OREGON 



4402 



OREGON 



The sea abounded in shellfish, corals and 

 crinoids (sea lilies). The first insects appeared 

 during the period, and in Colorado, fossils of 

 what is believed to be the first animal with a 

 backbone (vertebrate) have been found. 



Related Subjects. The reader is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes: 

 Cambrian Period Paleozoic Era 



Fossil Silurian Period 



Geology (particularly the 



illustration, page 2439) 



REGON, one of the Pacific coast 

 states of the American Union, a state of great 

 5 and fisheries, early brought into promi- 

 nence for the important part it bore in the in- 

 ternational controversy over the northwest 

 boundary of the United States. It was ori- 

 ginally the home of the Beaver tribe of Athabas- 

 kan Indians, and is popularly known as the 

 BEAVER STATE. Its flower emblem is the Oregon 

 grape. 



Size and Location. Most of Oregon's north- 

 ern boundary with Washington borders the Co- 

 lumbia, the great historic river of the North- 

 west. The greater part of the eastern bound- 

 ary with Idaho follows the rapid waters of the 

 Snake River. To the west lies the Pacific 

 Ocean and on the south are California and 

 Nevada. Having an area of 96,699 square miles, 

 1,092 square miles of which are water, it is 

 about twice the area of Louisiana and is nearly 

 square, being only 100 miles wider from east to 

 than it is from north to south. 



The People. Oregon's population is not yet 

 large enough to develop the rich and varied 

 resources of the state, but the number of in- 

 habit .-nit < is steadily increasing. Although it is 

 among the largest states of the Union in area, 

 h< iim ninth in size, in 1910 it was thirty-fifth 

 in population. The number of inhabitants was 

 then 672,765, of whom 103,001 were of foreign 

 birth, chiefly German and Canadian; 10,781 

 were Chinese and Japanese ; 5,090 were Indians. 

 The number of negroes is very small, due to 

 the "antinegro" clause in the state constitu- 

 tion withholding from them the right to own 

 land. In 1910 the population averaged seven 

 per square mile, but the ratio is now consid- 

 erably higher. On January 1, 1917, the popula- 

 tion was estimated at 848,866, over one-fourth 

 of the number (295,463, estimated) living in 



Portland, the great commercial center of the 

 state. The only other cities having over 10,000 

 inhabitants are Salem, the capital, Astoria, 

 Eugene and Medford. 



The Indians are confined to Klamath, Uma- 

 tilla and Warm Springs reservations. Oregon's 

 native white inhabitants are largely immigrants 

 from Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and other Mid- 

 dle Western states. The delightful climate and 

 rich farm lands of the coast in recent years 

 have attracted many Eastern and Middle West- 

 ern people of education and culture. 



The most important religious bodies of the 

 state are the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Bap- 

 tist, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran 

 and Congregational, ranking in the order named. 



Education. Oregon is among the most pro- 

 gressive states of the Union in its educational 

 system and administration. In 1914 the Braver 

 State led all others in the number of teachers 

 employed and the expenditure for education 

 in proportion to the population. The general 

 excellence of the system is shown in the state's 

 low percentage of illiteracy, which, being only 

 1.9 per cent in 1910, was less than that of any 

 state in the Union excepting Iowa and Ne- 

 braska, the latter state having the same JMT- 

 centage. At the head of the school system, 

 is the state superintendent of public instruc- 

 tion and the state board of education. In ru- 

 ral schools, an unusually high standard is main- 

 tained. Instruction is given in industrial arts 

 and sciences in both country and city schools. 



There is a compulsory education law, and over 

 sixty per cent of the total number of persons 

 of school age are enroled in the public schools. 

 The expenditure of the state for education is 

 over $5,000,000 yearly. The school fund is de- 

 rived from the sale of public lands. In 1915 

 an act of the state legislature became effective 



