Oregon territory - wikipedia Oregon territory `` The template Infobox former subdivision is being considered for merging. '' Territory of Oregon Organized incorporated territory of the United States ← 1848 -- 1859 → → Seal of the Oregon Territory Capital Oregon City ( 1848 -- 1851 ) Salem ( 1851 -- 1855 ) Corvallis ( 1855 ) Salem ( 1855 -- 1859 ) Government Organized incorporated territory Governor 1848 -- 1850 ; 1853 Joseph Lane 1850 Kintzing Prichette 1850 -- 1853 John P. Gaines 1853 -- 1854 John W. Davis 1854 -- 1859 George L. Curry History Oregon Treaty June 15, 1846 Organized August 14, 1848 Washington Territory split off March 2, 1853 Statehood February 14, 1859 The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries ( see Oregon Country ), the region was divided between the UK and US in 1846. When established, the territory encompassed an area that included the current states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of Wyoming and Montana. The capital of the territory was first Oregon City, then Salem, followed briefly by Corvallis, then back to Salem, which became the state capital upon Oregon 's admission to the Union. Contents 1 Background 2 Formation 3 Government 4 Gaining statehood 5 Territorial evolution of Oregon 6 See also 7 References Background Main article : Oregon Country Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the region that became the Oregon Territory was explored by Europeans first by sea. The first documented voyage of exploration was made in 1777 by the Spanish, and both British and American vessels visited the region not long thereafter. Subsequent land - based exploration by Alexander Mackenzie and the Lewis and Clark Expedition and development of the fur trade in the region strengthened the competing claims of Great Britain and the United States. The competing interests of the two foremost claimants were addressed in the Treaty of 1818, which sanctioned a `` joint occupation '', by British and Americans, of a vast `` Oregon Country '' ( as the American side called it ) that comprehended the present - day U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, parts of Montana and Wyoming, and the portion of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia south of the parallel 54 ° 40 ′ north. Formation Oregon Territory, as originally organized, in 1848 Oregon Territory ( blue ) with Washington Territory ( green ) in 1853 State of Oregon ( blue ) with Washington Territory ( green ) in 1859 During the period of joint occupation, most activity in the region outside of the activities of the indigenous people came from the fur trade, which was dominated by the British Hudson 's Bay Company. Over time, some trappers began to settle down in the area and began farming, and missionaries started to arrive in the 1830s. Some settlers also began arriving in the late 1830s, and covered wagons crossed the Oregon Trail beginning in 1841. At that time, no government existed in the Oregon Country, as no one nation held dominion over the territory. A group of settlers in the Willamette Valley began meeting in 1841 to discuss organizing a government for the area. These earliest documented discussions, mostly concerning forming a government, were held in an early pioneer and Native American encampment and later town known as Champoeg, Oregon. These first Champoeg Meetings eventually led to further discussions, and in 1843 the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon. In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty. The British gained sole possession of the land north of the 49th parallel and all of Vancouver Island, with the United States receiving the territory south of that line. The United States federal government left their part of the region unorganized for two years until news of the Whitman massacre reached the United States Congress and helped to facilitate the organization of the region into a U.S. territory. On August 14, 1848, Congress passed the Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Oregon, which created what was officially the Territory of Oregon. The Territory of Oregon originally encompassed all of the present - day states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, as well as those parts of present - day Montana and Wyoming west of the Continental Divide. Its southern border was the 42nd parallel north ( the boundary of the Adams - Onis Treaty of 1819 ), and it extended north to the 49th parallel. Oregon City, Oregon, was designated as the first capital. Government The territorial government consisted of a governor, a marshal, a secretary, an attorney, and a three - judge supreme court. Judges on the court also sat as trial level judges as they rode circuit across the territory. All of these offices were filled by appointment by the President of the United States. The two - chamber Oregon Territorial Legislature was responsible for passing laws, with seats in both the upper - chamber council and lower - chamber house of representatives filled by local elections held each year. Taxation took the form of an annual property tax of 0.25 % for territorial purposes with an additional county tax not to exceed this amount. This tax was to be paid on all town lots and improvements, mills, carriages, clocks and watches, and livestock ; farmland and farm products were not taxed. In addition, a poll tax of 50 cents for every qualified voter under age 60 was assessed and a graduated schedule of merchants ' licenses established, ranging from the peddlar 's rate of $10 per year to a $60 annual fee on firms with more than $20,000 of capital. Gaining statehood Oregon City served as the seat of government from 1848 to 1851, followed by Salem from 1851 to 1855. Corvallis served briefly as the capital in 1855, followed by a permanent return to Salem later that year. In 1853, the portion of the territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel east of the river was organized into the Washington Territory. The Oregon Constitutional Convention was held in 1857 to draft a constitution in preparation for becoming a state, with the convention delegates approving the document in September, and then general populace approving the document in November. On February 14, 1859, the territory entered the Union as the U.S. state of Oregon within its current boundaries. The remaining eastern portion of the territory ( the portions in present - day southern Idaho and western Wyoming ) was added to the Washington Territory. Territorial evolution of Oregon Territorial evolution of the United States International territory that would later become part of the Territory of Oregon : Oregon Country, 1818 -- 1846 Provisional Government of Oregon, 1843 -- 1849 ( extralegal ) U.S. territories that encompassed land that was previously part of the Territory of Oregon : State of Deseret, 1849 -- 1850 ( extralegal ) Territory of Washington, 1853 -- 1889 Territory of Jefferson, 1859 -- 1861 ( extralegal ) Territory of Nebraska, 1854 -- 1867 Territory of Dakota, 1861 -- 1889 Territory of Idaho, 1863 -- 1890 Territory of Montana, 1864 -- 1889 Territory of Wyoming, 1868 -- 1890 U.S. states that encompass land that was once part of the Territory of Oregon : Oregon, 1859 Montana, 1889 Washington, 1889 Idaho, 1890 Wyoming, 1890 See also Wyoming portal Idaho portal Washington portal Montana portal Oregon portal History portal Historic regions of the United States References Jump up ^ Howard M. Corning, ed. ( 1989 ). Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 110. Jump up ^ Horner, John B. ( 1919 ). Oregon : Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature. The J.K. Gill Co. : Portland. pp. 28 -- 29. Jump up ^ Horner, pp. 53 -- 59. ^ Jump up to : Corning, p. 129. ^ Jump up to : Horner, pp. 60 -- 64. Jump up ^ Corning, p. 186. ^ Jump up to : Corning, p. 206. ^ Jump up to : Corning, p. 240. Jump up ^ Writers ' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Oregon ( 1940 ). Oregon : End of the Trail. American Guide Series. Portland, Oregon : Binfords & Mort. p. 191. OCLC 4874569. ^ Jump up to : Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft : Volume 29 : History of Oregon : Volume 1, 1834 - 1848. San Francisco, CA : The History Company, 1886 ; pg. 540. Jump up ^ Horner, p. 162. Jump up ^ Horner, p. 153. ^ Jump up to : Horner, p. 166. Coordinates : 45 ° 30 ′ N 117 ° 00 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 45.5 ° N 117 ° W ﻿ / 45.5 ; - 117 Pioneer history of Oregon ( 1806 -- 1890 ) Topics American Fur Company Columbian Exchange Executive Committee Ferries Hudson 's Bay Company Oregon & California Railroad Oregon boundary dispute Oregon Country Oregon Lyceum Oregon missionaries Oregon Spectator Oregon Territory Oregon Trail Oregon Treaty Organic Laws Pacific Fur Company Provisional Government Events Treaty of 1818 Russo - American Treaty of 1824 Willamette Cattle Company Champoeg Meetings Star of Oregon Whitman massacre Cayuse War Donation Land Claim Act Holmes v. Ford Rogue River Wars Constitutional Convention Modoc War Great Gale of 1880 Places Albina Applegate Trail Barlow Road Canemah Champoeg Elliott Cutoff Fort Astoria Fort Dalles Fort Vancouver Fort William French Prairie Linn City Meek Cutoff Methodist Mission Oregon City Oregon Institute Philip Foster Farm Thomas and Ruckle Road Tualatin Academy Whitman Mission Willamette Trading Post People George Abernethy Jesse Applegate Ira Babcock Sam Barlow François Blanchet William H. Boring Elijah Bristow Tabitha Brown Matthew Deady Abigail Scott Duniway Thomas Lamb Eliot Philip Foster Peter French Joseph Gale Cornelius Gilliam David Hill Chief Joseph Joseph Kellogg H.A.G. Lee Jason Lee David Thomas Lenox Asa Lovejoy Morton M. McCarver John McLoughlin Joseph Meek Ezra Meeker James D. Miller John Minto Robert Newell Joel Palmer Osborne Russell Sager orphans Levi Scott Henry Spalding William Vandevert Elijah White Marcus Whitman Narcissa Whitman Geo. H. Williams Ewing Young Transportation Columbia Lot Whitcomb Canemah Colonel Wright Gazelle Oregon Steam Navigation Company Oregon history pre-Pioneer Pioneer VIAF : 148136491 LCCN : no2008087840 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oregon_Territory&oldid=832818013 '' Categories : States and territories established in 1848 States and territories disestablished in 1859 Oregon Territory Pre-statehood history of Oregon History of the Northwestern United States Former organized territories of the United States History of the American West History of Oregon Pre-statehood history of Idaho Pre-statehood history of Montana Pre-statehood history of Washington ( state ) Pre-statehood history of Wyoming Oregon Trail 1848 establishments in Oregon Territory 1848 establishments in the United States 1859 disestablishments in the United States Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from May 2013 Former country articles requiring maintenance Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Svenska Tiếng Việt 中文 8 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 March 2018, at 04 : 37. 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Question: who did the us get oregon country from
Answer: The British