Oregon: Not A Typical History Trivia Quiz

Answer: February 14, 1859

Prior to 1848, the area of the United States that was occupied by the current state of Oregon was known as "Oregon Country". Over time, the region had been occupied by both the British and French Canadian fur traders who referred to the area as the Columbia District.

It was eventually settled by American settlers as early as the 1830s. On August 14, 1848, the "Territory of Oregon" was officially established as an incorporated territory of the United States and remained this way until February 14, 1859 when it was officially admitted to the union as a state.

When it was first admitted to the union, the states of Washington and Idaho were not yet admitted as union members and Oregon itself originally included the geographical area of those future states.

Answer: Fort Clatsop

Due to poor weather conditions, it took three weeks to build the Fort Clatsop settlement during the eastward return of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. On advice given by the local Clatsop Indians, the group of explorers elected to settle to the south of the Columbia River as it was suggested that there would be an abundance of resources (specifically elk) during the winter months for survival. By December 23, 1805, members of the expedition finally began moving into a roofless dwelling.

The winter of 1805-06 proved to be extremely trying for the group of explorers as the weather proved to be damp and miserable and extreme boredom began to settle in. Upon their departure from the settlement, various members of the expedition were sick. Others were desperate to get back to St. Louis due to the monotony of eating elk and similar resources. Due to the refusal of the Clatsop tribe to trade for canoes, it was necessary for the group to steal additional canoes to travel back. During one of the few times on the expedition, the group traveled in two separate groups on two separate routes to try and cover as much territory as possible.

Answer: Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail can be described by an east-west logic. The western part of the trail runs through what are now the US States of Idaho and Oregon. The eastern part of the trail run through parts of Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. It was built by fur traders between 1810 and 1840 and much of it only passable by either foot or horseback. Prior to the breaking of the trail, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had covered ground by mapping the river valleys of the Platte and Snake Rivers providing valuable information regarding this region of the United States.

Answer: Mount Hood

Mount Hood has an elevation of over 11,000 feet 3,400 meters) and is located near the Oregon-Washington border. The mountain is considered a possible "active" strato-volcano which had a major eruption in 1865. Since this event, minor volcanic activity has occurred, notably in 1907 and in 1934 (in which one death occurred due to oxygen-poor air). Seismic activity in the region is regularly monitored by the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) and earthquake swarms had been felt both in 1980 and in 2002.

Answer: United Kingdom

The Oregon Treaty was officially signed by US President James Polk and British Ambassador Sir Richard Pakenham, ending the Oregon boundary dispute over the British Rupert's Land territory. The treaty provided guidelines related to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, specific rights of the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company and property rights of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Unfortunately, boundary issues were vague and unclear leading to a further conflict in 1859 known as the "Pig War". In addition, there is the issue of Point Roberts, Washington.

The community itself, due to the 49th parallel boundaries of the agreement became an exclave and can only be accessed by traveling through Canada and back into the United States.

Answer: Snake War

Defined as an "irregular war", the Snake War resulted from tensions arising from game and water competition between various indigenous tribes and the various white settlers who were encroaching upon them. A series of events led to the war itself including the Clark Massacre of 1851, the Ward Massacre of 1854, and the Salmon Falls Massacre of 1860. Also in 1860, gold mining declined in the state of California and white settlers began arriving at the Nez Pearce reservation in Idaho without warning.

As miners started arriving in other locations in California, Oregon and Nevada a four year began in 1864 involving mainly guerilla warfare. Oddly enough, very few military or tribe leaders became historically well known during this period. Only Pahninee Chief Paulina and U.S. Army Commander George Crook became significant figures in American history.

By the time the war had ended, over 1,700 people became victims of capture, disfigurement, or death (significantly more than the casualties sustained at the Battle of Little Bighorn in which just over 800 casualties were accounted for).

Answer: Frances Fuller Victor

Also known by her pen names "Dorothy D." and "Frances Fane", Frances Fuller Victor became one of the first historians to cover the Oregon region in detail. Although she grew up mainly in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania she would move to Oregon in 1864 following her marriage to naval engineer Henry C. Victor. Prior to her move, she mainly wrote fictional works but started afresh by writing regional history works. Between her arrival in 1864 and her husbands death in 1875, Fuller wrote accounts of territorial leaders including Joseph Meek and Oliver Applegate.

In 1869, the magazine "Overland Monthly" published "Manifest Destiny in the West", an account of destiny and expansion in the west. "The River of the West: The Adventures of Joe Meek" in 1870 saw the history through the eyes of American mountain man and lawman Joseph Meek while the 1871 publication "All Over Oregon and Washington" described the industry, people and culture of Oregon and Washington. By 1868 her husband abandoned her and was presumed deceased in 1875.

She chose to accept a ten-year contract with American historian Hubert Howe Bancroft in which she wrote a series of publications about history and the west including "History of Oregon", "History of California" and "History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana".

Answer: False

On the contrary. The Oregon black exclusion laws were passed in 1844 and prevented black people from settling in Oregon territory and also forced slave owners to release their slaves to prevent them from remaining in Oregon territory. The law also outlined punishments for those that refused to abide by the policy. Sections 6 & 7 state that any "black or mulattos" refusing to leave Oregon territory were subject to no less than twenty lashes across the back. Future failure to leave would result in lashes and punishment every six months thereafter.

In 1849 and 1857 further laws were put in place as "it would be highly dangerous to allow free negroes and mulattos to reside in the Territory or to intermix with the Indians, instilling in their minds feelings of hostility against the white race." It wouldn't be until 1926 that these laws were repealed for the last time.

Answer: Crater Lake National Park

The national park houses Crater Lake, a remnant of the destroyed volcano Mount Mazama. It was officially designated a national park on May 22, 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The park is noted for its stunning beauty and wildlife and is popular with anglers due to its allowance of unlicensed fishing (this includes species, size and overall number). Significant features in the park include Crater Lake itself, the summits of Watchman and Garfield Peaks, and Phantom Ship Island.

Answer: Bonneville Dam

As early as the 1920s it was becoming increasingly evident that flood control, hydroelectricity and irrigation issues were important issues along the Columbia River. In 1927, the US Congress released the "308 Program", a series of 308 official reports which was used "to prepare a nationwide series of river surveys to determine the feasibility of developing hydroelectric power in combination with navigation, irrigation, and flood control measures". One of the reports from 1929 was published and suggested that no less than ten dams should be built along the Columbia River.

It was not until Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" that infrastructure projects were developed to reduce the effects of the Great Depression that many of these initiatives began to take form. Along with the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State, the Bonneville Dam was considered a high priority and large scale project. Development on the Bonneville Dam began in 1934 and ended in 1937 requiring over 3,000 workers to complete.

The Army Corps of Engineers provided a model for the project and various additional components were required including a powerhouse, additional locks, a spillway and cofferdams.