Oregon Blue Book: Oregon Almanac: Mountains to National Wildlife Refuges

Oregon Almanac: Mountains to National Wildlife Refuges

Mt. Hood stands as the tallest peak in the Oregon Cascades. (Scenic photo no. yamD0033-1)

Mountains, Major

Blue Mountains: This northeastern Oregon mountain chain is part of the Columbia Plateau, which also extends into southeastern Washington. Lava flows cover much of the surface, and the upper, wooded slopes have been used for lumbering. Recreation and livestock grazing are the mountains principal economic uses. The highest elevation is Rock Creek Butte (9,105'), located on the Elkhorn Ridge a few miles west of Baker City.

Cascade Range: This lofty mountain range extends the entire north-south length of Oregon east of the Willamette Valley. It lies about 100 to 150 miles inland from the coastline. It forms an important climactic divide, with the western slopes receiving abundant precipitation, but the eastern slopes very little. The western slopes are heavily wooded, with the eastern section mainly covered by grass and scrub plants. Many lakes and several large rivers are in the mountains, the latter harnessed for hydroelectric power. The range is used frequently for outdoor recreation, including camping, hiking and skiing. The highest elevations are Mt. Hood (11,239'), located in Clackamas and Hood River Counties, and Mt. Jefferson (10,495'), located in Jefferson, Linn and Marion Counties.

Coast Range: The Coast Range runs the length of the state along the western coastline, from the Columbia River in the north to the Rogue River in the south. These mountains contain dense soft-wood forests which, historically, made lumbering an important economic activity. Their eastern slopes mark the western edge of the Willamette Valley. The highest elevation north of Coquille is Mary’s Peak (4,097'), located in Benton County. The highest elevation south of Coquille is Mt. Bolivar (4,319') in Coos and Curry Counties.

Klamath Mountains: The Klamath Mountains in southwestern Oregon are sometimes included as part of the Coast Range. These mountains include numerous national forest and wildlife preserves, and contain scenic portions of the Klamath River. The highest elevation is Mt. Ashland (7,532'), located in Jackson County.

Steens Mountain: This is a massive, 30-mile-long mountain in the Alvord Valley featuring valleys and U-shaped gorges that were cut by glaciers one million years ago. It is located in Harney County in southeastern Oregon and is 9,773' in elevation.

Pacific golden chanterelle mushrooms.

Mason Williams, Oregon's musician laureate.

Mushroom, State
The 1999 Legislature recognized the Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) as the Oregon state mushroom. This mushroom is a wild, edible fungus of high culinary value that is unique to the Pacific Northwest. More than 500,000 pounds of Pacific golden chanterelles are harvested annually in Oregon, representing a large portion of the commercial mushroom business.

Musician Laureate
In 2002, Governor John Kitzhaber named composer and recording artist Mason Williams as Oregon’s musician laureate. Williams is best known for his instrumental “Classical Gas” which earned him three Grammy Awards in 1968. In addition to his musical talents, Williams is also a comedy writer who has written for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and Saturday Night Live and for personalities including Steve Martin, Dinah Shore and Andy Williams. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts, Williams received the annual Oregon Governor’s Art Award in 1990 and the University of Oregon’s Distinguished Service Award in 1999.

Name of Oregon
The first written record of the name “Oregon” comes to us from a 1765 proposal for a journey written by Major Robert Rogers, an English army officer. It reads, “The rout . . . is from the Great Lakes towards the Head of the Mississippi, and from thence to the River called by the Indians Ouragon. . . .” His proposal rejected, Rogers reapplied in 1772, using the spelling “Ourigan.” The first printed use of the current spelling appeared in Captain Jonathan Carver’s 1778 book, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America 1766, 1767 and 1768. He listed the four great rivers of the continent, including “the River Oregon, or the River of the West, that falls into the Pacific Ocean at the Straits of Annian.” While no definitive pronounciation of “Oregon” is given in Oregon Geographic Names, the most common pronunciation by long-time Oregonians is “OR-ee-gun.”

U.S. Highway 26 runs through the towering Ponderosa pines of the Ochoco National Forest east of Prineville. (Scenic photo no. croD0029)

National Cemeteries
Willamette, Portland
Eagle Point, Eagle Point
Roseburg, Roseburg

National Fish Hatcheries
Eagle Creek, Estacada
Warm Springs, Warm Springs

National Forests
Deschutes, Fremont, Malheur, Mt. Hood, Ochoco, Rogue River, Siskiyou, Siuslaw, Umatilla, Umpqua, Wallowa-Whitman, Willamette, Winema

National Grassland
Crooked River - near Madras

National Historic Site
Fort Vancouver (Oregon, Washington)

Paulina Falls is located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument southeast of Bend. (Scenic photo no. desD0127)

National Monuments
Cascade-Siskiyou, near Ashland
John Day Fossil Beds, near Kimberly
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, near Bend
Oregon Caves, near Cave Junction

National Parks
Crater Lake
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Nez Perce National Historical Park (Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington)

National Recreation Areas
Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area (Oregon, Idaho)
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

National Scenic Area
Columbia River Gorge

National Trails
California National Historic Trail
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Oregon National Historic Trail. Its length is 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley, Oregon. It passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon

A footbridge leads hikers into lush woodland habitat at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis. (Scenic photo no. benD0048)

National Wildlife Refuges
Ankeny, near Jefferson
Bandon Marsh, near Bandon
Baskett Slough, near Dallas
Bear Valley, near Klamath Falls
Cape Meares, near Tillamook
Cold Springs, near Hermiston
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, near Lakeview
Klamath Marsh, near Klamath Falls
Malheur, near Burns
McKay Creek, near Pendleton
Nestucca Bay, near Pacific City
Oregon Islands, off southern Oregon coast
Siletz Bay, near Lincoln City.
Three Arch Rocks, off coast near Oceanside
Tualatin River, near Sherwood
Upper Klamath, near Klamath Falls
William L. Finley, near Corvallis