Oregon had two previous seals, designed to be politically neutral due to a border dispute with Great Britain. The state’s new seal, mandated by the constitution in 1857, had political symbolism, including a moose, eagle, and images of the Pacific Ocean, mountains, and a covered wagon. The seal also includes elements reflecting Oregon’s mining and agriculture and symbolizes Oregon’s new political realities.
Oregon’s state seal was designed two years before its entry into the United States in 1859. Two previous seals had been used in Oregon during the period of its provisional government, followed by a territorial government thereafter. Both previous seals were intended to be politically neutral due to a border dispute between the United States and Great Britain. On the other hand, Oregon’s new state seal, mandated by the state constitution in 1857 in anticipation of the state, had distinctly political symbolism. These design elements of the Oregon State Seal were dictated by a chapter of the Revised Oregon Statutes.
Oregon’s first seal was in use between 1843 and 1849 during the time of its provisional government. This so-called Salmon Seal was a simple round design depicting a salmon and three sheaves of corn. Due to the ongoing territorial disputes between the United States and Great Britain, known as the Oregon Question, there was no political symbolism incorporated into the design. Unsure which nation would prevail, Oregonians remained neutral.
In 1849, a territorial government led by Governor Joseph Lane was established to manage the region, leading to the creation of a new and more complex seal. It depicted a sailing ship symbolizing commerce, while a beaver appearing on it represented the Oregon Territory’s booming fur trade. An eagle on the right side offered a veiled suggestion of a connection to the United States, while a Native American appeared on the left. The upper perimeter of the seal contained the Latin motto Alis Volat Proprilis translated as “She flies with her wings”. The lower perimeter contained five stars.
After the resolution of the Oregon question in 1846 which gave all disputed territory to the United States, an 1847 state constitutional convention met in Salem to prepare the state. The Convention nominated three prominent Oregonians — Benjamin F. Burch, James K. Kelly and LaFayette Grover — to design Oregon’s new state seal. This committee then adopted a design proposal submitted by Harvey Gordon, adding a design element of its own: a moose.
As codified in Oregon’s revised statute, Oregon’s new state seal would be composed of several elements. It would consist of the text “STATE OF OREGON 1959” above and below a circular seal, with an eagle appearing on a circular shield containing images of the Pacific Ocean, mountains, the aforementioned moose, and a covered wagon within the circle. Other elements of the Oregon state seal include a pickaxe, plow, and bundle of wheat reflecting Oregon’s mining and agriculture. Within the ocean, a British warship is seen departing as an incoming American ship heads towards a rising sun, symbolizing Oregon’s new political realities. Below these images appear the words “THE UNION,” while 33 stars representing the number of states at the time of Oregon’s admission to the United States surround the lower portion of the shield.
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