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...)
The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) is a species of salmonid native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus Oncorhynchus, it is one of the Pacific trout, a group that includes the widely distributed rainbow trout. Cutthroat trout are popular gamefish, especially among anglers who enjoy fly fishing. The common name "cutthroat" refers to the distinctive red coloration on the underside of the lower jaw. The specific nameclarki was given to honor explorer William Clark, coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Cutthroat trout usually inhabit and spawn in small to moderately large, clear, well-oxygenated, shallow rivers with gravel bottoms and clear, cold, moderately deep lakes. They are native to the alluvial or freestone streams that are typical tributaries of the Pacific basin, Great Basin and Rocky Mountains. They are spring spawners and naturally hybridize with rainbow trout to produce fertile cutbows. Some populations of the coastal cutthroat trout (O. c. clarki) are semianadromous. Several subspecies of cutthroat are currently listed as threatened in their native ranges due to habitat loss and introduction of non-native species. Two subspecies, O. c. alvordensis and O. c. macdonaldi, are considered extinct. Cutthroat trout are raised in hatcheries to restore native populations, as well as stock non-native lake environments to support angling. The cutthroat trout type species and several subspecies are the state fish in seven western U.S. states. Subspecies in Oregon include the Alvord cutthroat trout, Whitehorse Basin cutthroat trout, and the Humboldt cutthroat trout.
Chief Joseph (1840–September 21, 1904) was the chief of the Wallowa band of Nez PerceIndians during GeneralOliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Indians to a reservation. For his principled resistance to the removal, he became renowned as a humanitarian and peacemaker. In 1873, Joseph negotiated with the federal government to ensure his people could stay on their land, but in 1877, the government reversed its policy, and General Oliver Howard threatened to attack if the Wallowa band did not relocate to the Idaho Reservation. Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed. Joseph and other chiefs began leading his people north toward Canada. Over 3 months, the band traveled 1,700 miles across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. On October 5, 1877, in the mountains of the Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Howard. He earned the praise of General Sherman, and became known in the press as "the Red Napoleon". Although Joseph had negotiated a safe return home for his people, they were instead taken to eastern Kansas and then to a reservation in the Indian Territory where many of them died from diseases. In 1885, Joseph and his followers were allowed to return to the Pacific Northwest, though many, including Chief Joseph, were taken to the Colville Indian Reservation. Joseph continued to lead his band of Wallowa until his death in 1904.
Representing the people of Oregon's Second District is an honor and a privilege. Covering more than 70,000 square miles in twenty counties throughout eastern, southern and central Oregon, our district is breathtaking and diverse.
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