|
OR,
Oregon's coastal highway (US 101) strewn with sea stacks
Oregon contains some of the most spectacular
coastal scenery you can find in America. Shorelines covered with
countless small sandy beaches, towering sea stacks, and magnificent waterfalls.
Only parts of California along the Big Sur and Acadia in
Maine can rival its breathtaking vistas.
Adding to the beauty of Oregon's coast
is a state law requiring free and uninterrupted access of
its beaches to the public. The best coastal beach access
program in the United States. Oregon has 50 State Parks
lining the Pacific shoreline. 
At the center of the Oregon coast is
Florence. Its rocky coves harboring sea lions while its
high promontories make excellent vistas from which to
view gray whales. These 45 foot giants can be spotted
from mid-December through January as they head south to
the Baja in Mexico; and in April as they travel north to
Alaska.
Inland are the state's dense evergreen
forests, towering mountains, and rushing rivers. Oregon
has the largest number of Wild and Scenic Rivers in
America. Its 46 Wild and Scenic Rivers are followed
by Alaska with (25), Michigan (16), and California (14).
The state's leading industry is lumber.
Oregon is the largest producer of ponderosa pine,
Douglas-fir, and hemlock in the U.S. Many of these trees
residing on public land. Oregon contains the second
largest number of State Parks (115) and the second
largest number of National Forests (14) in the country. Only
California exceeds Oregon with 120 State Parks and 18
National Forests. It is easy to understand why tourism is
Oregon's third leading industry with visitors spending
over $3 Billion annually.
European exploration of Oregon began
with Spaniard Bruno Heceta who sailed along
the coast in 1775. The Heceta Head Lighthouse (outside
Florence) which is Oregon's most scenic recognizes this
achievement. Heceta was followed by British Captain James
Cook in 1778 and American Captain Robert Gray in
1792. Gray was the first to fully explore the Columbia
River.
These initial explorations were
followed by the land exploration of Lewis and Clark in
1805. Requisitioned by President Thomas Jefferson with
the goal to exploring and mapping the area recently
acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark
expedition began at St. Louis and traversed much of the
West. Covering 3,500 miles and finally reaching Oregon in
1805. America's greatest early exploration.
OR, Heceta
Head Lighthouse.
The reports sent back to Washington,
D.C. from Lewis and Clark's expedition were filled with
detailed descriptions on the forests and wildlife of
Oregon. Word soon spread of this rich land and Oregon was
soon inundated with fur trappers and prospectors. Miners
soon followed when gold was discovered along the Rogue
River. Gold remains the most important mineral in Oregon.
Full scale immigration to Oregon did
not begin until 1840. A time when settlers began arriving
in covered wagons on the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail from
Independence, Missouri. Thousands of people began farming
Oregon's valleys. Pioneers who overcame the hardships of
the arid plains of the Midwest, rugged mountains of the
Continental Divide, and rapids of the Columbia River
Gorge to finally reach Oregon. Once the settlers became
established, the state soon began supplying America with
large amounts of lumber and salmon. Oregon emerged as the
largest producer of both these commodities. A ranking
that it retains to this day. Oregon's magnificent coastal
landscapes continuing to attract visitors traveling on
today's interstate trails.
OR, Yaquina
Bay Bridge, Connecting the mainland to the commercial
fishing village of Newport.
| 