Oregon, My Oregon

The Lone Fir cemetery is the burial place of many Oregon pioneers, among them Asa Lovejoy. He arrived via The Oregon Trail in 1842, and was instrumental in establishing the city of Portland in 1845 on a 320 acre land claim. That claim, located along the Willamette River, had been a camping and gathering place for the Native Americans in the region (the Chinook and the Multnomahs), who used the river for travel.  It became downtown Portland. He held a variety of local and governmental positions after his arrival in the Oregon Country, which became the Oregon Territory in 1849 and a state in 1859. He would be astounded to see the city he envisioned now has a population of 2.35 million.

In 1856 he held a position in the Oregon House of Representatives as a Democrat.  See extra for something else he could not have imagined, as women did not have the right to vote, let alone run for office.