Oregon Almanac: Hydropower Projects to State Motto

Hydropower (2022)

• 9,029 Megawatts Total Capacity
• 98  hydropower facilities
• Smallest: 0.025 megawatt
• Largest: 2,160 megawatts (John Day Dam, Columbia River)
• 31,371,350 Megawatt Hours Generated

Oregon is the second highest hydropower-producing state in the nation, behind only Washington.

Insect, State

In 1979, the Legislature designated the Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio oregonius) as the state 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 watershed. This strikingly beautiful butterfly has a wingspan of 2-1/2 to 3 inches and is bright yellow and black with a reddish-orange hindspot.

Judicial Districts

27

Lake, Deepest

Crater Lake: 1,943' (deepest in the United States)

Lakes, Largest

• Upper Klamath Lake, 61,543 surface acres
• Malheur Lake, 49,700 surface acres

Note: Size may vary depending on seasons and precipitation. At times, Malheur Lake may have a larger surface area than Upper Klamath Lake.

Legal Holidays and Days of Special Observance

• New Year's Day (observed) 1/1/25, 1/1/26, 1/1/27
• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (observed) 1/20/25, 1/19/26, 1/18/27
• Presidents' Day 2/17/25, 2/16/26, 2/15/27
• Memorial Day5/26/25, 5/25/26, 5/31/27
• Juneteenth (observed) 6/19/25, 6/19/26, 6/18/27
• Independence Day (observed) 7/4/25, 7/3/26, 7/5/27
• Labor Day9/1/25, 9/7/26, 9/6/27
• Indigenous Peoples' Day 10/13/25, 10/12/26, 10/11/27
• Veterans Day (observed) 11/11/25, 11/11/26, 11/11/27
• Thanksgiving Day11/27/25, 11/26/26, 11/25/27
• Christmas Day (observed) 12/25/25, 12/25/26, 12/24/27

Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as the holiday. Whenever a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as the holiday.

Lighthouses

• Cape Arago Lighthouse, Coos Bay: lighted 1934; deactivated 2006 (not accessible to the public)
• Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Port Orford: lighted 1870
• Cape Meares Lighthouse, Tillamook: lighted 1890; deactivated 1963
• Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse, Yachats (privately owned, not open to the public): lighted 1976
• Coquille River Lighthouse, Bandon: lighted 1896; deactivated 1939
• Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence: lighted 1893
• Port of Brookings Lighthouse, Brookings 
• (privately owned, not open to the public): lighted 1999
• Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Cannon Beach: lighted 1881; deactivated 1957 (privately owned, not open to the public)
• Umpqua River Lighthouse, Reedsport: lighted 1894
• Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Newport: lighted 1871-74; reactivated 1996
• Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport: lighted 1873
  

Marriages

Marriages: 24,108(2023 preliminary)

Microbe, State

In 2013, the Oregon Legislature designated Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the state microbe. The yeast converts sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol, an essential process for leavening bread and brewing alcoholic beverages, making Oregon an internationally recognized hub of craft brewing.

Motto, State

“She Flies With Her Own Wings” was adopted by the 1987 Legislature as the Oregon state motto. The phrase originated with Judge Jessie Quinn Thornton and was pictured on the territorial seal in Latin: Alis Volat Propriis. The new motto replaced “The Union,” which was adopted in 1957.

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