Chapter 192 Oregon Laws 2009

AN ACT

SB 625

Relating to Ewing Young.

          Whereas Ewing Young arrived in Oregon in 1834 after more than a decade of trapping and trading through the American frontier west; and

          Whereas Ewing Young settled on the west bank of the Willamette River near the mouth of Chehalem Creek opposite Champoeg, in what is now Yamhill County; and

          Whereas Ewing Young independently created one of Oregon’s earliest centers of farming and trading, including a distillery and sawmill, that provided early Oregon settlers with economic independence from the Hudson’s Bay Company, the dominant frontier trading company of those times; and

          Whereas in 1837 Ewing Young was persuaded by John McLoughlin and Jason Lee to leave the distilling business in order to drive much needed cattle from California to the farms of the Willamette Valley; and

          Whereas Ewing Young successfully brought 630 head of cattle along the Siskiyou Trail to the settlers of the Willamette Valley; and

          Whereas Ewing Young died on February 9, 1841, as the wealthiest resident of Oregon; and

          Whereas Ewing Young died without a will or a plan for the distribution of his assets; and

          Whereas the lack of a clear way to distribute Ewing Young’s wealth gave cause to the formation of the first self-governing, American-style government on the Pacific coast to settle his estate; and

          Whereas the Oregon provisional government, formed in Champoeg on May 2, 1843, set the Oregon territory on the path to statehood on February 14, 1859; now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. February 9 of each year shall be known as Ewing Young Day, to commemorate Ewing Young’s contribution to the formation of Oregon’s provisional government and aid to the settlers of the Willamette Valley.

Approved by the Governor May 29, 2009

Filed in the office of Secretary of State May 29, 2009

Effective date January 1, 2010

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