[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 238 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 238

        To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Oregon Trail.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 1993

Mr. Smith of Oregon (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Kopetski, 
  and Ms. Furse) introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
       referred to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
        To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Oregon Trail.

Whereas of all the western trails used by fur traders, gold seekers, 
        missionaries, and emigrants, the Oregon Trail was the most important to 
        the western settlement of this great Nation;
Whereas in the year 1843, the first major wave of humanity left Independence, 
        Missouri, and travelled 2,170 miles in covered wagons across sagebrush, 
        plains, mountains, and rivers to the Willamette Valley in Oregon 
        Territory;
Whereas over 400,000 men, women, and children risked their lives in this 
        greatest migration in American history;
Whereas this Nation was expanded from ocean to ocean, as settlement of the Old 
        Oregon Territory forced Great Britain to relinquish this land to the 
        United States;
Whereas the pioneering spirit of the Oregon Trail emigrants embodies the spirit 
        of the American people;
Whereas Americans have an ever-increasing desire to understand our national 
        heritage;
Whereas in 1978, Congress enacted the National Trails System Act, designating 
        the Oregon Trail as a national historic trail, in recognition of the 
        vital role it played in our Nation's history; and
Whereas in 1993, the American people will seek to rekindle the pioneering spirit 
        of the ``Great Migration'' and an official Oregon Trail sesquicentennial 
        wagon train will journey across the Nation, arriving in Oregon City, 
        Oregon on September 4, 1993: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That September 4, 1993, is 
hereby designated as ``National Oregon Trail Day''. The President is 
authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the 
people of the United States to observe this day with the appropriate 
ceremonies and activities.

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