Oregon Trivia & Tidbits - Page 15

Looking for Oregon trivia? Try our list Oregon little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

What was once the nation’s smallest American Indian reservation is now part of Indian Mary Park in Josephine County on the Rogue River. President Grover Cleveland signed legislation creating the 40-acre reservation in gratitude to Umpqua Joe, a local American Indian who warned white settlers of an attack in 1855. Joe was allowed to stay on the land, where he operated a ferry for local miners. Upon his death in 1886, his daughter Mary, known as Indian Mary, continued running the ferry. In 1958, the land was purchased by Josephine County and made into the park.

first appeared: 6/2/2002

Each mid-May, the park trails and lakes of Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park near Florence (pop. 7,263) are ablaze with rhododendrons in bloom. Freshwater lakes and towering sand dunes along the park’s boundaries add to the park’s appeal.

first appeared: 5/26/2002

The McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge, near Pendleton (pop. 16,354), provides a resting and feeding area for Canada geese, ducks, and pheasants during the fall. The refuge contains 1,837 acres of water, marsh, and grasslands.

first appeared: 5/19/2002

The highest waterfall in the state—Multnomah Falls, east of Troutdale (pop. 13,777)—plunges 620 feet from atop Larch Mountain. A drive along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway provides a view of the falls.

first appeared: 5/12/2002

Since 1991, the Oregon hairy triton has been the official state shell. One of the largest shells found in the state, its length has been measured up to 5 inches.

first appeared: 5/5/2002

The American Indian name for the locality now known as Salem was Chemeketa, a word meaning resting place. The name Salem is the anglicized form of the Hebrew word Shalom, meaning peace.

first appeared: 4/28/2002

An Oregon river, dam, valley, fossil beds monument, and two towns—John Day (pop. 1,821) and Dayville (pop. 138)—were all named after hunter and adventurer John Day. The river once known as the Mah-Hah took on Day’s name after he and a companion were attacked and robbed near its mouth by American Indians in 1812. After the incident, travelers along the Columbia River would point out the spot where Day had been robbed. By the 1850s, the Mah-Hah had become known as John Day River.

first appeared: 4/21/2002

Quakers settling in Newberg (pop. 18,064) in the late 19th century established Friends Pacific Academy in 1885. Six years later, the school stepped up into higher education with the opening of Pacific College, which was later re-named for the founder of the Quaker Church and is now called George Fox University.

first appeared: 4/14/2002

George Abernathy, arriving in the territory from New York in 1840, became Oregon’s first and only provisional governor (1845-1849).

first appeared: 4/14/2002

Oregon’s state Capitol building is topped by a statue honoring early settlers. Created by Ulric Ellerhusen, the figure of an Oregon pioneer is cast in bronze, finished in gold leaf, weighs 8.5 tons, and is 23 feet tall. Capitol visitors can climb 121 steps from the fourth floor of the building to reach the statue.

first appeared: 4/7/2002

Grants Pass (pop. 23,003) was named for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant after word reached the area of his 1863 Civil War victory at Vicksburg, Miss. It is the county seat of Josephine County—the only county in the state named for a woman, Josephine Rollins. Rollins was the first white woman to settle for a lengthy period of time in the area.

first appeared: 3/31/2002

John Whiteaker, Oregon’s first state governor, came to be known by two nicknames: “Honest John,” which would seem to be a politician’s dream, and “Old Soap, Socks, and Pickles,” because he once urged Oregonians to make their mark in home industries such as soap, socks, and pickles.

first appeared: 3/24/2002

Lake Owyhee south of Adrian (pop. 147) is the longest reservoir in the state, stretching 53 miles. It offers majestic views of the Owyhee Mountains, where bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, golden eagles, coyotes, mule deer, and wild horses can be seen.

first appeared: 3/17/2002

Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area east of Pendleton (pop. 16,354) is a favorite picnicking and camping area today, but it also was a popular stop for pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail. The site in northeastern Oregon is near the summit of the Blue Mountains.

first appeared: 3/10/2002

More than 2,100 species of fossil plants and animals have been identified in Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds since studies began in the late 1800s.

first appeared: 3/3/2002

Forest Park in Portland is the nation’s largest park inside a city. The “Wilderness in the City” covers more than 4,700 acres where the Willamette River flows into the Columbia. More than 50 miles of trails meander through the park.

first appeared: 2/24/2002

A stop at Tub Springs State Wayside east of Ashland (pop. 19,522) shows visitors how the stopping place got its name. Back in the 1930s, tubs were installed to provide spring water for travelers. The renovated tubs are still in operation, providing water from the same springs that quenched the thirst of travelers along the Applegate Trail beginning in 1846.

first appeared: 2/17/2002

For more than a century, historians have been stumped by the origin of “Oregon.” One theory holds that the name came from the Wisconsin River shown on a 1715 French map as “Ouaricon-sint.” But two University of Oregon researchers say the word “Ourigan,” which dates back to the 1760s, was a Cree Indian pronunciation of “ooligan”—a small, smelt-like fish. Writer Jonathan Carver is credited with changing the name to “Oregon,” in his 1778 book, Travels Through the Interior Part of North America.

first appeared: 2/10/2002

Deady Hall, the first building on the campus of Oregon State University, was completed in 1876 and named for Judge Matthew P. Deady, who wrote the state constitution. When the building first opened, all students were required to carry several pieces of wood to heat stoves in the classrooms.

first appeared: 2/3/2002

Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood National Forest is considered the finest example of 1930s “mountain architecture” built by the Works Progress Administration. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the lodge in 1937.

first appeared: 2/3/2002

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