 Oregon
Information
Capital
City: Salem
Economy:
Population: 3,421,399
Time Zone: 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (-8 GMT).
Daylight Saving Time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last
Sunday in October
Oregon's Flag:
The flag of Oregon is the only state flag with different pictures
on each side. On the reverse appears a beaver the state animal. Both sides
have a field of navy blue with design in gold. The front picture includes
a heart shaped shield with an eagle on top, surronded by thirty-three stars.
( The number of states in 1859. ) The scene on the shield shows the sun
setting over the Pacific Ocean, mountains, forests and a covered wagon.
A plow, wheat and pickax represent farming and mining. Of the two ships:
The one leaving is a British ship and the one arriving is a United States
ship representing trade. The eagle represents the United States. On a banner
are the words "The Union" representing support for the United
States. Finally the flag is emblazoned with the words "State of Oregon"
above the picture and the date of statehood "1859" below.
History of Oregon:
Spanish and English sailors are believed to have sighted the Oregon coast
in the 1500s and 1600s. Capt. James Cook, seeking the Northwest Passage,
charted some of the coastline in 1778. In 1792, Capt. Robert Gray, in the
Columbia, discovered the river named after his ship and claimed the area
for the U.S. In 1805 the Lewis and Clark expedition explored the area. John
Jacob Astor's fur depot, Astoria, was founded in 1811. Disputes for control
of Oregon between American settlers and the Hudson Bay Company were finally
resolved in the 1846 Oregon Treaty in which Great Britain gave up claims
to the region. Oregon has a $3.3 billion lumber and wood products industry,
and an $859 million paper and allied manufacturing industry. Its salmon-fishing
industry is one of the world's largest. In agriculture, the state leads
in growing peppermint, cover seed crops, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries,
black raspberries, and hazelnuts. It is second in raising hops, raspberries,
sweet cherries, prunes, snap beans, and onions. Oregon has the only nickel
smelter in the United States. With the low-cost electric power provided
by Bonneville Dam, McNary Dam, and other dams in the Pacific Northwest,
Oregon has developed steadily as a manufacturing state. Leading manufactures
are lumber and plywood, metalwork, machinery, aluminum, chemicals, paper,
food packing, and electronic equipment. Crater Lake National Park, Mount
Hood, and Bonneville Dam on the Columbia are major tourist attractions.
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area has been established near Florence.
Other points of interest include the Oregon Caves National Monument, Cape
Perpetua in Siuslaw National Forest, Columbia River Gorge between The Dalles
and Troutdale, Hells Canyon, Newberry Volcanic National Monument, and John
Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Copyright © Information Please,
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Other Oregon Links:
Association of Oregon Counties
League of Oregon Cities
Oregon School Boards Association
Associated Oregon Industries
Oregon State Library
Oregon Tourism
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