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 Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a non-profit museum in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located just north of the Sunset Highway on the northern edge of Hillsboro, the earth science museum is in the Portland metropolitan area. Opened in 1997, the museum’s collections date to the 1930s with the museum housed in a home built to display the rock and mineral collections of the museum founders. The ranch style home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first of its kind listed in Oregon. The museum sits on 23 wooded acres, with the main building containing 7,500 square feet (700 m2) of space. Collections include petrified wood, various fossils, fluorescent rocks, meteorites, and a variety of other minerals. With more than 4,000 specimens, the museum is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The facility has around 25,000 visitors each year, many of whom are on school tours.
Kermit Alan Washington (born September 17, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) is an American former professional basketball player. Washington is best remembered for punching opposing player Rudy Tomjanovich during an on-court fight in 1977. The punch nearly killed Tomjanovich, and resulted in severe medical problems that ultimately ended his playing career. During his playing career and after his retirement, Washington has struggled with the negative perception of him that resulted from the punch. Washington was not a highly coveted player coming out of high school and barely got into college on an athletic scholarship. He averaged a mere four points per game (ppg) during his senior season of high school. He improved rapidly once at American University, and became one of only seven players in NCAA history to average 20 points and 20 rebounds throughout the course of their career. A big defensive forward, Washington was known for his ability to gather rebounds. He averaged 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in ten National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons and played in the All-Star Game once. Washington was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and later played for the Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors. Washington played for the Blazers from 1979 to 1982 and after retirement worked for a time as the team's strength and condition coach.
... that the world's northernmost grove of Redwood trees is located in the Chetco River watershed and includes specimens reaching over 300 feet (91 m) tall?
... that while George C. Brownell played no part in the Oregon land fraud scandal, a published cartoon showed him as the "Pretty Moth" that flew too close to the land fraud limelight?
Madam Speaker, although much work is left to be done as our communities start to recover from the severe storms that ravaged Oregon and Washington on December 2 and 3, 2007, we can reflect and be grateful for the hard work of the thousands of our fellow Pacific Northwesterners who helped neighbors, families, and complete strangers during the storms and their aftermath. ... We were all shocked by the devastating impact that these storms wreaked on Oregon. More than 10 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period with wind gusts ranging from 60 to 129 miles an hour. ... Thankfully, first responders and ordinary citizens moved quickly to help their fellow Oregonians cope with the storm. ... Selfless Oregonians from across the State came to help in what turned out to be a spectacular response effort. It has been incredible to see the extraordinary efforts of so many.
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