"Oregon had a halving schedule.
In the early 1840s, 640 acres of prime farmland were granted to each couple who arrived via the Oregon Trail. One square mile.
In 1850, this was decreased to 320 acres.
In 1862, this was decreased to 160 acres.
The earlier a new adopter made the journey, the better off they were.
But of course, the earlier you went, the more dangerous and challenging the journey was.
The earliest migrants attempted the journey before the Oregon Trail was navigable by covered wagon.
In 1839, 18 men set out from Illinois with a flag emblazoned with their motto “Oregon or the Grave.” Half of these men made it to the fertile land of Oregon; half died on the journey.
Each year after, more attempted the journey. Such was the promise of a new life, and ample farmland in Oregon.
“The Great Migration of 1843” brought 1,000 new settlers via wagon train.
Imagine how late those families felt. All the very best farmland was taken.
Instead of 640 acres right next to the Willamette River, you might have to settle for an equally fertile plot one mile away!
Of course, we can recognize that complaint as ridiculous. It’s obvious to us that anyone in the first few thousand settlers of Oregon was extremely early.
And guess what… that’s effectively where we’re at with Bitcoin.
Everyone who arrives at the Bitcoin thesis feels late. Everyone wishes they had stacked sats earlier.
But it’s better to remember how many people are still behind us.
Bitcoin isn’t a small region like Oregon. Bitcoin is for everyone - it is digital capital that could grow to be 50% of all the world’s asset value, according to Saylor.
And yet, maybe 10M people on Earth understand Bitcoin as an important savings vehicle. That’s ~0.1% of the world.
So if you’re arriving now, you’re in the first 0.2% of genuine adopters. That means 99.8% of the world is still behind you. And they’re on their way.
You may not feel like you’re early to Oregon… but you are.
Make the most of this opportunity and your descendants will know you as the legend who changed everything for your family."
