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Trial of five Cayuse accused of Whitman murder begins on May 21, 1850.

On May 21, 1850, the trial of five Cayuse men accused of murdering Protestant missionary Marcus Whitman begins in Oregon City, capital of the newly organized Oregon Territory. Whitman, his wife Narcis...

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John Holgate explores the Duwamish River by canoe but does not stake King County land claim during the summer of 1850.

During the summer of 1850, John Cornelius Holgate (1828-1868) canoes up Puget Sound from the village of Olympia. He explores the Duwamish River, and considers settling on the site (the future Georgeto...

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Donation Land Claim Act, spur to American settlement of Oregon Territory, takes effect on September 27, 1850.

On September 27, 1850, the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 takes effect. The act creates a powerful incentive for settlement of the Oregon Territory by offering 320 acres at no charge to qualifying ad...

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Isaac Ebey is the first permanent U.S. settler on Whidbey Island on October 15, 1850.

On October 15, 1850, Col. Isaac N. Ebey (1818-1857) files a claim on Whidbey Island under the Donation Land Law, less than a month after its passage.

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Zakarias Martin Taftezon, Ulrich Freund, and Clement Sumner file land claims to the future city of Oak Harbor on January 4, 1851.

On January 4, 1851, Zakarias Martin Taftezon (1821-1901), Swiss Ulrich Freund, and New Englander Clement W. "Charlie" Sumner file claims under the Donation Land Law at what will become the city of Oak...

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Bishop Augustin Blanchet dedicates Washington's original St. James Cathedral at Fort Vancouver on January 23, 1851.

On January 23, 1851, Bishop Augustin Magloire Alexandre (A. M. A.) Blanchet (1797-1887) consecrates as a Catholic cathedral a rustic missionary church on land adjacent to the Hudson's Bay Company's Fo...

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Oregon Territorial Legislature forms Pacific County on February 4, 1851.

On February 4, 1851, the Oregon Territorial Legislature forms the new Pacific County. The county starts quite small and will soon increase in size. The county seat begins in Pacific City, near what i...

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Alfred A. Plummer and Charles Bachelder settle on the site of future Port Townsend on April 24, 1851.

On April 24, 1851, Alfred A. Plummer (1822-1883) and Charles Bachelder land on a beach at the mouth of Port Townsend, an extensive bay at the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula in what is now J...

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Francis Chenoweth builds Washington's first railroad in July 1851.

In July 1851, Francis A. Chenoweth (1819-1899), who moved west from Wisconsin in 1849 and settled near present day Bonneville Dam on the north side of the Columbia River, begins operating what can be ...

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Shoalwater Bay oysters begin feeding San Francisco in 1851.

In 1851, oysters from Shoalwater (later Willapa) Bay start feeding San Francisco. The oyster business will flourish in the bay until the 1880s and will be an important cause of settlement in the area.

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Settlers of North Oregon convene a convention at Cowlitz Landing to form a separate territory on August 29, 1851.

On August 29, 1851, settlers of North Oregon convene a convention at Cowlitz Landing to form a separate territory. The attendees resolve that lawyer John Chapman should draft a memorial to Congress as...

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Luther Collins Party arrives at mouth of Duwamish River in future King County on September 14, 1851.

On September 14, 1851, Luther M. Collins (1813-1860), Henry Van Asselt (1817-1902), Jacob Maple (or Mapel) (1798-1884), and his son Samuel Maple (or Mapel) (1827-1880) arrive at the mouth of the Duwam...

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