Portal:Oregon

Oregon
Oregon
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	State of Oregon
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The Oregon Portal

Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡən, -ɡɒn/ ^ⓘ ORR-ih-ghən, -⁠gon) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., 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 U.S. 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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Plaque at site of house used in the movie

National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 comedy film directed by John Landis and adapted by Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller and Harold Ramis from stories written by Miller and published in National Lampoon magazine based on his experiences in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College, as well as Ramis's experiences in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Washington University in St. Louis. The film is about a misfit group of fraternity boys that takes on the system at their college. It is considered to be the movie that launched the gross-out genre, although it was predated by several films now also included in the genre. Produced on a small $2.7 million budget, the film has turned out to be one of the most profitable movies of all time. Since its initial release, Animal House has garnered an estimated return of more than $141 million in the form of video and DVDs, not including merchandising. In 2001, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. This film is first on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies." It was #36 on AFI's "100 Years, 100 Laughs" list of the 100 best American comedies.

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Tom McCall Waterfront Park, named in McCall's memory

Tom McCall (1913–1983) was an American politician, and member of the Republican Party. He served two terms as the 30th governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. He was known for his environmental policies, passing the country's first "bottle bill" and working to clean the polluted Willamette River.

McCall was born in Massachusetts, the grandson of copper-king Thomas Lawson and Massachusetts governor and congressman Samuel W. McCall. He graduated from Redmond High School, and enrolled at the University of Oregon, graduating in 1936. McCall moved to Idaho to write for the local paper where he met his future wife, Audrey Owen.

He moved to Portland in 1942, where he worked for The Oregonian. He moved to the paper's radio station until 1949, when he became an assistant to Oregon Governor Douglas McKay. He was elected Oregon Secretary of State in 1964, then governor in 1966 and 1970. McCall later returned to journalism, and was a commentator for a Portland TV station. He made an unsuccessful bid to return to the governorship in 1978, losing in the primary to State Senator Victor G. Atiyeh, who went on to defeat incumbent Robert W. Straub. McCall died of prostate cancer in 1983, and after his death Portland dedicated a park along the Willamette River as Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

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In this month

March 3, 1849, governor Joseph Lane dissolves Provisional Government and implements government of the Oregon Territory.
March 5, 1949, political reformer William Simon U'Ren dies at the age of 90.
March 6, 1961, Oregon State College becomes Oregon State University.
March 20, 1916, the Portland Rosebuds became the first U.S. based ice hockey team to play for the Stanley Cup.
March 23, 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition leaves Fort Clatsop near present day Astoria.
March 25, 1993, the "Spring Break Quake" damages the Oregon State Capitol.
March 26, 1955, the airliner for Pan Am Flight 845/26 crashes off the Oregon Coast after leaving Portland International Airport.
March 27, 1939, at the first NCAA basketball tournament, the Oregon Ducks win the first championship.

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... that rockhounds come to the Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon to look for thundereggs (pictured)?
... that radio stations KGAL and KSHO celebrated Oregon's sesquicentennial, in 2009, with a year-long series of historical vignettes?
... that the defunct Portland University in Oregon had only one building, so the school bookstore was a nearby general store?
... that Democrat Harry D. Boivin was elected Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives at the age of 33, becoming the youngest person ever to hold that office?

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... that in 1943, it took the Oregon State Senate 45 ballots to elect William H. Steiwer as president of the senate over fellow Republican Dorothy McCullough Lee?
... 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 Linn County clerk Del Riley established Oregon's vote-by-mail system, now used as the only voting method in the state?
... that after serving as President of the Oregon State Senate, Brady L. Adams founded BearFest in Grants Pass, Oregon, which featured playful fiberglass bear statues placed around the town?
... that for 25 years after an attempt to explode a whale went awry, the Oregon TV station that filmed it regularly fielded requests for its footage?
... that Frederick Prigg and his predecessor as secretary of the Provisional Government of Oregon were both doctors who drowned in a river at Oregon City just three years apart?
... that LaVonne Griffin-Valade, the Oregon Secretary of State, has published four crime fiction novels?
... that after serving as the speaker of the Oregon Territory House of Representatives, Lafayette Cartee moved to the Idaho Territory where he became a well-known horticulturalist?

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

Image 1Portland Art Museum (from Culture of Oregon)
Image 2Unspecified artifacts of Native Americans (from a History of Oregon published in 1922). (from History of Oregon)
Image 3Engineer Conde McCullough designed many of Oregon's bridges, including the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. (from History of Oregon)
Image 41601 AD map showing unexplored Oregon Coast (from History of Oregon)
Image 5The construction of dams, like The Dalles Dam, was central to the power supply of the region (from History of Oregon)
Image 6Map 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 7Mount Mazama erupted several millennia BC, leading to the formation of Crater Lake. (from History of Oregon)
Image 8Schnitzer Hall (from Culture of Oregon)

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Credit: Kris

Willamette River at night in downtown Portland with two racing shells on the river. The Willamette River is a tributary of the Columbia River, 187 miles (301 km) long, in northwestern Oregon.

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The University of Oregon has long been known as a renowned research institution. The Brain, Biology and Machine Initiative continues in that distinguished tradition.

— Peter DeFazio

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Credit: Eric Baetscher

A view of Portland, Oregon from the east waterfront depicting the skyline of the downtown district. The Hawthorne Bridge is prominent on the left. Although Portland is Oregon's largest city, it is not the state capital; that designation falls to Salem.

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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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Abigail Scott Duniway registering to vote
Chief Joseph by Edward Sheriff Curtis
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
Portland, Oregon, in 1898 - Herbert A. Hale
WillametteRvrPano edit

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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)