The origins of the state of Jefferson date back to the first settlers of the mountain border region of northern California and southern Oregon.

Local Native Americans

Clans and tribes of native Americans rivaled one another for the prime hunting grounds, fishing waters and wintering grounds.

At the turn of the 19th century, the 3rd president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, commissioned the Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore the uncharted west. They blazed the trail for westward migration, opening up the territories for exploration and settlement. Settlers of European descent moving through the Jefferson region led to unrest and difficulties among the natives who were being displaced. Sadly, for the natives, western civilization came to the mountain border region.