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.
During the 1800s, the United States was not as big as it is today. Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 that more than doubled the size of the country. The Louisiana Territory, however, did not extend all the way to the west coast. While the area that makes up California today was owned by Spain, the Oregon Territory was up for grabs. The Oregon Territory started at the Pacific Ocean and stretched all the way inland to the Rocky Mountains, covering the area you know today as Washington and Oregon in the U.S., and British Columbia in Canada. The United States was very interested in that land, and Great Britain, Spain, and Russia had their sights set on it, too! Claims. Each of the interested countries had their own specific claims to the Oregon Territory.