August 14

On August 14, 1848, the Oregon Territory was organized.

The Oregon Territory was a massive area including Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming and Montana. The southern border was the 42nd Parallel, the north the 49th Parallel (as the US-Canada border in this region is today). In 1853 the Washington Territory split off.

The 49th Parallel as a boundary was not random. The US had been in disputes with the British over who owned what. The 49th Parallel was the original offer by the US, but upon being rejected by the British, calls for 54-40 or Fight! became popular. 54 degrees 40 was the edge of the Russian territory. However, a compromise was finally reached in the Oregon Treaty.

There was one oddity to emerge out of these negotiations. Had the 49th Parallel been followed all the way to the coast, Vancouver Island would have been divided. This was given to what would become Canada. However, there was a 4.5 sq mile piece of land jutting out from the mainland; this became Point Roberts, Washington. This is one of a handful of US lands only accessible through Canada, and but continues to have a strong American presence today.