Historical Marker
Charles G. Dawes (1925)
Historical marker location:
Eugene, Oregon
( Marker can be reached from Day Island.)
Marker installed: 2013
The name "Oregon" comes from a mistake. The name was first used by French Canadian explorers who mispronounced the word "Ouragan" which means "hurricane" in French. They used it to describe the powerful Columbia River, and the name stuck.