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The Unclear Roots of Oregon

One thing is certain: you’ll not find better accommodations than our Oregon beach vacation rentals. Lincoln City, Oregon boasts many types of lodging. Some have a breathtaking ocean view, while others offer views of the majestic mountains to the east. Regardless of the view, or the size, or the location, beach house rentals in Lincoln City, Oregon give you exactly what you’re looking for.

Oregon Beach House Rentals

The name of Oregon, however, is less certain. Maybe when you stay in Oregon oceanfront properties you can look up the real story behind the name of our fair state.

Some say the name comes from the Spanish word orejón. In the 16th century, Oregon was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and Spanish explorers baed in the Philippines were mapping the region. Orejón means “big ear,” however, so how that became associated with the land now known as Oregon is not clear. We’ll listen for other suggestions, so to speak.

Another theory you can investigate from the comfort of Lincoln City, Oregon beach rentals, comes from French. In the 18th century, an English explorer referred to the river in the west known as “Ouragon.” “Ouragon” is a French term meaning “windstorm” or “hurricane.” By this point in time the French had gained a foothold in Canada and the Pacific northwest, so their term came to apply to the region. The reference to a “windstorm” likely meant the powerful Chinook winds that make kite flying so popular in the region.

One other theory comes from Portuguese. Ouve a água means “hear the waters.” A Portuguese explorer in the region used the phrase in writing home after experiencing the waterfalls and swift rivers of the region. Some speculate that the words became crunched together to become “Oregon.”

But the most likely origin of “Oregon” is a mapmaker’s typographical error. In the early 18th century, a French mapmaker ran out of room when writing the Native name of the Wisconsin River, “Ouisiconsink,” and so the “-sink” part went onto the lower line. The upper line, “Ousicon,” became confused for the name of the Columbia River, and “Ouisicon” eventually became “Oregon.”

No one is clear where the word “Oregon” comes from, but it doesn’t matter much nowadays. When you stay in beach condo rentals near Lincoln City, Oregon, you’ll come to think that “Oregon” means “a great place to vacation” and you’ll want to come back time and again.

Book your stay at Lincoln City, Oregon lodgings soon to experience what people have known for centuries: Oregon is a great place to be.

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