Why There's a Beaver on the Oregon Flag

Here’s a fun piece of trivia: Oregon is only state in the country with a two-sided flag. That means there’s a second image, on the reverse side, which features the American beaver.

In honor of Oregon Statehood Day, on Feb. 14, here’s how Oregon got North America’s largest rodent slapped on its flag — and became the Beaver State. (If the U.S. were a middle school, Oregon might be teased relentlessly by its peers. We do, after all, have a lot of strip clubs.)

But the name has everything to do with a different kind of commerce: Beaver pelts (and other furs) brought white settlers west in search of fortune.

Thus, Oregon’s association with beavers is longstanding. Ten years before statehood, the territory issued “beaver money” with an image of the critter and included the animal on the official seal.

But it wasn’t actually until 1925 that the state decided on an official flag — which included the beaver. And only in 1969 did the Legislature designate it as the state’s official animal.

Trappers hunted beavers to the brink of extinction until the state banned any trapping from 1899 to 1918. But thanks to conservation efforts, the beaver population has recovered. Nationally, there are now an estimated 15 million American beavers, down from upwards of 100 million two centuries ago.

Fun Facts

They are pretty interesting creatures:

• They grow throughout their decade-long lifespan to up to 65 pounds and four feet long.
• They’re able to hold their breath for 15 minutes.
• And of course, they’re considered the engineers of the animal kingdom for building massive dams.