Part Two: The Pacific Northwest (Oregon)

Mt Hood from Portland Oregon

 The map above shows the three main cities in Oregon. The Capital is Salem. The largest city in Oregon is Portland that continues to grow.

Weather, Climate, and Hazards- According to Susan Wiley Hardwick one of the authors of The Geography of North America Environment/Culture/Economy. She explains that the mountains of the Pacific Northwest contributes to the "various temperature and precipitation phenomena..."(Hardwick, pg.304) Temperatures vary in different parts of the state. It is cool in the winter, but it would be freezing in the mountains. Summer time it is cool and warm throughout the state and along the coastline it much cooler from other parts of the state that are not near the Pacific Coast. However, much like Seattle it does rain often throughout the year. Nevertheless, Oregon has some of the best weather year around. The charts below from City-Data.com show that Portland, Oregon is a bit below in every category compared to the rest of the United States. Its clear the Oregon does get good weather year round, but the only downside is that it does rain more than compared to California. 


The Railroad- Other than the Oregon Trail that brought thousands of Americans from different parts of the United States. The railroad contributed to the population increasing in the Pacific Northwest. In the early 1880s San Francisco and Seattle still had a larger population the Portland. The Central Pacific Railroad contributed to large numbers of immigrants coming from parts of Canada, Germany, Scandinavia, and form other parts of Europe and Asia.(Hardwick,309) The image below in an early map of the railroad lines that connected the Pacific Northwest all the way from San Francisco to Washington State. The railroad had a great impact on the development of the Pacific Northwest. It made it less difficult to migrate to the west. No longer did Americans have to take the long journey on the Oregon Trail. The railroad also provided industries the ability ship out products much faster. That helped the economy of Oregon and other states in the west that were still developing. 

 it might be a bit hard to see but the red lines in the map is the railroad. This map is from Library of Congress that is featured on the website American Memory.


Population of Oregon- According to one Gallup Poll study, Oregon is one the most liberal and less religious states in the country. Since the railroad Oregon population has continued to increase. Portland is the third largest city in the Pacific Northwest. Its rapid increase in population led to city government to pass certain laws to help prevent development in certain areas. These laws are know as urban growth boundary. According to the class textbook "urban growth boundaries are designed to effectively limit sprawl on the outer edges of Oregon cities."(Hardwick, 318) These laws help preserve the great environment of Oregon. Although Oregon in one of the largest producers of timber. It still has large amount of land that is preserved. Making it a great place to explore nature and its cities. Portland has become one of the best cities to live in. However, the amount of people moving to Portland affected the prices of house to double from what it was before. Living in Portland has many great benefits. Oregon is known for its equal employment, and for having fair wages. It also has some of the largest industries when it come to timber and food processing. 

This short video explains more about the urban growth boundaries in Portland, Oregon.


Places in Portland, Oregon- Portland is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. Most recently a hit t.v show has been made about the city and its so-called weirdest. The city has embraced many cultures, styles, and people from all over the world. Some of the main attraction of Portland would be it beer production. According one video on youtube Portland has about 50 independent breweries. Portland had benefit greatly from tourism in recent years. I am looking forward to visiting and exploring the state this summer. 

Citations:

http://www.layoverguide.com/2014/02/layover-in-portland-oregon.html

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/22334030

http://www.city-data.com/city/Portland-Oregon.html#b

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html

http://youtu.be/zAM4y6TNtHk

http://youtu.be/Jb-KjyW2zA0

http://youtu.be/DxoJ9IaepBI

Hardwick, Susan Wiley, Fred M. Shelley, and Donald G. Holtgrieve. 2008. The geography of North America: environment, political economy, and culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Portland settlement story

William Overton and Asa Lovejoy were the first to buy land in what would be the city of Portland. 

 

William Overton sold his share of the land to Francis Pettygrove. Lovejoy and Pettygrove both wanted to name the city after the city they lived. Lovejoy wanted to name it Boston and Pettygrove wanted to name it Portland. Both men settled on Portland after Pettygrove won a coin toss. 

 Portland, Oregon in 1853.(image from Wikipedia)

In 1850 around 800 citizens live in Portland. In 1851 Congress passed the Oregon Land Act, every man or women was entitled to 320 acres of land. 

Ben Holliday in 1869 started to built the railroad system in Oregon. Farmers wanted faster access to ship out their products to Eastern states. 

Map of the railroad system in Oregon. Holladay ran out of money before he could finish the railroad. Henry Villard would take over the project and finish it in 1887. This allowed for more migration to the west from the east. According the the website PdxHistory, "The town of East Portland was a growing corcern by 1898. By the end of the 19th century, Portland had 90,00 residents and it was the largest metropolis in the Northwest."

Historical Settlement Chapet 3

The Gold Rush in 1850 brought many Americans and Europeans to the Western Frontier. Before the gold rush fever stuck Americans,  Oregon had been claimed by Spain, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States. Oregon has many natural resources that attracted those nations. According to U.S Department of State Office of the Historian, "President James Polk, a supporter of Manifest Destiny with an eye also on the Mexican Southwest and California, was eager to settle the boundary of the Oregon Territory and proposed a settlement on the 49 degree line to Great Britain." The 49th parallel that was established as early as 1818 set boundaries between The United States and Great Britain. The Oregon Treaty would not be signed until 1846 between the United States and Great Britain. The United States gained Oregon and other Northern territories that are below the 49th parallel. This allowed many Americans to migrate to the west. Oregon would not be part of the United States union until February 14, 1859. Even before the Gold Rush, Oregon attracted many fur trade Europeans that were exploring new territories out west. Oregon territory in the early 1840 had a great amount of animals that fur trappers hunted for. The fishing canning industry would be on of the biggest industry in Oregon. Oregon would mostly be know for its agricultural industries. Before the Gold Rush hit Oregon population was greater than, the settlement in California. 


The Oregon Trail would be the main route that many Americans used to travel to the Pacific Coast. The Oregon Trail significant in the settlement of the Western territories. Hundreds of Thousands of Americans and Europeans traveled on the Oregon Trail. All looking to start a new life in the Pacific Coast. Not all people wanted to go to California for the gold rush. Many stayed in Oregon settled and took advantage of the many opportunities Oregon natural resources had to offer. Fishing, fur, and later timber became the three bid industries that contributed to the growth of Oregon. Although, Portland is not the Capital city of Oregon its becoming one of the fast growing cities in the Pacific Coast. Early settlement was first small amount of people living in Oregon, it was not until the end of 19th century that Oregon had the second largest city in the Pacific Coast. The Oregon Trail led to many settlements in the west. Below are some significant events that impacted the settlement of Oregon, along with some important historical events. 

• (1805) Lewis and Clark Expedition explored Snake and Columbia Rivers; established Fort Clatsop
• (1811) John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company established Fort Astoria, first permanent white settlement in Oregon
• (1818) U.S. and Great Britian agreed to Joint-Occupancy Treaty
• (1819) Treaty with Spain set southern boundary of Oregon
• (1827) Second Joint-Occupancy Treaty with Great Britian
• (1843) First group of 900 emigrants arrived via Oregon Trail
• (1847) Cayuse Indian War; Whitman massacre
• (1848) Oregon Territory established
• (1859) Oregon became 33rd state
• (1861) Flood in Albany, water 36 feet higher than normal
• (1869) Union and Central Pacific Railroads connected
• (1872) Modoc Indian War
• (1873) Great fire in Portland destroyed most of town
• (1877) Nez Perce Indian war
• (1878) Bannock-Paiute Indian war
• (1885) Chief Joseph's Nez Perce tribes relocated to Colville Reservation

                              

Many brave men, women and children lost their lives on the Oregon Trail. The promise of land from the United States government brought many people to the west. Many stayed in Oregon for its rich natural resources. 

Factors that contributed to early settlement and future settlement.(chapter, 4) Fish, wheat, fur, and timber are big industries that provide primary sector jobs. Oregon has also been attracting many tourist for its nature sites and great hiking trails. Much like the Atlantic Periphery Oregon also many nature resources that people from all over the Pacific Coast take vacations or move the the state for its housing market. Nevertheless, Portland, Oregon is becoming one of the major cities in the Pacific Coast.