Claimed by the United States after Capt. Robert Gray explored the mouth of the Columbia River in 1792, the area was further explored by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and was soon the site of fur-trading posts.
The Oregon Country, a region encompassing all the land from the California border to Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, was held jointly by Great Britain and the United States from 1818 until 1846, when the international boundary was fixed at the 49th parallel.
In 1848 the Oregon Territory was created, including all of present-day Washington and Idaho.
Her forests have historically made Oregon one of the nation's major lumbering states, but overharvesting and law suits over the proper management of the extensive federal forest holdings have reduced the amount of timber produced since the later 1980s.
Oregon has had one of the largest salmon-fishing industries in the world, although ocean fisheries have reduced the river fisheries in recent years.
As of the 2000 census, the population of Oregon is 3,421,399.
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