In the spring of 1843 the American inhabitants of the Willamette Valley organized a provisional government. A legislative committee was appointed on May 2, 1843, and on July 5, 1843 the original constitution prepared by this legislative body was approved by the people, agreeing to adopt the laws and regulations, until such time as the United States of America extend their jurisdiction over the Willamette Valley area. This was done so that any person holding land at this time wishing to establish or claim ownership could do so. The claimants had six months to make permanent improvements to establish said claim, and the individuals included in this index filed papers to do so.
Our volunteers have indexed 4,137 claims from Genealogical Material in the Oregon Provisional Land Claims, which were abstracted from the original applications which were filed 1845-1849. Links below point to the first name on each of 8 index pages.
A copy of the page with the abstract from the Oregon Provisional Land Claims may be purchased using this form, sold at our library, or you can take this opportunity to visit us and see the abstract of the application information filed by your ancestor. Please note that we do not have copies of the original applications. Digital images of an abstract may be ordered for $5 per page; hard copies are $7 per page. Order one or more abstracts with the form and be sure to indicate the name and page number for each on your order.