Over the course of its six-year history the legislature passed laws, including taxation and liquor regulation, and created an army to deal with conflicts with Native Americans.

On May 2, 1843, by a vote of 52 to 50, the European American settlers of the Oregon Country (mainly those from the Willamette Valley), created a provisional government at Champoeg.

[3] The group met again for two days starting on June 16, with George LeBreton serving as the recorder and Moore as the chairman for both sets of meetings.

[4] At that time the title of the legislature was the Legislative Committee and it consisted of nine elected representatives apportioned by population to the four established districts (which later became counties).

[5] At the December meeting, Executive Committee members Peter G. Stewart and Osborne Russell presented a message to the group regarding the opposing claims of the United States and Great Britain.

[10] These sessions of the legislature designated Oregon City as the official capital and introduced income and property taxes that replaced an 1843 subscription program used to finance the government's activities.

[7] At the meetings John E. Long served as the recorder, Frederick Prigg as the clerk, a Mr. Shaw as the sergeant at arms, and two people as chaplains.

[7] One piece of legislation passed was a pilotage law that set standards and licensed boat pilots at the mouth of the Columbia River.

[1] The 1846 legislature met in the home of Henry Montgomery Knighton in Oregon City from December 1 through 19, with Asa Lovejoy serving as the speaker and leader.

[12][13] On the second day of this meeting at Main and Seventh streets, news of the Whitman massacre, which occurred on November 29, 1847, was delivered to the legislature by Governor Abernethy.

[7] Less than a month later, when the new territorial governor Joseph Lane arrived, however, he rescinded the law as unconstitutional and the coins were collected and removed from circulation.

[15] On August 13, 1848, the United States Congress created the Oregon Territory out of the land between California and the 49th parallel (this served as the border with Britain's North American colonies) and west of the Rocky Mountains.

[18] These bodies met for the first time on July 16, 1849, with some members of the provisional legislature continuing into the new government, including David Hill, Asa Lovejoy, Samuel Parker, and Absalom J.