Oregon

a state of the American Union. It is situated on the Pacific coast between the states of Washington and California. The Columbia River forms the greater part of the northern boundary. The southern boundary is the parallel of 42 deg. N. The state borders also with Idaho on the east and with Nevada on the south. The general shape is rectangular. The area is 94,560 square miles, fresh water included.

TOPOGRAPHY. The surface is both level and mountainous. The Coast Range follows along the coast from ten to thirty miles inland. It is about 4,000 feet high and is clothed with dense forests to its very summit. The Cascade Mountains, an extension of the Sierra Nevada, run parallel to the Coast Range about 150 miles inland. The highest peaks are Mount Hood, having an altitude of 11,500 feet; McLaughlin, 11,000 feet; and Jefferson, 10,500. The summit of this range is covered with perpetual snow. Forests extend upward to the snow line. A third, shorter range. having the same general direction, occupies the northeastern part of the state. A series of rivers, as the Willamette, the Des Chutes, John Day, and the Umatilla drain the northern half of the state into the Columbia. The western shore of the Coast Range is drained by short mountain torrents. The southwest portion, including the region of Klamath Lake, is drained by streams that force their way through the Coast Range to the Pacific. A considerable district in the south central portion is covered chiefly with sage brush. It lies in the great American interior drainage region. The southeastern region is drained into the Snake River, on the eastern boundary.

MINERALS. The mountains are known to contain silver, zinc, mercury, platinum, lead, antimony, iron, copper, nickel, lignite, coal, and cinnabar; but gold is as yet the only mineral product of importance. The state is well supplied with granite, sandstone, and limestone building material. There are pits of excellent clay suitable for brick and tiling.

CLIMATE. Owing to the influence of the Japan Current, which here flows southward along the coast, the winters of Oregon are mild. The mean coast temperature for January is about 42 deg. The summers are cool. July, the hottest month, has a coast temperature of about 62 deg. Extremes of heat and cold are rare. The central temperature rarely reaches zero. The rainfall in different portions of the state varies greatly. A fall of 85 or 90 inches may be expected on the coast; 50 inches in the Willamette Valley; 13 inches in the northeastern portion of the state, and about 6 inches in the south central or sagebrush region.

FORESTS. The crest of the Cascade range is the natural eastern boundary of the timber region. West of this line evergreen forests predominate. The trees are chiefly pine, fir, cedar, spruce, tamarack, juniper, and yew. Species of alder, maple, ash, oak, willow, birch, poplar, and cherry are also found. The tree most valuable for lumber is the Oregon fir. It is estimated that there are 200,000,000,000 feet yet standing in the state. It is said that there is more standing timber in Oregon than in any other state. The annual cut varies,--776,000,000 feet were reported for 1900; 987,000,000 feet for 1905. The general government has established a forest reserve of 4,500,000 acres.

AGRICULTURE. The next industry of importance is agriculture. The principal farming regions are found along the Columbia and its tributaries, and in the valleys between the Cascade and the Coast ranges. In general, the soil is of volcanic origin. It is universally fertile. Even the sagebrush region needs only water to make it exceedingly productive. Named in order of bulk, the principal farm crops are wheat, oats, hay, corn, potatoes, and barley. The ordinary farm and garden vegetables are raised with ease. Sweet potatoes and watermelons do well. The soil of the state is well adapted to the production of sugar beets. Hop raising is an important industry. The state, especially the region between the two ranges, is noted for fruit. The production of apples, plums, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots reaches about 7,000,000 bushels a year. Small fruits yield abundantly. A number of irrigation systems have been started. The water thus obtained is used chiefly for orchards and alfalfa meadows. An enormous yield of alfalfa may be obtained in this way. Dairying has become an important industry in the cultivated portions of the state. There are extensive cattle ranges east of the Cascades. In 1905 Oregon claimed second place in the production of wool, with a clip of 22,000,000 pounds.

COMMERCE AND TRADE. Portland is situated on the Willamette twelve miles above its junction with the Columbia, and is at the head of deep sea navigation. It is also the eastern terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. A southern railway system runs southward up the Willamette Valley in the direction of San Francisco. Valuable waterpower exists at The Dalles, Cascades, and Oregon City. The canning of Columbia salmon is an important industry. Lumber and lumber products are manufactured at numerous points. Car building, woolen manufactures, meat packing, and publishing give employment to many persons. There are in all sixteen shipbuilding plants. The wheat of the state is milled chiefly at home and exported in the form of flour.

HISTORICAL. Oregon is a portion of the region claimed by the United States by virtue of the discovery of the Columbia River in 1791 and the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805-6. In 1811 a trading station was established in Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia, by the American Fur Company of which John Jacob Astor was the leading spirit. Immigration began to enter the state in the thirties. Marcus Whitman led a colony of Presbyterians overland in 1836. The territory of Oregon was organized in 1849. The territory of Washington was organized in 1853. Oregon was admitted to the Union in 1859. In 1900 women were authorized to vote at all elections. In 1908 the referendum was adopted. The capital is Salem on the Willamette. Oregon has had its share of difficulty with the Indians, especially with the Shoshones and the Modocs.

EDUCATION, ETC. The state has received not far from 5,000,000 acres of land from the general government for educational purposes. A system of common schools reaches all parts of the state. The larger towns maintain high schools. There are a large number of denominational colleges and schools. In point of membership, the leading denominations are the Roman Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Episcopal, and United Brethren. A state university was opened in 1876 at Eugene. There is a state agricultural college at Corvallis. The population in 1900 was reported at 413,536, including 10,397 Chinese and 4,951 Indians. The latter live chiefly on reservations, or along the rivers, where they depend on game and fish for their support. A training school is maintained for their benefit at Chemawa. In 1905 the state census showed a population of 464,538. The estimated population in 1909 was 600,000.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Columbia; Salmon; Lewis And Clark; Portland, etc.