From Territory to Statehood

The Territory of Oregon was created in 1848 and organized in 1849, with Joseph Lane as the first territorial governor. It included the present states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and portions of Montana and Wyoming. The capital was first at Oregon City, and later at Salem. Population in 1850 was some 10,000. That year Congress enacted the Donation Act, which gave public land to settlers willing to cultivate it.

The gold rush to California beginning in 1849 benefited Oregon by creating a market for farm products and other supplies. Then gold was discovered in Oregon in 1851, along the Illinois River in the southwestern corner of the territory, bringing hordes of prospectors. New strikes were made the next year, and population grew rapidly.

The northern half of the region was detached to become the Territory of Washington in 1853. On February 14, 1859, Oregon, with its present borders, was admitted as the 33rd state of the Union. (The remaining area was attached to Washington Territory.) The population in 1860 was 52,465. In 1861 gold strikes were made in northeastern Oregon, and for several years there were numerous discoveries in the region between the John Day and Owyhee rivers. Although Oregon's gold boom was short-lived, it helped to promote development of the state.