The Oregon Country under joint occupancy. “Portion of a Map Exhibiting all the New Discoveries in the Interior Parts of North America...by A. Arrowsmith, 1824.” Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, HBCA Map Collection, G.4/31 (N11668).
Negotiations
When negotiations over the Oregon Country began in 1845, Polk announced the American intent to terminate the joint occupancy agreement within a year. Negotiations began. Britain wanted all lands south to the natural geographic border along the Columbia River. The U.S. wanted all lands north to 54° 40’.
The U.S. proposed a compromise to extend the boundary from east of the Rocky Mountains westward along the 49th parallel to the Pacific Ocean, splitting Vancouver Island.
The Oregon Treaty
The final agreement followed the 49th parallel to the middle of the Strait of Georgia, then around Vancouver Island’s south coast through the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. retained the strategic port location of Puget Sound. Britain retained Vancouver Island.
On June 15, 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed between British and American officials in Washington, D.C. Thus, the western border between British North America and the United States was formalized without military conflict.
After the Treaty
The HBC continued to operate Fort Vancouver until it was closed in 1860. By 1871, however, the HBC had sold all its holdings south of the border.
When British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871, the 49th parallel and marine boundaries established by the Oregon Treaty became the Canada-U.S. border. The dispute over the San Juan Islands lasted until an arbitration agreement in 1871.
Dividing the Oregon Country
Joint Occupancy
American migration to the Oregon Country began around 1839. Most immigrants settled in the Willamette Valley, south of the Columbia River and Fort Vancouver. Occasional conflicts arose between the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and American settlers. Under joint occupancy, the United States claimed rights to all of the lands west of the Rockies, as did the HBC.
James Polk was elected American president in 1844. The expansionist policy of Manifest Destiny and the rallying cry of “54-40 or Fight” (54° 40’ North latitude was the southern border of Russian America) were touchstones of American politics in the 1840s. They represented the American demand for the entire Oregon Country. Following his election, Polk threatened to take Great Britain to war over the Oregon Country. Not wanting to go to war with the United States again, Britain agreed to negotiations.
James Polk (1795-1849), 11th President of the United States, painted by George Peter Alexander Healy. Courtesy the White House Historical Association (White House Collection).
