Newberg

By: Christy Van Heukelem and Tom Fuller

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Synopsis: The land that became the city of Newberg played a crucial role in the founding of the state of Oregon. It provided the second permanent encampment after Fort Astoria for trappers coming to the Pacific Northwest. Ewing Young came to Oregon in 1834, claiming as his own a vast stretch of land around his home in the Chehalem Valley. When Ewing died without a will, nearby residents gathered to settle Ewing's estate. This event led directly to the vote at Champoeg to make Oregon part of the United States. The town's name was given by pioneer Sebastian Brutscher after his Bavarian hometown of Neuburg. Other settlers arrived, and soon Newberg was a thriving pioneer town. Among the new settlers were members of the Friends Church, who set up an academy that is today one of the premier Christian universities in the country. Newberg was also home or way station to two U.S. presidents.