State of Jefferson

Jefferson is a mostly rural area of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Several times during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries there have been attempts to establish the area as a separate U.S. state. The region on the Pacific Coast is most famous for several attempts throughout U.S. history to name a state after Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. The name was proposed in the 19th century for the Territory of Jefferson, as well as in 1915 in a bill in the Texas legislature for a proposed state that would be created from the Texas Panhandle region.

19th century

In 1852, at the first California state legislature, a bill was introduced to create a "state of Shasta" encompassing much of the area known as Jefferson, including the Shasta Cascade.

Two years later, a separate movement began in southern Oregon. A proposal to create such a state was presented to Congress and remained open until Oregon was granted statehood in 1859.

20th century

In October of 1941, the mayor of Port Orford, Oregon, Gilbert Gable, announced that the Oregon counties of Curry, Josephine, Jackson, and Klamath should join with the California counties of Del Norte, Siskiyou and Modoc to form a new state, which was later named Jefferson.

Gable proposed creating this new state to draw attention to the condition of the state roads along the Oregon-California border, which at the time were oiled dirt roads that became impassable in rain or snow, and handicapped economic development. As local historian Jim Rock explains, "It was more publicity stunt than serious secession movement at that point. After all, under the U.S. Constitution, they had to get the approval of Congress as well as the legislatures of both states."

Gable's act found sympathy throughout the region, who perceived their state legislatures as indifferent to their needs. Siskiyou county especially embraced the cause: the county seat Yreka became the provisional capital, where in November, 1941 county representatives met and selected the name Jefferson for their county, in commemoration of Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president.

While inhabitants in Lassen and Shasta counties in northern California flirted with joining the secession movement, only the counties of Curry, Sisikiyou, Trinity, and Del Norte actually endorsed the idea.

On November 27, 1941, a group of young men gained national media attention when, brandishing hunting rifles for dramatic effect, they stopped traffic on U.S. Highway 99 south of Yreka, and handed out copies of a Proclamation of Independence, stating that the state of Jefferson was in "patriotic rebellion against the States of California and Oregon" and would continue to "secede every Thursday until further notice."

The secession movement came to an abrupt end. The first blow was the death of mayor Gable on December 2, followed several days later by the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7.

Today

As described in a April, 2003 American Journalism Review (http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2884) article:

The "state" is diverse politically, with a mixture of conservatives and liberals. Many share the Westerner's common disdain of government and politics. "Politicians and diapers need to be changed often for the same reason," reads one bumper sticker. And many also share a desire to hang on to the landscape that draws both residents and tourists to an area that stretches from the stunning Oregon coast to ethereal Crater Lake and down to California's towering Mt. Shasta.

The region retains this identity reinforced by institutions such as Jefferson Public Radio.

Today there are more talks of creating the new state, mostly only half serious. Many citizens of "Jefferson" feel threatened by National Marine Fisheries Service's plans to create fish hatcheries along the Klamath River, as well as creating a buffering zone along the river. This buffering zone would oust many people from their homes and even demolish an entire town.

Jefferson is commemorated by the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway between Yreka and O'Brien, Oregon, which runs 108 miles along California State Highway 96 and U.S. Forest Service Primary Route 48.

External links

• Mythical State of Jefferson (http://www.sojaa.org/state-of-jefferson.php)
• Jefferson, the 51st State (http://www.jeffersonstate.com/) with map and flag
• Jefferson Public Radio (http://www2.jeffnet.org/Page.asp?ID=2) on the state of Jefferson