The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-08-16
Who Named Oregon 2

Who named our country, and when
was it named? are questions which will
be asked with increasing interest as we
develop and increase in the 9oming
years. There seems 10 be no definite
history which transmits from the past a
record of those incidents which led to
the early voyages and narrates their re-
suits, but we know that twenty-one
years after Columbus landed at San Sal
vador, the first point of discovery, Bal
boa crossed the Isthmus of Darien and
claimed the Pacific ocean as the dOmin-
ion of his Spanish sovereign. Follow
ing up the conquest of Mexico, not long
after that time, CorteZ built and
launched ships at Tehuantepec, which
explored the north coast, and these
Spanish navigaters sailed as far north
as Naneouver's Island, explored the wa
ters of Pugets Sound and left their
names for the Straits Of Fuca and for the
islands which now are in dispute be-
tween the United States and Great Brit
ain.
At an early day, the whole country
purchased with Louisiana from the
French, and lying West of the Rocky
Mountains. was called Oregon, and was
so denOminated by Jonathan Carver,
one of the early explorers of the inte-
rior.
In 1913, when at Valparaiso, Hon. ].
@ Thornton, as he informs us, became
acquainted with a Spanish gentleman
Of considerable literary attainments, and
inquired of him what fact or incident in
connection with early Spanish voyage
made in the sixteenth century, could
have suggested the name Oregon, and
asked if any product native to the soil
of plant or tree could have been the me-
dunn of such suggestions. The answer
was that in the Spanish language the
word Orcgo0iO stands for a plant the
abundant growth of which might have
been the origin of the name.
Returning TO Oregon Mr.. Thornton
found that the plant "oreganum" well
known in botany, familiarity called the
wild marjoram, grew here in rank
abundance in many places, and was the
plant known as ''Oreganou i'm Spanish
He suggests rs a solution of the problem
as to whence and how our country re-
ceived its title that the early discoverers
found the the plant growing very abun-
dantly on the shores of the Sound and
Straits, so gave the name. Trivial as
the reason seems, we must bear i'm
mind that the most noted names i'm his
tory have ever been derived from trivial
causes, though often i'm after ages
made memorable by great events.
These remarks have been directly Oc-
casioned by receiving from Rev. j. l..
Parrish fine specimen of the marjoram
or oreganum which is supposed to have
furnished beautiful name for our State,
and which furnishes the oil of Oregan-
um, which is much used for compounds
to heal bruises and the like. He speaks
of it as the plant after which Oregon is
named, and accepts as reliable the con-
clusion that the Spanish voyagers rec
ognized il and called our country "The
land of the oreganO,n which has easily
been corrupted into the name Oregon.
Mr.. Parrish says il is in proof that the
Spaniards visited the shores of the Sound
at SteilaeOOm, where the soil is barren
and rocky, with heavy gravel, which is
entirely suited to this plant. The wild
marjOram or oreganum finds an abund-
ance of such land to thrive in upon the
shores Of the Straits and the Sound, es-
pecially at SteilacoOm, where it grows
to this day with such luXuriance that
the aroma from ii, which is very pun
gent, is sometimes quite overpowering
Ii is said that the tnoFdi of California
have discovered, in connection with the
old Spanish missions, many records ol
Z the early voyagers to the north coast
which prove of great interest, and, If so
there should be an effort TO secure fol
our own use whatever relates to Oregon
/ and Washington Territory, which bore
alike at an early day the common name
No doubt much valuable Information
could be gathered from the historical
records of old Spain.-TV TViHamett,
Farmer.