Symbols Of Oregon
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The U.S. state of
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
has 27 official emblems, as designated by the
Oregon State Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...
. Most of the symbols are listed in Title 19, Chapter 186 of the
Oregon Revised Statutes The Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) is the Codification (law), codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen Popular initiative, initiative. The statutes ...
(2011 edition). Oregon's first symbol was the
motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
''Alis Volat Propriis'', written and translated in 1854.
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "She Flies With Her Own Wings", the motto remained unchanged until 1957, when "The Union" became the official state motto. ''Alis Volat Propriis'' became the state motto once again in 1987. Originally designed in 1857, usage of the
Oregon State Seal The seal of the State of Oregon is the Seals of the U.S. states, official seal of the U.S. state of Oregon. It was designed by Harvey Gordon in 1857, two years before Oregon was admitted to the Union. The seal was preceded by the Salmon Seal of ...
began after Oregon became the 33rd state of the United States on February 14, 1859. The motto and seal served as Oregon's only symbols until over 50 years later, when the
Oregon-grape ''Berberis aquifolium'', the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae. It is an evergreen shrub growing up to tall and wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leafle ...
became the
state flower This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory flowers. See also *List of U.S. state trees * Lists of U.S. state insignia References External linksList of state flowers {{USStateLists * U.S. state flowers Flowers ...
in 1899. Oregon had six official symbols by 1950 and 22 symbols by 2000. The newest symbol of Oregon is
brewer's yeast ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungal microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...
, declared the state microbe in 2013. While some of the symbols are unique to Oregon, others are used by multiple states. For example, the
North American beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two Extant taxon, extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and has been introduced in South America (Patagonia) and Europe ...
is also the
state animal State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and the
Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
(sometimes known as the king salmon) is also the
state fish This is a list of official U.S. state fishes: __TOC__ See also * List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia * Lists of United States state symbols#Flora and fauna Notes References Netstate.com state fish tables External links ...
of
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. The
square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...
and milk are commonly used state dances and state beverages, respectively.


Insignia


Flora and fauna


Geology


Culture


Unofficial symbols and unsuccessful proposals

While most states have an official
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
, the Oregon Legislature never officially adopted one. Oregon's unofficial nickname is "The Beaver State". Unofficial tourism advertising for Oregon has included the slogans "Things Look Different Here" and "Oregon, We Love Dreamers", the latter of which alludes to the "basic sense of idealism" of the state's culture. In the 1950s and 60s, Oregon license plates featured the unofficial motto, "Pacific Wonderland". Several symbols have been proposed for addition to the list of official state symbols but were never adopted. The "Oregon Waltz" was approved as the state waltz by the Oregon House in 1997, but the proposal did not succeed in the Senate. In 2001, legislation designating the Kiger Mustang, a horse breed unique to southeastern Oregon, as the
state horse Thirteen U.S. states have designated a horse breed as the official "state horse", to have a horse breed as their "state animal", one has an official "state pony", and one has a "honorary state equine". The first state horse was designated in V ...
was introduced, but not adopted. It was suggested in 2003 that Oregon have an official state tartan, but the bill never passed out of committee.


See also

*
Lists of Oregon-related topics These are lists of Oregon-related topics, attempting to list every list related to the state of Oregon. * If the ''type'' is ''list'', the article is primarily a list of articles. If ''type'' is ''context'', each entry contains summary informatio ...


References

;General * * ;Specific


External links

* {{featured list
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
Oregon culture State symbols