facade. 1  Architecture. the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one. 2  a superficial appearance or illusion of something: They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth.
The Oregon Territory stretched from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains, encompassing the area including present-day Oregon, Washington, and most of British Columbia. Originally Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States claimed the territory. In 1819, under terms of the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain ceded its claims to the territory to the United States. Shortly thereafter the United States contested a unilateral Russian move to grant its citizens a fishing, whaling, and commercial monopoly from the Bering Straits to the 51st parallel.
The dispute was finally settled in 1846 with the Treaty of Oregon, and the northern border was set at the 49th parallel, the modern border between Canada and the United States. Many of the settlers following the Oregon Trail migrated north and settled in Washington in the Puget Sound area. The first settlement was in 1846. In 1853, part of the Oregon Territory was named the Washington Territory.