Pick a Side: How A Pioneer Vote at Champoeg Shaped Oregon

Written By: Newberg Area Historical Society

NEWBERG, Ore.—Newberg has a rich history filled with settlers, Quakers, filberts, dental equipment, and now a thriving wine, beer, and distillery industry. But did you know Oregon became American—and not British—partly because of events in Newberg and nearby Champoeg?

This story involves a close vote, some last-minute changes of heart, and colorful personalities—timely given the upcoming election next week.

Today, we take America’s boundaries for granted, particularly the northern border with Canada, which runs straight along the 49th parallel (49 degrees latitude) from the Pacific Ocean eastward 1,260 miles to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota.

However, 180 years ago, it was far from certain that the Oregon Territory (today’s Oregon, Washington, and parts of Idaho and Montana) would be part of the U.S.

The Pacific Northwest was the last settled region of the lower 48 states, largely due to geographic isolation from the volcanic Cascade Range, large rivers, and rainy, foggy weather. The mouth of the Columbia River remained hidden to colonists until the late 1700s.

In 1804, after acquiring vast lands from France in the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Pacific Northwest and locate a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, which they found did not exist. They returned after a soggy winter at Fort Clatsop near Astoria, happy to escape the rain.

However, trappers, lured by potential profits from sea otter and beaver pelts, arrived from British and French Canada, as well as the U.S. East Coast. The U.S. and Great Britain, both interested in peace, agreed to joint occupation of the sparsely populated Pacific Northwest for the few trappers, traders, and emerging settlers.

Hudson’s Bay Company, a prominent British trading post, was headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, while Jacob Astor founded a competing American post in Astoria, later sold to the British as Fort George during the War of 1812. But fur traders were not interested in settling permanently.

Enter the Newberg-famous Ewing Young. Originally from Tennessee via Taos, New Mexico, Young was a trailblazer and businessman who settled in Newberg in 1834. In 1837, he drove 630 head of cattle from California, then still Mexican territory.

His home and grave, marked by the Ewing Young Heritage Oak, are west of Newberg on Highway 240, now part of Ewing Young Distillery. He also built Oregon’s first sawmill along Chehalem Creek, in today’s Ewing Young Park in south Newberg at the end of Blaine Street.

Young’s colorful life, which included accusations of distilling and horse theft in Mexico, ended at age 49 in 1841. His death—without a will and leaving a large estate—galvanized the movement to make Oregon an American territory. Young’s passing sparked questions about how to distribute his estate without a probate court.

Local settlers met to form a legal code. They wanted to discuss the legal code, as well as setting up a bounty system to counter the wolves attacking livestock, and the lack of an established criminal justice system.

But should their laws and nationality lean British or American? Some even suggested creating a new country, similar to the Republic of Texas.

For two years, pioneers met in Salem and Champoeg, a French-Canadian gathering place near St. Paul, Oregon. Led by missionary Jason Lee, who later founded Willamette University, the pioneers finally voted on May 2, 1843, to determine their future. A line was drawn, and settlers were told to stand on one side for British affiliation or the other for American. Since many French trappers worked for Hudson’s Bay Company, the vote was expected to lean British.

According to one account, the vote was tied 50-50—until two more voters arrived. Persuasive settler Joseph Lafayette Meek, cousin of President James K. Polk, rallied the crowd with an impassioned speech for American affiliation. The new arrivals tipped the vote 52-50 in favor of becoming American—an early example of misleading polls.

Although they adopted a provisional government based on U.S. structures, the United States did not actively engage with the territory until four years later. After the vote, Meek traveled east to appeal to President Polk, seeking official recognition of Oregon as U.S. territory. The Whitman Massacre in 1847, in which 14 settlers and missionaries were killed in Walla Walla, Washington, by the Cayuse tribe, emphasized the dangers settlers faced, helping secure Oregon’s acceptance as a U.S. territory in 1848. Oregon officially became a state on Feb. 14, 1859.

Next time you visit Champoeg Park, stop by the monument on the west side of the park to stand where Meek convinced two more settlers to step onto the American side. Or visit Ewing Young Distillery and raise a glass to the pioneer who helped establish Newberg and played a part in Oregon becoming a state.

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The Newberg Area Historical Society preserves, presents, and promotes the history of Newberg and its surrounding areas. Their vision is to become the go-to resource for Newberg area history through research, preservation, funding, and outreach. Visit their blog for more historical articles and consider supporting their mission by becoming a member or making a donation.