It was no quick path to statehood for Oregon, and the years leading up to the territory becoming a state in 1859 were frequently turbulent.
A group of young men allied with the Democratic Party were behind some of the turbulence, and they were accused of everything from supporting slavery to seeking to establish a Mormon republic.
These men get a modern-day examination in Barbara Mahoney's book The Salem Clique: Oregon's Founding Brothers. The author joins us to separate verifiable fact from early Oregon tall tales.
