PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — If February 14 doesn’t push you to celebrate Valentine’s Day, maybe it’ll push you to commemorate Oregon’s 165th birthday.
The National Park Service reported that Congress approved the Oregon territory — which initially included Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming — on Aug. 14, 1848. But it wasn’t until Feb. 14, 1859, that Oregon was officially granted statehood.
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The Beaver State was the 33rd to join the Union. Lane County farmer John Whiteaker was elected as its first governor, while Joseph Lane and Delazon Smith served as its first senators .
According to the Oregon Historical Society , the state was the first in the Union with Black exclusion laws in its constitution. OHS said Oregon has a “complex legacy that should be acknowledged, reckoned with, and commemorated,” which is the plan for Statehood Day 2024.
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