The park encompasses Crater Lake's caldera, which rests in the remains of a destroyed volcano posthumously called Mount Mazama.

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The vast material resources of Oregon furnish a solid and enduring basis for the spirit of enterprise that animates our people, and for that wonderful superstructure of vigorous and thrifty statehood which we are rearing here on this western shore of the continent.

— Stephen F. Chadwick, 1878, Biennial Message

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Credit: Cacophony

Pillars of Rome, a unique feature in the southeast corner of Oregon.

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Oregon}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

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Fredmeyer edit 1
Hayden Bridge
Mount Hood reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon
Oregon Convention Center Dusk 1 (edit)
Oregon state coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)
Portland Night panorama
Portland panorama3
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Fredmeyer edit 1
Hayden Bridge
Mount Hood reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon
Oregon Convention Center Dusk 1 (edit)
Oregon state coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)
Portland Night panorama
Portland panorama3
Rogue River Oregon USA
WillametteRvrPano edit

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State facts

Nickname: The Beaver State
Capital city: Salem
Largest city: Portland
Governor: Tina Kotek (D)
Total area: 255,026 km²
Population (2010 census): 3,831,074
Date admitted to the Union: February 14, 1859
Form of Government: Federalist
Senators: Ron Wyden (D), Jeff Merkley (D)
Representatives: Suzanne Bonamici (D), Greg Walden (R), Earl Blumenauer (D), Peter DeFazio (D), Kurt Schrader (D)