On August 14, 1848, the United States Congress approved the formation of the Oregon Territory. At that time, the territory included the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Its southern border was the 42nd parallel north, (the boundary of the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819) and it extended north to the 49thparallel. The capital city was Oregon City, not far from Portland. This was moved to Salem, then briefly to Corvalis, then back to Salem again. Despite its size, Oregon Territory had a sparse population. The 1850 census recorded only 13,294 residents.
This was a time of rapid expansion under the James Knox Polk administration, with its emphasis on Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion. The Oregon Territory quickly became a magnet for diverse groups of immigrants and settlers. The deep wagon wheel ruts created by the massive migration can still be seen, marking the Oregon Trail. Two years previously, the United States and Great Britain had signed the Oregon Border Treaty, which guaranteed the U.S. claims to the Oregon Territory. In December 1848, President Polk announced the discovery of gold in the newly conquered territory of California. 90,000 immigrants raced from their homes around the world to the newly discovered goldfields. These provided residents of Oregon Territory with an important and valuable market for agricultural and timber products.
Initially, Oregon Territory suffered population losses due to California gold, but the long-term population gains and prosperous markets created by the gold rush brought additional settlement to the Pacific Northwest. It also led to firmer federal control of the newly conquered lands and the violent displacement of Native American settlements.
In 1853, Washington Territory was carved out of the original Oregon Territory, with the southern boundaries being the lower Columbia River and the 46th parallel east of that river. The Oregon Constitutional Convention was held in 1857 “to draft a constitution in preparation for becoming a state.” Delegates approved this document in September, and the populace voted “yea” in November. The territory entered the Union on February 14, 1859 as the U.S. state of Oregon, with its current boundaries. The rest of the eastern portion of the territory (the portions of present-day southern Idaho and western Wyoming) were added to Washington Territory.
Your characters might have come down the Oregon Trail to settle in the new territory, or they might have been born and raised in Oregon. At any rate, Oregon Territory and Oregon state make great settings for your stories.
J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks
Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/places/formation-of-the-oregon-territory.htm
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/oregon-territory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Territory
https://www.nwyc.com/article/this_week_in_history_oregon_territory
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