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One hundred and fifty years ago, this cry was heard throughout the east and midwest....
"Free land in Oregon!"
The 2,000 mile long route that stretched from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City pointed the way west for an estimated 300,000 pioneers and settlers in the middle of the 19th century. What turned out to be the largest voluntary peacetime mass migration in human history was critical to America's history as it sought to become a nation that stretched from "sea to shining sea".
Tens of thousands of wagons in every description, rumbled along this dusty trail. Still visible in many places, the ruts remain as a silent testimony to those who struggled, suffered and died in pursuit of their dreams.
An Oregon-bound airline, in 1849? Don't laugh--it almost happened. Rufus Porter, founder of Scientific American, planned to fly pioneers to Oregon on propeller-driven balloons powered by steam engines. He advertised the endeavor, and 200 brave souls signed up for the trip. But the "airline" never got off the ground.
Then there was the wind wagon, a cross between a sailboat and a wagon. Because it can be very windy in the West, it seemed like a good idea on paper. A prototype was built, and for a brief moment it barreled across the plains at the advertised 15 miles per hour. Then it went out of control and crashed. The inventor, "Wind-Wagon Thomas," kept trying for years, but never succeeded.
Others took a more low-tech approach, making the trip with only a simple wheelbarrow. It's hard to imagine pushing a fully loaded wheelbarrow for 2,000 miles, but several dozen people tried. For a time, they could outpace everything on the Trail, but human endurance has its limits. It is uncertain whether any of them made it all the way.
Mormon handcarts were somewhat more sophisticated. Like wheelbarrows, they were human-powered, but handcarts were pulled, not pushed. Thousands of handcarts made it to Salt Lake City, Utah, but there is no record of anyone taking a handcart further west.
***Oregon State Facts and Trivia***
- Oregon's state flag pictures a beaver on its reverse side. It is the only state flag to carry two separate designs.
- Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.
- Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.
- Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.
- Pilot Butte, a cinder cone volcano, exists within the city limits of Bend.
- At 329 feet the Coast Douglas-Fir in Oregon is considered the tallest tree in the state.
- At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
- The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.
- The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert.
- Oregon's state birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day.
- The "Oregon Pioneer" statue that tops the capitol building in Salem is a work by Ulric Ellerhusen. This heroic figure represents the spirit of Oregon's early settlers.
- In 1858 the richest gold find in the Cascade Mountains was discovered in the Bohemia Mining District at Sharp's Creek near Cottage Grove.
- In 1876 the University of Oregon opened in Eugene. Deady Hall was the first building on campus and still exists.
- In 1880 a sea cave was discovered near what is now known as Florence. Sea Lion Caves is known to be the largest sea cave in the world.
- The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Lane County.
- Oregon's second highest waterfall is Salt Creek Falls in the Cascade Mountain range. It drops 286 feet.
- Eugene is rated by "Bicycling Magazine" as one of the top ten cycling communities in the United States.
- There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.
- Portland is considered an example of outstanding urban planning. The city is known as The City of Roses.
- Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.
- High above the city of Portland the International Rose Test Garden features more than 500 varieties of roses cultivated continuously since 1917.
- At 11,239 feet Mount Hood stands as the tallest peak in Oregon. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano.
- Silver Falls State Park is the Oregon's largest state park. It features 10 waterfalls and contains a wide variety of forested hiking trails.
- Discovered in 1874 the caves located in Oregon Caves National Monument are carved within solid marble.
- Fort Clatsop National Memorial contains a replica of Lewis and Clark's 1805-1806 winter outpost.
- In 1905 the largest long cabin in the world was built in Portland to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- A treaty between the United States and Spain established the current southern border between Oregon and California. The treaty was signed in 1819.
- The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.
- Haystack Rock off Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world.
- The Seaside Aquarium was the first facility in the world to successfully breed harbor seals in captivity.
There is much to see and do in this interesting state, not the least of which is exploring the beautiful and rugged Oregon coastline.
The following websites provided historical information and graphics.... "Oregon - The Facts" "The Oregon Trail"
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