OREGON

city, seat of Ogle county, northern Illinois, U.S., on the Rock River. It was founded in the 1830s by John Phelps, a sawmiller. Near Lowden Memorial State Park (immediately north) is the site of Eagle's Nest Camp, a retreat used by Lorado Taft and other artists from 1898 to 1942; the 66-acre (27-hectare) tract was acquired in 1951 by Northern Illinois University for a field campus. Taft's Soldiers Monument is in the courthouse square, and on the river bluffs stands his Black Hawk statue (1911), commemorating the American Indian. White Pines Forest State Park is to the west. Oregon has an agricultural economy with some manufacturing (chiefly pianos, printing plates, and road-building equipment). Inc. town, 1843; city, 1869. Pop. (1990) 3,891. constituent state of the United States of America. To the north of the state's 97,073 square miles (251,419 square kilometres) of land and inland water lies Washington, from which Oregon receives the waters of the Columbia River; to the east, Idaho, more than half of the border with which is formed by the winding Snake River and its Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge on the North American continent; to the south, Nevada and California, with which Oregon shares its mountain and desert systems; and, to the west, the Pacific Ocean, which produces the moderate climate of Oregon's western lands. The capital is Salem. Admitted to the Union as the 33rd state on Feb. 14, 1859, Oregon comprises an area of startling physical diversity, from the moist rain forests, mountains, and fertile valleys of its western third to the naturally arid and climatically harsh eastern deserts. Mountains, plateaus, plains, and valleys of different geologic ages and materials are arrayed in countless combinations, including such natural wonders as the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Caves National Monument, Crater Lake National Park, the majestic snow-covered peaks of the Cascade Range, and the moon country of central Oregon. The name Oregon is thought to be Indian in origin. The forested mountains of western and northeastern Oregon have supplied the traditional core of the state's economy. Its many forest-product plants produce more than one-fifth of the nation's softwood lumber, much of its soft plywood, and large quantities of hardboard, pulp, and paper. Nationally, Oregon ranks first in the production of wood products. In addition, the multipurpose development of the Columbia River system provides huge quantities of electricity, water for irrigation and industry, shipping channels, and water for recreation. The heartland of Oregon, however, is the Willamette valley, containing the major cities of Portland, Eugene, and Salem and a rich and diversified agriculture. The northern Pacific Coast. constituent state of the United States of America lying in the Pacific Northwest Coast region of the country. Facing the Pacific Ocean on the west, Oregon is bounded on the north by Washington, on the east by Idaho, and on the south by California and Nevada. The state capital is Salem. The state is roughly rectangular in shape and extends about 400 miles (650 km) from east to west and 300 miles (480 km) from north to south. At the time of initial European exploration, the leading Indian tribes were the Chinook along the lower Columbia River; the Tillamook, Yamel, Molaha, Clackamus, and Multnomah in the northwest; the Cayuse, Northern Paiute, Umatilla, Nez Perc, and Bannock in the east; and the Klamath and Modoc in the south-central area. The first Europeans to see the Oregon coast were Spanish sailors searching for a northwest passage to facilitate trade with the Orient. In 1579 the English buccaneer Francis Drake claimed the region for Queen Elizabeth I. The Oregon Country received scant attention from non-Indians until about two centuries later, when the Spanish, English, and Americans renewed exploration and established claims. The United States' claim to the Pacific Northwest by right of discovery was established in 1792 when Captain Robert Gray sailed into the mouth of the Columbia River. The Lewis and Clark expedition, traveling from the east, reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. The first white settlement was an American fur-trading post established at Astoria in 1811 by John Jacob Astor. The British captured the post during the War of 1812, and the region was largely dominated by the Hudson's Bay Company until American settlers began migrating to the Willamette River valley over the Oregon Trail in the 1830s and '40s. The Oregon Country was formally added to the United States in 1846, when a treaty with Great Britain set the (present) northern boundary at 49 N latitude. The original Territory of Oregon, as organized by Congress in 1848, included all the land west of the Continental Divide at the summit of the Rocky Mountains and between 42 N and 49 N latitudes. Oregon, with its present reduced boundaries, was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state in 1859. The state is a region of wide physical diversity, from the moist rainforests and mountains and fertile valleys of its western third to the naturally arid climatic harshness of its eastern deserts. Its mountains, plateaus, plains, and valleys of many different geologic ages and materials can be divided into nine major landform regions: (1) the Coast Range, (2) the Klamath Mountains, (3) the Willamette River valley, (4) the Cascade Range, (5) the North Central Oregon Plateau, or Columbia Basin, (6) the Blue-Wallowa Mountains, (7) the Harney High Lava Plains, (8) the Great Basin of the Basin and Range Province, and (9) the Malheur-Owyhee Upland. The greater part of the state lies within the drainage areas of the Columbia River and its major tributary, the Snake. Streams in the western slopes of the coastal mountains drain directly into the Pacific Ocean, while the surface waters of the Great Basin have no ocean outlet. Oregon's climates range from equable, mild, marine conditions on the coast to continental conditions of dryness and extreme temperatures in the interior. Location with respect to ocean, prevailing wind and storm paths, and topography and elevation are the principal climatic controls. Early white settlement of Oregon was predominantly by American immigrants who settled on farms in the fertile Willamette River valley and developed the logging industry in the heavily forested western mountains. The majority of the population lives in the counties to the west of the crest of the Cascades, and more than two-thirds lives in the metropolitan areas of the four largest citiesPortland, Eugene, Salem, and Medfordall of which are located in the western valleys of the state. Nonwhites constitute only a tiny percentage of the population. The economy of Oregon traditionally has been resource-oriented, strongly dependent on its forests and farms. Livestock products contribute about one-half of the total agricultural-commodity value, led by cattle and calves. Wheat is the leading crop, with vegetables and fruits among the other major crops. Salmon and shellfish provide the bases of the fishing industry. Oregon's mining activity is primarily limited to nonmetals such as sand and gravel, cement, and pumice, although the state has the only domestic nickel mine. Forest-products manufacturinglumber, plywood and hardboard, pulp and paperranks as Oregon's leading industry. Food-processing and metals-related industries, especially aluminum, have grown with the development of electricity sources, natural-gas pipelines, and abundant water. Tourists have increasingly been attracted by the natural landscape and recreational opportunities afforded by the beaches and mountains. The state is served by several interstate highways and a score of railroads. There is an international airport at Portland, which, lying near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, is by far the largest port in the state. As a relatively young region of the United States, Oregon has not developed a cultural identity equivalent to those of the longer-settled or more populous regions. Activity in the arts is centred in Portland, Salem, and the larger university cities. Oregon State University at Corvallis and the University of Oregon at Eugene are the leading universities. Popular events such as rodeos, roleos (log-rolling jamborees), and festivals are held annually in towns throughout the state. Environment-conscious Oregonians continually assess the need for economic growth, with its attendant population growth and pollution, in light of their desire to preserve the state's many natural wonders. Area 97,073 square miles (251,418 square km). Pop. (1990) 2,842,321. Additional reading Federal Writers' Project, Oregon: End of the Trail (1940, reprinted 1972), is still a useful overview. Samuel N. Dicken and Emily F. Dicken, Two Centuries of Oregon Geography, 2 vol. (197982), covers both historical and descriptive geography. Topical maps of the state may be found in William G. Loy, Stuart Allan, and Clyde P. Patton, Atlas of Oregon (1976); and Carolyn Young et al., Oregon Environmental Atlas (1988); while DeLorme Mapping Company, Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer, 3rd ed. (1998), focuses on topography. Ewart M. Baldwin, Geology of Oregon, 3rd ed. (1981), is a handy summary reference. Lewis A. McArthur, Oregon Geographic Names, 6th ed., rev. and enlarged by Lewis L. McArthur (1992), combines geography and local history.Historical treatment is provided by Phil F. Brogan, East of the Cascades, 4th ed. (1977), a popularization of central Oregon's history; Gordon B. Dodds, Oregon: A Bicentennial History (1977), an introduction; and Charles H. Carey, General History of Oregon Through Early Statehood, 3rd ed. (1971). Oregon Historical Quarterly publishes current research. Richard M. Highsmith, Jr.