Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/243

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To the Quarterly:

As supplemental to my article on Oregon Counties, which was published in the March Quarterly, I wish to say that by the Act of August 14, 1848, establishing the Territorial Government of Oregon, the summit of the Rocky mountains was made the Eastern boundary of Oregon Territory. When Washington Territory was created by the Act approved March 2, 1853, the present boundary line between Oregon and Washington was established; the Eastern boundary of Washington Territory was then the summit of the Rocky mountains.

When Wasco County was created January 11, 1854, it comprised all of Eastern Oregon, that is, all that part of Oregon Territory East of the Cascade mountains, and the Eastern boundary of Wasco County was then the summit of the Rocky mountains. The Act admitting Oregon into the Union was approved February 14, 1859, an d the present boundaries of the State of Oregon were established. The Eastern boundary began at the intersection of parallel of latitude forty-six degrees north with the middle of the main channel of Snake river; and ran thence up the middle of the main channel of Snake river to the mouth of Owyhee river; thence due south to parallel of latitude of forty-two degrees north. This Eastern line of the State of Oregon then became the Eastern line of Wasco County, and continued to be its Eastern line until Baker County was created September 22, 1862.