Non User
Index: > A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z	Business Non User Industries Finance Tax

Home > Oregon

2 Origin of Oregon

The origin of the state's name is something of a mystery.

The earliest known use of this proper noun was in a 1765 petition by Major Robert Rogers to the English Crown. The petition referred to Ouragon and asked for money to finance an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage.

Why Rogers used the name has led to many theories, which include:

• George R. Stewart argued in a 1944 article in American Speech that the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 1700s, naming the Ouisiconsink ( Wisconsin River). This theory was endorsed in Oregon Geographic Names as "the most plausible explanation."
• In 2001, Scott Byram, ( currently the archaeologist for the Coquille Indian Tribe), and David G. Lewis published an article in the Oregon Historical Quarterly argued that the name Oregon came from the word oolighan, referring to grease made from fish, which the Native Americans of the region traded in. Those trade routes brought the term eastward. [1]
• In a 2004 article for the Oregon Historical Quarterly, professor Thomas Love and Smithsonian linguist Ives Goddard argue that Rogers chose the word based on exposure to either of the Algonquian words wauregan and olighin, both meaning "good and beautiful". Olighin was one of the early names for the Ohio River, shown on a 1680s map of the explorations of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. Rogers is likely to have heard the terms because of his frequent encounters with Mohegans in the late 1750s.

Less supported theories are based on it having a Spanish etymology. The theory that it comes from oregano, was dismissed years ago by Henry W. Scott, an early editor of Oregonian. He wrote that it was "a mere conjecture absolutely without support. More than this, it is completely disproved by all that is known of the name." Others have speculated that the name is related to the kingdom of Aragon.

In 1778, Jonathan Carver used Oregon to label the Great River of the West in his book Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America. The poet William Cullen Bryant took the name from Carver's book and used it in his poem "Thanatopsis" to refer to the recent discoveries of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; this use helped establish it in modern use.

3 Geography

thumb Digital elevation model relief map of Oregon See also: List of Oregon counties, Oregon Geographic Names, List of Oregon rivers, List of Oregon mountain ranges

Oregon's geography may be split roughly into six areas:

• the Coast Range,
• the Willamette Valley,
• the Cascade Mountains
• the Klamath Mountains,
• the Columbia Plateau, and
• the Basin and Range Region.

The state varies from rain forest in the Columbia Gorge to barren desert in the southeast, which still meets the technical definition of a frontier.

The state is about 580 km (360 miles) long and 420 km (261 miles) wide. Oregon is the ninth largest state, covering 254,819 km² (98,386 square miles).

Its highest point is the summit of Mount Hood, at 3,428 m (11,239 ft). As a West Coast state, its lowest point is sea level. Its mean elevation is 1 km (3,300 ft).

Politics	Business	Finance

Topics: Oregon State River Timber Columbia United *the Pacific Federal...

---

OregonOregon is a state located in the western United States bordering the Pacific Ocean, California, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Its northern border lies along the Columbia River and the east along the Snake River. Two north-south mountain ranges the Coasta OregonianAn Oregonian is a resident or native of the state of Oregon; The Oregonian is the daily newspaper in Portland. Oregon. Oregon TrailFor other uses of the term, see Oregon Trail (disambiguation The Oregon Trail was one of the key overland migration routes on which pioneers traveled across the North American continent in wagons in order to settle new parts of the United States of Americ Oregon City, OregonOregon City is the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 25,754. Known in recent decades as the site of several large Oregon County, MissouriOregon County is a county located in the U. State of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 10,344. Its county seat is Alton 6. Geography According to the U. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,050 km² (792 mi²). 2,050 km² (791 mi²) of it is Oregon, IllinoisOregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,060. It is the county seat of Ogle County 6. Geography Oregon is located at 42°0'47" North, 89°19'59" West (42. 013061, -89. According to the Un Oregon Township, Michigan Oregon, Missouri Oregon, Ohio Oregon Township, Pennsylvania Oregon Delegation in 107th &/or 108th Congress (2001-2005) Oregon State University Oregon Country Fair Oregon Ballot Measure 9 (1992) Oregon Ballot Measure 5 (1990)