State Seashell (Oregon Hairy Triton) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. The "Oregon Hairy Triton" (Fusitriton oregonesis) was declared the state seashell in1989 by the Sixty-fifth Legislative Assembly of Oregon. This mollusk member of the Gastropod Class (snails, slugs, welks, abalones) grows to about 5 inches long. It is a light brown and covered with gray-brown bristles, hence the name "hairy." The shell is basically an elongate cone wound around an axis. In 1848, a conchologist named Redfield named the Fusitriton oregonensis after the Oregon Territory. The shell is the only one that shares the name of a state, and is one of only three in the world named after a location. The shells are found from Alaska to California and wash up on the Oregon coast at high tide., State Library; #19; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
Tabitha Brown is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. Honored by the 1987 Legislature as Mother of Oregon, Tabitha Moffatt Brown "represents the distinctive pioneer heritage and the charitable and compassionate nature of Oregon's people." At 66 years of age, she financed her own wagon for the trip from Missouri to Oregon. The boarding school for orphans that she established later became known as Tualatin Academy and eventually was chartered as Pacific University., State Library; #25; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Insect (Oregon Swallowtail) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. In 1979 the Legislature designated the Oregon Swallowtail (Papilio oregonius) as Oregon's official insect. A true native of the Northwest, the Oregon Swallowtail is at home in the lower sagebrush canyons of the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Snake River drainage., State Library; #18; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Bird (Western Meadowlark) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. The Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) was chosen state bird in 1927 by Oregon's school children in a poll sponsored by the Oregon Audubon Society. Native throughout western North America, the bird has brown plumage with buff and black markings. Its underside is bright yellow with a black crescent on the breast; its outer tail feathers are mainly white and are easily visible when it flies., State Library; #13; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Song (Oregon, My Oregon) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. J.A. Buchanan of Astoria and Henry B. Murtagh of Portland wrote “Oregon, My Oregon,” in 1920. With this song, Buchanan and Murtagh won a statewide competition sponsored by the Society of Oregon Composers, gaining statewide recognition. The song became the official state song in 1927., State Library; #23; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
Sarah Winnemucca is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. She was a notable Indian peacemaker, born in 1842, and died in 1891., State Library; #26; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Gemstone (Oregon Sunstone) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. In 1987, the Legislature designated the Oregon sunstone as the official state gemstone. Uncommon in its composition, clarity, and colors, it is a large, brightly colored transparent gem in the feldspar family., State Library; #17; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Animal (beaver) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. The American Beaver (Castor canadensis) was named Oregon state animal by the 1969 Legislature. Prized for its fur, the beaver was overtrapped by early settlers and eliminated from much of its original range., State Library; #11; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
Chief Joseph is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. Chief Joseph was born around 1840 in the Wallowa Valley of what is now northeastern Oregon. His given name was Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, meaning "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain." In his last years, Joseph spoke eloquently against the injustice of United States policy toward his people and held out the hope that America's promise of freedom and equality might one day be fulfilled for Native Americans as well. A powerful voice of conscience for the West, he died in 1904, still in exile from his homeland., State Library; #27; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html
State Dance (Square Dance) is one in a series of seventeen bronze medallions that depict icons of the state of Oregon. In 1977 the legislature declared the Square Dance to be the official state dance. The dance is a combination of various steps and figures danced with four couples grouped in a square. The pioneer origins of the dance and the characteristic dress are deemed to reflect Oregon’s heritage; the lively spirit of the dance exemplifies the friendly, free nature and enthusiasm that are a part of the Oregon Character., State Library; #12; Desk; D.L. Cunningham, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html