Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) (nicknamed Pre) was an American Olympic runner who inspired a running boom in the 1970s along with contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine was primarily a long distance runner, and at one point held the American record in every running event from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters.^[1] Prefontaine had one leg longer than the other (a common condition that does not affect running speed), and due to this he was told to give up on his dream of being the fastest runner on earth. He is known for his extremely aggressive "front-running" racing style and always believing in giving a full effort. Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident. is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: The Worlds Greatest City of the Arts & Outdoors Coordinates: , Country State County Lane Founded 1846 Incorporated 1862 Government  - Mayor Kitty Piercy Area  - City 40. ... In an accident resulting from excessive speed, this concrete truck rolled over into the front garden of a house. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Frank Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American distance runner and winner of the marathon race at the 1972 Summer Olympics. ... Bill Rodgers winning the Boston Marathon 1979/ Promo sport poster. ... Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon. ... For long track speedskating, see Speed skating. ... Middle distance track events are track races longer than sprints up to (and arguably including) 5000 meters. ... For long track speedskating, see Speed skating. ... In an accident resulting from excessive speed, this concrete truck rolled over into the front garden of a house. ...

Marshfield High School (1966–1969)

As a freshman at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine found some success in cross country running. With help from the Marshfield cross country coach, Walt McClure, he placed 53rd in the state meet. The same year Prefontaine established personal bests of 5:01 in the mile and 10:08 in the two mile. Determined to improve, Prefontaine undertook a high-mileage training plan during the summer, and placed 6th in the year-end state meet. Marshfield High School is one of 12 schools administered by the Coos Bay School District. ... The Minnesota State Highschool Cross Country Meet A cross country race in Seaside, Oregon. ...

His sophomore season was unspectacular, with the exception of the district cross country meet, where Pre stayed close with the state mile and cross country champions. He followed up with a 4:31 indoor mile, but his fourth-place finish in that spring’s district track meet failed to qualify him for the high school state meet in his primary event, the two-mile. He continued rigorous training at the end of the cross country season in preparation for track. His training, however, might have been too strenuous because Prefontaine failed to qualify for the state meet. A womens 400 m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. ...

Pre's junior and senior years proved highly successful. He won every meet, including the Oregon states, and set a national high school record his senior year in the two mile race with a time of 8:41.5 (breaking Rick Riley's 8:48.4 from 1966).^[2]

Overall, Prefontaine broke 19 National High School Records in track.^{[citation needed]}

University of Oregon (1969–1973)

Following high school, Prefontaine enrolled at the University of Oregon to train under coach Bill Bowerman (who later co-founded Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to the Nike shoe company). Pre joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity as an undergraduate. After his freshman year, in which he finished 3rd in the NCAA National Cross Country meet, he suffered only two more defeats in college (both in the mile), winning three Division I NCAA Cross Country championships and four straight three-mile titles in Track and Field. The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. ... William J. Bowerman (b. ... Nike, Inc. ... Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (ΠΚΑ) is an international, secret, social, Greek-letter, college fraternity. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words and , meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Optimist International, or the Shriners. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ...

Prefontaine was an aggressive runner, insisting on going out hard and not relinquishing leads, a tactic that his fans and fellow competitors admired. A local celebrity, chants of "Pre! Pre! Pre!" became a staple at Hayward Field, a mecca of sorts for track and field in the USA. Fans wore t-shirts that read "LEGEND." Fans of other teams wore shirts that read "Stop Pre" at his meets. Prefontaine gained national attention, and then appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 19. Hayward Field, one of the most historic track and field stadiums in the United States, has been the home to the University of Oregon Track and Field teams of the NCAA since 1919. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ...

Prefontaine set the American record in the 5000 meter race, the event that took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. However, Prefontaine was passed with 150m remaining by eventual winner Lasse Viren and silver medalist Mohamed Gammoudi. He lost a third place position to Britain's hard-charging Ian Stewart in the last 15 meters of the race, after having led nearly the entire last mile in a toe-to-toe battle with Viren. A popular running distance also known as a 5 km, colloquially five-K. This distance is typical for all types of running races; from cross-country, to the road, to the track. ... There were two Olympic Games in the year 1972: 1972 Summer Olympics 1972 Winter Olympics This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Lasse Virén (born July 22, 1949) is a former Finnish athlete, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics and 1976 Summer Olympics. ...

Returning for his senior year at the University of Oregon, Prefontaine ended his collegiate career with only three defeats in Eugene, all in the mile. It was during this year that Pre began a protracted fight with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which demanded that athletes who wanted to remain "amateur" for the Olympics could not be paid for appearances in track meets. Some viewed this arrangement as unfair, because the athletes drew large crowds that generated millions of dollars. At this time, the AAU was taking away amateur status if athletes were endorsed in any way. Because Prefontaine was accepting free clothes and footwear from Nike, he was subjected to the AAU's ruling. Bowerman, who also fought the AAU's restrictions, began calling Prefontaine "Rube" because of his naivety and stubbornness.^{[citation needed]} - The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in United States. ...

Post-collegiate (1974–1975)

Following his collegiate career at Oregon, Pre prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, setting American records in every race from 2000 to 10000 meters.^[2] The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were held in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - Total 365. ...

Death

On May 30, 1975, returning from a party and after dropping off friend and distance champion Frank Shorter, Prefontaine was driving down a familiar road, Skyline Boulevard, near Hendricks Park, when his car, a gold 1973 MGB,^[3] swerved left and hit a rock wall along the side of the street. The overturned car trapped Prefontaine underneath it. The first witness on the scene, who lived nearby, heard two cars, and then a crash. When he ran outside he was almost run over by the second car. He found Prefontaine flat on his back, still alive but pinned beneath the wreck. After attempting to lift the vehicle, the witness ran to get help. By the time he returned with others, the weight of the car had crushed Prefontaine's chest, killing him. He was 24 years old. The cause of the accident has never been determined. Steve Prefontaine is buried at Sunset Memorial Park, Coos Bay, Oregon. is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Frank Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American distance runner and winner of the marathon race at the 1972 Summer Olympics. ... Map of Hendricks Park. ... 1967 MGB GT The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon. ...

Aftermath

The Eugene Register-Guard called his death "the end of an era." Whether his death was an alcohol-related fatality remains controversial. His blood alcohol content was 0.16, six-hundredths higher than Oregon's legal limit at the time. However, his blood was tested posthumously by a mortician, rather than by a medical examiner. Because the process of decomposition can create alcohol, Pre's blood-alcohol content may have been compromised. The Register-Guard is a daily newspaper, published in Eugene, Oregon. ... Drunk driving (drink driving in the UK) or drinking and driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol (i. ... Blood alcohol content (BAC) or blood alcohol concentration is the concentration of alcohol in blood. ... This article is about the vocation of a mortician and the death metal band; for the World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, see The Undertaker. ... For other uses, see Decomposition (disambiguation). ...

By the time of his death, Prefontaine was a popular athlete, and along with Shorter and Bowerman, Pre is credited with sparking the running boom of the 1970s. His life story has been detailed in two films, 1997's Prefontaine and 1998's Without Limits, as well as the documentary "Fire on the Track". An annual track event, the Pre Classic, has been held in his honor since 1974. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The year 1997 in film involved some significant events. ... Prefontaine is a 1997 film documenting the life of American long-distance track athlete Steve Prefontaine. ... The year 1998 in film involved some significant events. ... Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the friendship between running star Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who would later co-found Nike, Inc. ... The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

At the height of his career he held every American track and field record from the 2,000 to the 10,000 meters. Over his career, he won 120 of the 153 races he ran (78 percent). Prefontaine liked to say, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Many years after his death, Prefontaine remains an icon to many.

Memorials

Pre's Rock

Pre's Rock is a memorial at the site of the roadside boulder where Prefontaine died. Runners inspired by Prefontaine leave behind memorabilia, such as race numbers, medals, running shoes, etc. Pre's Rock became the newest of all the memorials to Prefontaine when it was dedicated in December, 1997. Located in Hendricks Park, just across the Willamette River from the east end of Pre's Trail, the memorial features a plaque with a picture of Prefontaine that reads: Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixel Image in higher resolution (2800 × 1822 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixel Image in higher resolution (2800 × 1822 pixel, file size: 4. ... Pres Trail (4 miles), located on the north side of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon, aka Track Town USA, is a running trail named after heralded University of Oregon athlete Steve Prefontaine. ...

In Prefontaine's hometown of Coos Bay, there is a plaque-on-a-boulder memorial featuring a relief of his face, records, and date of birth.

The Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay contains a section dedicated to Prefontaine. This section includes medals he won during his career and the pair of spikes he wore when setting a record for the 5,000 at Hayward Field.

In 1983, Prefontaine was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, where one will find several exhibits showcasing some of his shoes, shirts, and other memorabilia. The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. ...

Personal records

is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Province Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - Mayor Jussi Pajunen Area  - Total 187. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Type Anti-tank Nationality Joint France/Germany Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license) Date of design 70s Production period since 1972 Service duration since 1972 Operators 41 countries Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3, MILAN... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... For long track speedskating, see Speed skating. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Personal quotations

• "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
• "A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 3 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself."
• "I don't just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting."
• "I run best when I run free."
• "A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways as they're capable of understanding."
• "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
• "Someone may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
• "The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."
• "What I want is to be number one."
• "Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,' and I just took off."
• "Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."
• "How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, 'You're too small Pre', 'You're not fast enough Pre.' 'Give up your foolish dream Steve.' But they forgot something. I HAVE to win"
• "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
• "Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you."

See also

• Pre's Trail

Pres Trail (4 miles), located on the north side of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon, aka Track Town USA, is a running trail named after heralded University of Oregon athlete Steve Prefontaine. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... [[Media:Italic text]]{| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... [[Media:Italic text]]{| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Steve Prefontaine

• Prefontaine at the Internet Movie Database
• Without Limits at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• Prefontaine Classic homepage
• Guide to the Bill Bowerman Papers at the University of Oregon
• Steve Prefontaine Bio & Pix - University of Oregon, Official Athletic Site

	v • d • e Modern History of Oregon (1890 - Present)
Topics	Tax revolt · Governors · Bottle Bill · Centennial Tokens · Roll on Columbia · Meier & Frank · Willamette Industries · Direct Legislation League Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... State seal of Oregon. ... The Oregon tax revolt is a political movement in Oregon which advocates for lower taxes. ... Ted Kulongoski, current and 36th governor of the State of Oregon. ... The Oregon Bottle Bill of 1971 was the first container deposit legislation passed in the United States. ... Standard obverse of an Oregon Centennial Token Oregon Centennial Tokens were a type of trade token (also known as a So-Called Dollar) issued during the 1959 Oregon Centennial. ... Roll on Columbia is an American folk song written in 1941 by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, who popularized the song through his own recording of it. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Willamette Industries, Inc. ... The Direct Legislation League was an organization of political activists founded in 1898 by William S. URen. ...
Events	USS Oregon · Lewis & Clark Expo · Oregon Land Fraud Scandal · Lookout Air Raid · Columbus Day Storm · Exploding whale · 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens · Rajneeshee bioterror attack · New Carissa USS Oregon (BB-3) was a pre-Dreadnought Indiana-class battleship of the United States Navy. ... The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the centennial of the Lewis and... The Oregon Land Fraud Scandal of the early 20th century involved public lands in Oregon being illegally obtained with the assistance of public officials. ... The Lookout Air Raid of 1942 was a minor, but historic World War II event that occurred in mountains and forests of Oregon on September 9, 1942. ... The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was an extratropical wave cyclone that ranked among the most intense to strike the United States Pacific Northwest since at least 1948, and probably since the January 9, 1880, Great Gale and snowstorm. ... Dynamite was used to blow up a rotting beached whale, which had some unintended consequences. ... The 1980 eruption of Mount St. ... The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack refers to the salmonella food poisoning of over seven hundred and fifty individuals in Oregon through the contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants. ... The New Carissa, officially known as the M/V New Carissa, was a freighter that ran aground on a beach near Coos Bay, Oregon, United States during a storm in February 1999, and subsequently broke apart. ...
Places	Vanport · Bonneville Dam · Shanghai tunnels · Kaiser Shipyards · Fort Stevens · Celilo Falls · Copperfield · Harbor Drive Vanport was a public housing project located in Multnomah County, Oregon between the contemporary Portland city boundary and the Columbia River, constructed in 1943 to house the workers at the wartime shipyards in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. ... Bonneville Lock and Dam is several dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the US states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146. ... The Portland Underground, or The Shanghai Tunnels as they are more commonly known, are a group of passages running underneath Old Town/Chinatown down to the central downtown section of Portland, Oregon. ... The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the West Coast of the United States during World War II headed by Henry J. Kaiser. ... Fort Stevens guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. ... Dipnet Fishing at Celilo Falls Located between the states of Oregon and Washington, Celilo Falls was a unique natural feature formed by the relentless push of the Columbia River through basalt-laden narrows east of the Cascade Mountains, onward towards the Pacific Ocean—the final leg of the river... Copperfield is a former town in Baker County, Oregon, United States, located on the west bank of the Snake River, near a place called The Oxbow. ... This article refers to the street named Harbor Drive in Portland, Oregon Harbor Drive is the name of a street in Portland, Oregon which was formerly a freeway, albeit crude, carrying U.S. Highway 99W along the western shore of the Willamette River in the downtown area. ...
People	Terry Baker · George Chamberlain · James A. Fee · Neil Goldschmidt · Mark Hatfield · Nan Wood Honeyman · Ken Kesey · Phil Knight · Hall S. Lusk · Tom McCall · Douglas McKay · Charles McNary · Wayne Morse · Maurine Brown Neuberger · Norma Paulus · Steve Prefontaine · Barbara Roberts Terry Wayne Baker (born May 5, 1941 in Pine River, MN) is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. ... George Earle Chamberlain (January 1, 1854 – July 9, 1928) was an American politician, legislator, and public official, born near Natchez, Miss. ... James Alger Fee (1839-1905) was an American jurist from Oregon. ... Neil Edward Goldschmidt (born June 16, 1940) is a former politician and businessman living in the State of Oregon and a member of the United States Democratic Party. ... Mark Odom Hatfield (born July 12, 1922) is a former United States Senator and Governor of Oregon. ... Nan Wood Honeyman (July 15, 1881–December 10, 1970) was the first woman elected to the United States Congress from the U.S. state of Oregon. ... Kenneth Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American author, best known for his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and as a counter-cultural figure who, some consider, was a link between the beat generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. ... This article is about the co-founder of Nike, Inc. ... Hall Stoner Lusk (September 21, 1883 - May 15, 1983) was a United States Senator from Oregon. ... Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 – January 8, 1983) was an American politician, a Republican, and the thirtieth governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. ... (James) Douglas McKay (June 24, 1893–July 22, 1959) was a Republican from Oregon who entered politics after an earlier career in business, to first become governor of the state, and later a cabinet officer. ... Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874 - February 25, 1944) was a U.S. Republican politician from Oregon, best known for serving as Minority Leader of the United States Senate from 1933 to 1944. ... Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was a United States Senator from Oregon from 1945 to 1969. ... Maurine Brown Neuberger in 1962 Maurine Brown Neuberger (January 9, 1907–February 22, 2000) was an American Senator for the State of Oregon from 1960 to 1967, she was the third woman to be elected to the Senate. ... Norma Paulus (born Norma Jean Petersen in 1933 in Belgrade, Nebraska)[1] is a Republican politician from the state of Oregon, United States. ... Dr. Barbara Roberts (born on December 21, 1936 in Corvallis, Oregon) is a Democrat. ...
Oregon History	Native Peoples History · History to 1806 · Pioneer History · Modern History Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Oregon Pioneer History (1806 to 1890) is the time in the European History of Oregon when pioneers and mountain men traveled west to explore and settle the lands west of the Rocky Mountains and north of California. ...