Oregon's history began with indigenous peoples for thousands of years, followed by European exploration in the 16th century and the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 19th century. The fur trade and missionary work led to American settlement, which culminated in the 1843 "Wolf Meetings," the creation of a provisional government, and the 1846 Oregon Treaty with Britain that established the U.S. border at the 49th parallel. Oregon was organized as a U.S. territory in 1848 and became the 33rd state in 1859.