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. These tribes lived in cedar plank houses and used dugout canoes to travel the waterways. Many of them fished as the primary source of food.
Mount Hood by Unknown
Europeans Arrive
In the 1500s, European explorers such as Sir Francis Drake spotted the coastline of Oregon, but did not set foot on land. Both Spain and Great Britain laid claim to the land. In 1792, American explorer Captain Robert Gray came upon the Columbia River and named the river after his ship.
Lewis and Clark
In 1803, the United States purchased a large region of land from France called the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson sent explorers Lewis and Clark to map out the new territory. They travelled beyond the borders of the new purchase all the way to the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. They stayed there for the winter and built a small fort called Fort Clatsop.
Over the next several years more explorers and fur trappers arrived from the United States and Great Britain. Both countries laid claim to the land. In 1818, the two countries agreed to joint occupancy of the region.
Fort Clatsop - Lewis and Clark National Historical Park from the US National Park Service
The Oregon Trail
Starting in the 1840s, settlers from the east began to travel to Oregon Country using the Oregon Trail. Over the next 20 years, hundreds of thousands of people migrated west, many of them settling in Oregon. Eventually, there were so many Americans in the region that Great Britain gave up the land. The territory became part of the United States through the Oregon Treaty in 1846.
Becoming a State
The Oregon Territory was established in 1848. It was a large territory that included the future states of Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and part of Montana. As Oregon continued to grow it eventually broke off from the other regions in the territory and, on February 14, 1859, Oregon was admitted into the Union as the 33rd state.
Nez Perce War
When gold was discovered in the 1850s, even more people moved into Oregon. There was less and less land for the Native Americans. Tribes such as the Nez Perce were forced to move into smaller and smaller reservations. In 1863, gold was discovered on the Nez Perce reservation. They were told they would have to move again. After a small fight erupted in 1877, the Nez Perce under the leadership of Chief Joseph tried to flee to Canada. The U.S. army pursued them. They fought the army all along the way, engaging in several battles along their 1,400 mile retreat. These battles are called the Nez Perce War. In the end, the Nez Perce lost and were forced to move to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
Portland, Oregon from the US Fish and Wildlife Service
Timeline
1500s - Spanish and British ships map out the coast of Oregon and lay claim to the land.
1792 - American Captain Robert Gray explores the Columbia River naming it after his ship.
1805 - Explorers Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Oregon.
1811 - The first permanent settlement is established at Fort Astoria.
1818 - Great Britain and the United States agree to joint occupancy of the region.
1840s - Settlers begin to arrive using the Oregon Trail.
1845 - The city of Portland is established.
1846 - The United States gains control of Oregon Country from the British through the Oregon Treaty.
1848 - The Oregon Territory is formed.
1851 - Salem becomes the capital city.
1859 - Oregon becomes the 33rd state.
1872 - The Modoc Indian War.
1877 - The Nez Perce War occurs with Chief Joseph as the leader of the Nez Perce.
1937 - The Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River is completed.
1999 - The New Carissa, a bulk freighter, runs aground at Coos Bay spilling 70,000 gallons of oil into the ocean.
