| The role of transportation in Oregon's growth as a state |
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| Oregon sesquicentennial |
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Travelers on the Barlow Road.
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When Oregon became the 33rd state in the United States on Feb. 14, 1859, there were three primary modes of transportation to travel to and within the fledgling state, walking, marine (canoes, rafts and ships) and horse. Most emigrants came to Oregon via the Oregon Trail, traveling by wagon train for an average of six months over rough terrain and facing a multitude of challenges along the way.
Prior to Oregon becoming a state, English and French trappers and trading companies traveled to Oregon on ships and used rafts and canoes to travel Oregon’s rivers and streams.
Within twenty years of statehood, trains were bringing people and freight to Oregon. Within 30 years, steamships traveled regularly up and down the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, expanding transportation options as the new state’s economy grew.
In 1903, Oregon’s first automobile dealership opened, selling both bicycles and new Ford cars. By 1905, Oregon had enacted its first motor vehicle registration law. Cars and trucks started traveling Oregon’s first official state highways about ten years later.
As Oregon continued to grow, rail and highway capacity were expanded. By 1926, Oregon’s state highway system was 4,468.6 miles long; 897.1 paved, 575.8 surfaced with oiled macadam, 1,747.5 rock and gravel surface, 300.6 unimproved.
At the state’s Oregon 100th birthday in 1959, people were able to travel from St. Louis, MO to Portland by commercial airline, cutting down the trip from several days via train or car to a matter of hours. Grain and other agricultural commodities traveled by barge from inland ports along the Columbia River to the Port of Portland for shipping overseas. Oregon’s first portions of the interstate highway system were under construction.
By 1980, Interstate 84 and Interstate 5, Oregon’s main east-west and north-south highways are completed. Congestion becomes a key issue for several Oregon cities. Portland debuts its light rail public transit system MAX in 1986.
As Oregon moves into the 21st century, Oregon looked to the future with programs to preserve and maintain the state’s transportation infrastructure (Oregon Transportation Investment Act), improve connections between various transportation modes (ConnectOregon), develop new and novel options for funding and project delivery (Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding Office) and sustain and preserve Oregon’s resources (Sustainability Program).
A quality transportation system can attract business and improve quality of life. People depend on multiple modes of travel - and efficient connections between those modes - to move goods and provide services throughout the state, country, and the world. As we celebrate Oregon’s sesquicentennial, the Oregon Department of Transportation is working with communities and stakeholders to ensure that Oregon continues to have a sound transportation system that encourages growth, reduces the cost of congestion and inefficiency, and provides a gateway to the global economy.
Get more information about Oregon's transportation history.
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