Oregon

Oregon, one of the western states of the American Union, has Washington on the north, Nevada and California on the south, Idaho, on the east and the Pacific on the west. The total area is 96,030 square miles. The name was once given to the whole country between the Rocky Mountains and the sea, which was claimed both by Great Britain and the United States. After a period of joint occupation, the Oregon boundary question caused, in 1845, a misunderstanding between the two. countries; but this was put an end to by a treaty, made in the following year, which defined the north-western frontier, though it left some minor questions to be decided by subsequent arbitration. The surface of Oregon is, on the whoie, mountainous, and there were formerly many volcanoes. The chief ranges are the Coast Range, the Cascade Mountains parallel with them, containing several high peaks, such as Mount Jefferson over 10,000 feet, and Mount Hood over 11,000 feet; and the Blue Mountains in the north-east. The principal rivers are the Columbia, which separates Oregon from Washington; and the Snake, which skirts the Idaho frontier. The former is one of the best fishing rivers in the world, abounding in salmon,' trout, and sturgeon. The climate is temperate and' moist in the west, but drier farther east, where there are some inland lakes. Cereals of all kinds are largely grown in the state; and large quantities of apples, peaches, plums, grapes, and cherries are exported. Oregon is also celebrated for its timber. It is also well provided with minerals, wool from its sheep, and salmon caught in the Columbia and tinned. Oregon became a territory in 1848, and was formed into' a state in 1857. It sends one representative to Congress. Portland is the capital, and Salem the next largest town.