Benny Beaver

Benny Beaver is the official mascot of Oregon State University. The adoption of a beaver as the university's mascot is linked to Oregon's history as a territorial leader in America's early fur trade. The Oregon Territory was well known for its large populations of beaver and the region became a stronghold, in the early 1800s, for the Hudson's Bay Company's beaver trapping operations. Once Oregon acquired statehood in 1859, the beaver continued as the state's symbol and was later adopted as... full article at wikipedia