The Oregon Pioneer

Perched atop the Oregon ​​​​State Capitol stands a gilded statue of a bearded man. Is he a politician? A hipster? Marketing for the Portland Timbers?

No. The “Gold Man” is the Oregon Pioneer, a symbol of the independent spirit of Oregonians.

The ability of ordinary people to affect change in Oregon is a long-standing tradition, exemplified by the re-gilding of the Oregon Pioneer in 1984. When the Oregon Legislature was unable to appropriate funding for the refurbishment, school children collected almost $40,000 worth of dimes to complete it.

Learn more about the Oregon Pioneer! We have a video that will take you to the top of the observation platform, a video that will show you how the Pioneer came to be, and a video with Jenny Borden Lau, the young school girl who kicked off the campaign to raise change to re-gild the Pioneer in 1984.

 

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