Explore Oregon. Explore More. ��

Explorethe scenery

Mill Ends Park in downtown Portland is the smallest park

in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. The

park is a circle two feet across.

Portland is known as the City of Roses, which is fitting since its International Rose Test Garden boasts over 500 varieties.

Explorethe sites

The largest log cabin in the world was built in Portland for the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905. It was destroyed by fire in 1964.

The world's oldest shoes, 9,000-year-old sandals made of sagebrush and bark, were found at Fort Rock Cave in central Oregon in 1938.

A 1903 flash flood devastated Heppner, killing 225 people. A rider on horseback raced ahead of the waters to warn the next town downstream, saving many lives.

Spirit Mountain Casino eclipsed Multnomah Falls as the most visited Oregon traveler destination in 1998.

Oregon is one of only two states to prohibit self-serve gasoline. New Jersey is the other.

Self-Serve

Some of the earliest rhinocerous fossils in the world were found in the John Day fossil beds.

John-Day

Followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh used salmonella to poison salad bars in The Dalles in 1984, leaving 750 people sick.

750 Sick

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943

feet maximum depth.

Explorethe scenery

The John Day River has more miles of scenic waterway than any river in the United States.The river’s total length is 281 miles.

Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach is the third largest coastal monolith in the world. It rises 235 feet.

As early as 1899 the beaches in Clatsop County were declared a public highway, and in 1913 similar rights of public access to all Oregon beaches were established. Many beaches in other states are private and access is restricted.

Scenic Silver Falls State Park has the highest concentration of waterfalls in the United States.

Sea Lion Cave north of Florence is said to be the largest sea cave in the world.

The huge Bonneville Slide collapsed into the Columbia River in about 1700 and temporarily blocked it with a 200-foot-high land bridge. Indian legend called it the Bridge of the Gods.

The DallesFollowers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh used salmonella to poison salad bars in The Dalles in 1984, leaving 750 people sick.

DeschutesOregon has one community named Brothers and another named Sisters. Both are in Deschutes County.

D-RiverThe D River in Lincoln City is said to be the shortest river in the world at only 121 feet long. It runs from Devils Lake to the ocean.

In 1843, Clackamas County stretched far into present-day Canada, and reached east to the Continental Divide in what is now Montana.

Eastern Oregon’s Harney County is larger in area than ten different states in the United States yet its population is less than 8,000.

An extinct cinder cone volcano sits right in the middle of Bend, Oregon. Called Pilot Butte, it rises 511 feet above the surrounding area and makes Bend one of only two U.S. cities with an extinct volcano. Portland is the other!

The Tillamook Air Museum is housed in an old blimp hangar from World War II that is the largest wooden clear-span building in the world. The blimps patrolled the coast looking for signs of a Japanese attack.

Explorethe state

Mother of OregonHonored by the 1987 Legislature as Mother of Oregon, Tabitha Moffatt Brown “represents the distinctive pioneer heritage and the charitable and compassionate nature of Oregon's people”. At 66 years of age, she financed her own wagon for the trip from Missouri to Oregon. The boarding school for orphans that she established later became known as Tualatin Academy and eventually was chartered as Pacific University in Forest Grove. The song became the official state song in 1927.

Father of OregonThe 1957 Legislature bestowed upon Dr. John McLoughlin the honorary title of “Father of Oregon” in recognition of his great contributions to the early development of the Oregon Country. Dr. McLoughlin originally came to the Northwest region in 1824 as a representative of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The state seal consists of an escutcheon, or shield, supported by 33 stars and divided by an ordinary, or ribbon, with the inscription “The Union”. Above the ordinary are the mountains and forests of Oregon, an elk with branching antlers, a covered wagon and ox team, the Pacific Ocean with setting sun, a departing British man- of-war signifying the departure of British influence in the region and an arriving American merchant ship signifying the rise of American power. Below the ordinary is a quartering with a sheaf of wheat, plow and pickax, which represent Oregon's

mining and agricultural resources. The crest is the American Eagle. Around the perimeter of the seal is the legend “State of Oregon 1859”. A resolution adopted by the Constitutional Convention in session on September 17, 1857, authorized the president to appoint a committee of three (Benjamin F. Burch, L.F. Grover and James K. Kelly) to report on a proper device for the seal of the state of Oregon. Harvey Gordon created a draft, to which the committee recommended certain additions that are all incorporated in the state seal.

Seal

FlagThe Oregon state flag, adopted in 1925, is navy blue with gold lettering and symbols. Blue and gold are the state colors. On the flag's face the legend STATE OF

OREGON is written above a shield which is surrounded by 33 stars. Below the shield, which is part of the state seal, is written 1859 the year of Oregon's admission to the union as the 33rd state. The flag's reverse side depicts a beaver. Oregon has the distinction of being the only state in the union whose flag has a different pattern on the reverse side. The dress or parade flag has a gold fringe, and the utility flag has a plain border.

Song“She Flies With Her Own Wings” was adopted by the 1987 Legislature as the state motto. The phrase originated with Judge Jessie Quinn Thornton and was pictured on the territorial seal in Latin: Alis Volat Propriis. The new motto replaces The Union, which was adopted in 1957.

MottoJ.A. Buchanan of Astoria and Henry B. Murtagh of Portland wrote “Oregon, My Oregon, in 1920”. With this song, Buchanan and Murtagh won a statewide competition sponsored by the Society of Oregon Composers, gaining statewide recognition. The song became the official state song in 1927.

State Facts

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Explorethe state

Fun Facts

SwallowtailIn 1979 the legislature designated the Oregon

Swallowtail (Papilio oregonius) as Oregon's official insect. A true native of the Northwest, the Oregon Swallowtail is at home in the lower sagebrush canyons of the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Snake River drainage. This strikingly beautiful butterfly, predominantly yellow, is a wary, strong flier not easily captured.

MoooooMilk was selected in 1997 as the state beverage. The legislature recognized that milk production and the manufacture of dairy products are major contributors to the economic well-being of Oregon agriculture. Tillamook County has long been known for its dairy farms and now Morrow County has seen growth in the number and size of its dairy operations.

Thunder-eggThe Thunder-egg (geode) was named state rock by the 1965 Legislature after rockhounds throughout Oregon voted it first choice. Thunder-eggs range in diameter from less than one inch to over four feet. Nondescript on the outside, they reveal exquisite designs in a wide range of colors when cut and polished. They are found chiefly in Crook, Jefferson, Malheur, Wasco and Wheeler counties.

Oregon GrapeThe legislature designated the Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) as the Oregon state flower by resolution in 1899. A low growing plant, the Oregon Grape is native to much of the Pacific Coast and is found sparsely east of the Cascades. Its year-round foliage of pinnated, waxy green leaves resembles holly. The plant bears dainty yellow flowers in early summer and a dark blue berry that ripens late in the fall. The fruit can be used in cooking.

MushroomThe 1999 Legislature recognized the Pacific golden chanterelle

(Cantharellus formosus) as the official mushroom of the State of Oregon. This mushroom is a wild, edible fungi of high culinary value that is unique to the Pacific Northwest. More than 500,000 pounds of the Pacific golden chanterelles are harvested annually in Oregon, representing a large portion of the commercial mushroom

business.

Metasequoia The legislature designated the Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, as the official state fossil for Oregon by resolution in 2005. The Metasequoia flourished in the Miocene epoch of 25 to 5 million years ago and left its record embedded in rocks across the Oregon landscape. While long extinct in Oregon, paleontologists discov-ered living 100-foot Metasequoia trees in a remote area of China over 50 years ago and brought specimens back to the United States for propagation, thus ensuring that live Metasequoia trees can be found today.

Hairy TritonIn 1848, a conchologist (shell expert) named Redfield named the Fusitriton oregonensis after the Oregon Territory. Commonly called the Oregon hairy triton, the shell is one of the largest found in the state, reaching lengths up to five inches. The shells are found from Alaska to California and wash up on the Oregon coast at high tide. The legislature named the state shell in 1991.

PearThe legislature designated the pear

(Pyrus communis) as the official fruit by resolution in 2005. Oregon produces a variety of pears, including Comice, Anjou, Bosc, and Bartlett. The pear ranks as the top-selling tree fruit crop in the state and grows particularly well in the Rogue River Valley and along the Columbia River near Mt. Hood.

Western MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) was chosen state bird in 1927 by Oregon's school children in a poll sponsored by the Oregon Audubon Society. Native throughout western North America, the bird has brown plumage with buff and black markings. Its underside is bright yellow with a black crescent on the breast; its outer tail feathers are mainly white and are easily visible when it flies. The Western Meadowlark is known for its distinctive and beautiful song.

Douglas FirThe Douglas-fir named for David Douglas, a 19th century Scottish botanist who traveled through Oregon in the 1820s, was designated state tree in 1939. Great strength, stiffness and moderate weight make it an invaluable timber product said to be stronger than concrete. Averaging up to 200' in height and six feet in diameter, heights of 325' and diameters of 15' can also be found.

SunstoneThe 1987 Legislature designated the Oregon sunstone as the official state gemstone. Uncommon in its composition, clarity, and colors, it is a large, brightly colored transparent gem in the feldspar family. The Oregon sunstone attracts collectors and miners and has been identified as a boon to tourism and economic development in southeastern

HazelnutThe hazelnut (Corylus avellana) was named state nut by the 1989 Legislature. Oregon grows 99 percent of the entire U.S. commercial crop. The Oregon hazelnut, unlike wild varieties, grows on single-trunked trees up to 30 or 40 feet tall. Adding a unique texture and flavor to recipes and products, hazelnuts are preferred by chefs, bakers, confectioners, food manufacturers and homemakers worldwide.

Square DanceIn 1977 the legislature declared the Square Dance to be the official state dance. The dance is a combination of various steps and figures danced with four couples grouped in a square. The pioneer origins of the dance and the characteristic dress are deemed to reflect Oregon’s heritage; the lively spirit of the dance exemplifies the friendly, free nature and enthusiasm that are a part of the Oregon Character.

Dungeness CrabThe 2009 Legislature designated the Dungeness crab as the official state crustacean. The action followed petitioning by the 4th grade class of Sunset Primary School in West Linn.

BeaverThe American Beaver (Castor canadensis) was named Oregon state animal by the 1969 Legislature. Prized for its fur, the beaver was overtrapped by early settlers and eliminated from much of its original range. Through proper management and partial protection, the beaver has been reestablished in watercourses throughout the state and remains an important economic asset. The beaver has been referred to as nature’s engineer, and its dam-building activities are important to natural water flow and erosion control. Oregon is known as the Beaver State and Oregon State University’s athletic teams are called the Beavers.

Oregon’s first capital punishment came in 1850 when five Cayuse Indians were hanged in

Oregon City after being convicted for the Whitman

Massacre.

1942

Historic Facts

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Oregon’s first capital punishment came in 1850 when five Cayuse Indians were hanged in Oregon City after being convicted for the Whitman Massacre.

1850

A Japanese submarine fired

shells on Fort Stevens in 1942

making it the only hostile

shelling of a military base

on the U.S. mainland

during World War II, and

the first since the War of

1812.

1971

Oregon approved women's suffrage, the right to vote, in 1912 after Abigail Scott Duniway and others campaigned for decades.

1912

1857

1845

1906

1920's

1971

1980's

After Oregon’s 1857 Constitutional Convention, Oregonians voted eight to one against permitting residency to freed African-Americans.

A coin toss decided the name of Portland in 1845. The losing name was Boston.

U.S. senators from Oregon were chosen by the Legislature instead of direct election before 1906. Jonathan Bourne was elected by the people (men) that year. Women would have to wait a few years to vote.

The Ku Klux Klan was popular in many Oregon communities in the 1920s and even influenced state politics.

The groundbreaking Oregon Bottle Bill in 1971 required a five-cent refund for bottles and cans. After all these years, the refund is still a nickel.

Followers of the Oregon commune leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh bought him more than 90 luxury Rolls Royce automobiles in the 1980s.

A 1923 state law provided for the sterilization of all feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates and sexual perverts who are a menace to society....Sterilization was used until 1967.

1923