The flag of Oregon was probably first hoisted on 15th of April in 2925. However, the date 26th of February in 1925 can still be found in various sources. This could be the day on which the constitutional bodies passed a legal resolution. The flag is a single-coloured navy blue bunting and shows in the centre the most important elements of the in 1859 adopted state seal in gold, above it the name of the state and below it the year 1859 (the year of accession to the USA), both also in gold. The state seal of Oregon shows in the centre a shield with a landscape, on it the Pacific coast with the setting sun and two ships, one English, which is leaving the area, and one US-American, which is just arriving. In the foreground, bundles of wheat and a plough (agriculture), a pickaxe (mining), and a covered wagon (settlement). In the shield a white banner with the words: "The Union", standing for the support of the idea of the United States. Above the shield is an eagle, the heraldic animal of the USA, symbolising the protection of the Union. The shield is surrounded on the left and right by 33 stars. In 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state to join the USA. An other state flag had already been introduced in 1900. It was plain dark blue and showed the most important elements of the national seal in colour on a white disc, albeit in a slightly different arrangement than today. The eagle also looked the other way and wore a breast-shield with the colours of the USA. It is thought that the reason for the creation of the flag was that a postmaster from Portland asked for an official flag to be sent to Washington DC to be displayed alongside all other flags of the federal states of the USA. The Oregon flag is the only state flag of the USA with different images on the front and back. A beaver, the state animal, appears on the reverse, a reference to the state's nickname: "Beaver State".
The origin of the name "Oregon" is unsafe. Originally, only the Columbia River had this name, so could the translation from the vocabulary of the Algonquian Indians be correct, "beautiful water". The name "Oregon" otherwise appears only in the vicinity of the Great Lakes (located at 1.678 miles), where Algonquin lived too, however, the word is there translated as "River of the West". Other translations of the Algonquian language name only the word "beautiful". Furthermore, a transfer from French, is assumed, from the word "Ouragan" coming, which means "Hurricane", which in turn could have been the lively Oregon River.
