# Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 27/Number 1/Oregon Geographic Names

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Oregon Geographic Names
By LEWIS A. MCARTHUR
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
For introductory note by the editor of the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly and for preface by Mr. McArthur , see page 309 of the Quarterly for December , 1925. Mr. McArthur is particularly anxious for corrections , criticisms and additions , for this and the pre vious number , and will welcome such addressed to him at Gasco Building , Portland , Oregon . - EDITOR Quarterly .
CORRECTIONS
Some typographical errors crept into the first installment of this work and some misinformation has been pointed out . These are outlined below . The page numbers indicate the location of the material in the Quarterly for December, 1925.
Page 314. The best information seems to indicate that the correct spelling of the pioneer settlement at Albany was Takenah and not Takena .
Page 314. The information printed under the heading Albee has been revised and appears in this installment .
Page 319. Ankeny Bottom . The writer is of the opinion that Henry E. Ankeny came to Oregon about 1850 rather than 1852 .
Page 326. Azalea , Douglas County . Supplemental information about this name will be found in this installment .
Page 328. Baker County . The information printed about Colonel E. D. Baker is apparently somewhat scant as several have suggested that it should be amplified . It will be when this material is reprinted . It is interesting to note that he had been made a major - general just before he was killed .
Page 333. Barrett. The writer is advised that Dr. Barrett settled in the Hood River Valley in 1871 and that he died in 1900.
Page 339. Bend . See supplemental information in this number .
Page 345. About half way down the page is an absurd typographical error. The entry for August 8 should be 1811 and not 1911.
Page 349. Bradford Island . It should have been noted that Lewis and Clark called this island Strawberry Island and it was so known for some time . For details of the fight with Indians on this island see Oregon Pioneer Association Trasactions 1896 .
Page 352. Buena Vista . Information under this item has been revised and is reprinted in this installment .
Page 368. Cape Kiwanda . The writer is informed that John W. Meldrum of Oregon City stated that Kiwanda was the name of a local Indian chief , and had nothing to do with the meaning Wind Mountain occasionally attributed to it .
Page 349. The Washington legislature has officially cut the final “e” off Clark in the spelling of Clark County .
Page 400. Coe Glacier . Here is an unintentional blunder . Captain Henry Coe is the correct name, and not George.
Page 404. Another blunder. Archibald McDonald was of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Page 418. Ed Croisan of Salem says his father was born in Munich in 1812. Land office records indicate that he was born in 1817 , but the latter may be in error as the handwriting on the old records is not always spencerian in character .
Page 420. Cucamonga Creek . The writer is advised that this stream was named by Mrs. Dolly Kiger . Her reasons for so doing are unknown .
Page 421. Culver . The original site of Culver post office was about five miles east of the present location .
PART II .
ABBOTT BURN , Clackamas County . Abbott Burn was named for James Abbott , a well known stockman of Wapinitia . It is near the headwaters of Salmon River .
ABBOTT BUTTE , Douglas and Jackson Counties . The following quotation from a letter written the writer by Captain 0. C. Applegate , of Klamath Falls , indicates the origin of this name : " In very early times Hiram Abbott , usually known as Hi . Abbott , was , I believe , a resident of Big Butte Creek , or of that vicinity, and had some employment , as a sub -agent , perhaps , with the Rogue River Indians . He never was in any way connected with the Indian service on the Klamath reservation . I am of the impression that Abbott Butte on the Umpqua divide was named for him . "
ABERT RIM , Lake County . Abert Rim is one of the impressive fault scarps of Oregon , and is said to have a height of at least 2000 feet above Lake Abert. The upper 600 feet is practically vertical cliff. This rim was named for Lake Abert, which lies at its western foot . For the origin of the name of Lake Abert, see under that heading . Captain John C. Fremont discovered the lake and rim on December 20 , 1843 , and wrote quite accurately of this rim , as well as others in south central Oregon . Abert Rim and surrounding country are well described in U.S. G . S . Water - Supply Paper 220. The highest part of the rim is just east of the south end of Lake Abert.
ALBEE , Umatilla County . The land plat for the com munity of Albee , Umatilla County , was filed July 15 , 1887 , under the name of Alba . Alba is Latin for white . The place is now and has been for many years known as Albee for the Albee brothers , well known local stockmen . The compiler does not know the reason for this discrepancy in names . Possibly the land was platted with an old family name , at a time when Albee was spelled Alba . Possibly the similarity of names is merely a coincidence .
However that may be, Albee is the name of the place at present. ( This information should be substituted for the paragraph under the same heading in the Quarterly for December , 1925. )
ALEXANDER BUTTE , Douglas County . Alexander Butte is northwest of Dillard , and has an elevation of about 1600 feet . It was named for David Alexander , an early settler , who lived near its foot .
ALFORD , Linn County . Alford is a station on the Southern Pacific line between Halsey and Harrisburg . It bears the name of Thomas Alford , a pioneer of 1852 upon whose donation land claim it is located . The station was originally known as Muddy , on account of Muddy Creek which flows nearby . The name of the creek appears in The Oregonian as early as November 7 , 1857 .
ANEROID LAKE , Wallowa County . Aneroid Lake is said to have been named as a result of a surveyor and some experience he had with a aneroid barometer . It is said that he dropped it in the lake and ruined it . A story has been circulated that it was named for a girl, Anna Royd , but the compiler places no credence in that version .
APPLEGATE BUTTE , Klamath County . Applegate Butte and Little Applegate Butte nearby are on the Klamath Indian Reservation , east of Fort Klamath . They bear the name of Philip Applegate , a grandson of General E. L . Applegate . Philip Applegate was long a forester in the Klamath country .
ARDENWALD , Clackamas County Ardenwald is said to have been named for Arden Rockwood , whose father owned the site of the community , and platted the town . This was about 1910. Wald is German for wood , and the combination name was used because of the woods in the neighborhood .
ARNOLD ICE CAVE , Deschutes County . Arnold Ice Cave has been so known for a number of years , and the name is apparently established . However , Robert B.
Gould of Bend advises the writer that the name of Arnold came to be applied to this cave as a result of the misreading of a county road sign , which bore directions both for Arnold ( ranch ) and the ice cave . Visitors combined the two names on the signboard , with the result that "Arnold Ice Cave ” is now well known under that name.
ASCHOFF BUTTES , Clackamas County . These buttes lie about five miles east of Marmot and are north of Little Sandy River . They were named for Adolf Aschoff , a native of Germany , who emigrated to the United States in 1869 and came to Oregon in 1882. He settled at what is now Marmot on March 16 , 1883 , and for many years has been a prominent guide and forester in that part of the state . Mr. Aschoff has been an enthusiastic advocate of all things tending to preserve and popularize the scenic features of Oregon. The buttes bear his name. See under MARMOT.
AZALEA, Douglas County . The name of Azalea has been used for a post office in Douglas county at two different times , and the post offices of Azalea, Starveout and Booth have at different times all served more or less the same territory in upper Cow Creek Valley. Starveout post office was established February 18, 1888 with H. L. Miser postmaster . The name o f the place was changed t o Booth on August 2 4 , 1907 , probably because the name Starveout was suggestive o f an unsatisfactory locality . The name o f Booth post office was changed t o Azalea on May 6 , 1914. I n the meantime there had been another Azalea post office which was established October 1 7 , 1899 , with Geo . B . Balderree a s first postmaster . This post office was discontinued September 3 0 , 1909. The postmaster a t Azalea i n 1925 advises the writer that Mrs. Maggie Pickett suggested the present name o f Azalea for the former Booth post office . The writer does not know who suggested the name o f the original Azalea post office . ( This information i s supplemental t o paragraph appear ing i n Quarterly for December , 1925. )
BACA LAKE , Harney County . This is a small over flow lake near Donner und Blitzen River south of Malheur Lake . It has an elevation of about 4160 feet . Baca , or vaca is the Spanish word for cow , and the lake was named by Mrs. Dolly Kiger because so many cattle watered there. BALLSTON , Polk County . Ballston was named for Isaac Ball , who took up a donation land claim where the town now stands .
BALM MOUNTAIN , Douglas County . Balm Mountain is in the northeastern part of the county in the Calapooya Mountains and has an elevation of 6088 feet . It was named for a brushy plant known as mountain balm , or mountain lilac , ceanothus velutinus . This plant is also called snow bush and sticky laurel .
BARNES, Crook County . For some years Barnes was a post office in the south part of Crook County . The office was discontinued July 31 , 1925 , and mail is now handled through Roberts post office . The Barnes office was named for Harry Barnes as it was established at his ranch and he was the first postmaster .
BARTON LAKE , Harney County . This lake was named for an early settler nearby . It is about ten miles south of Malheur Lake .
BATES BUTTE, Deschutes County . Bates Butte is west of Deschutes River and north of Fall River . It received its name from George Bates , a homesteader who settled nearby .
BAY CITY , Tillamook County . For many years that part of Tillamook County around Bay City has been known as "down the bay," and when the county was first organized , the voting precinct for that section was called Bay Precinct. The town was established in 1888 and named by Winfield S. Cone. It is said that Cone came from Bay City, Michigan, and that he thus had a double reason for naming Bay City, Oregon, as he did. The post
office at Bay City was established about 1890 , with Oslo Young first postmaster . There had been a post office on Tillamook Bay previous to that time , at Kilchis , but the Kilchis office was closed after Bay City office was established . Before Kilchis office was established , mail service was from Tillamook , some distance away .
BEAGLE , Jackson County . Beagle was named for William Beagle , an early settler in the community and one - time postmaster .
BEAVER , Tillamook County . It is not surprising that the name of the animal that exercised such influence in the history of the West should be attached to so many geographic features . There are three post offices in Oregon with Beaver as the dominant part of the name, and a score of creeks, mountains and buttes . The American Beaver ( castor canadensis and its subspecies ) occupied a wide field on this continent and existed in great numbers . Beavers are heavily built , and are covered with long , coarse hairs overlying the short, dense and silky underfur to which beaver skins owe their value . The abundance and high value of this fur had a great influence in the early exploration and development of North America . Beaver skins were the one ready product of the western world which the merchants of Europe were eager to purchase, and as a consequence the competition in trapping was keen to the point where it caused international complications . Beaver skins passed as a standard of barter .
Beavers belong to the rodent family , a group notable for low mental powers . Beavers are an exception to this rule , however . They have extraordinary intelligence , though probably not as great as sometimes stated . They apparently understand a great deal about hydraulic operations and save themselves much labor by digging canals for floating and transporting sticks and branches needed for food . They live entirely on twigs and bark , and have
a gnawing capacity that is startling. There appears to be no truth in the reports that they use their flat tails as trowels , and they do not transport mud thereon . This is done by means of their front paws . The beaver is considered to be a symbol of industry , and pioneers of Oregon were quick to associate this idea with the new commonwealth . The first money was known as “ Beaver Money . "
BEECH CREEK , Grant County . This post office is about ten miles north of Mt. Vernon . In response to inquiries made by the writer , Mr. B. C. Trobridge of John Day who settled in the John Day Valley July 19 , 1862 , states that Beech Creek was named for a pioneer settler who lived near the mouth of the stream . Maud M. Car son , made postmaster in 1925 , informs the writer the post office was established about 1900 by James Berry , and it seemed at that time appropriate to name it after Beech Creek because it was located near the headwaters of that stream .
BELKNAP CRATER , Deschutes and Lane Counties . This is one of the important features of the Cascade Range , and lies just north of McKenzie Pass . The crater and its enormous lava fields are easily seen from the McKenzie Highway and produce a spectacle that is awe inspiring to say the least . The crater has an extreme elevation of about 7000 feet. It was named for J. H. Belknap , an early resident along the McKenzie River , and a son of R. S. Belknap who developed Belknap Springs . J . H. Belknap was interested in the toll road that was built over McKenzie Pass in the early ' 70s .
BELKNAP SPRINGS , Lane County . R. S. Belknap located these springs in November , 1869 , and conceived a plan for developing them . They now bear his name . BEND, Deschutes County . The compiler feels that the paragraph under this heading in the previous installment was not entirely satisfactory . It should be said that for a
considerable distance Deschutes River occupies a canyon in central Oregon , and there are comparatively few places where it would have been easy in pioneer days to get a wagon down to the water's edge and ford the stream . The most accessible of these places, and the point where a canyon was not in evidence was at a pronounced double bend in the river where the city of Bend is now located . It afforded a good place to camp in pleasant surroundings . It is certain that it was thus used in the days of the emigrations , but just how early cannot now be determined . It was also used when the road was opened over McKenzie Pass . The place began to be known as Farewell Bend , and the name was appropriate irrespective of the destination of the traveler , north , south , east or west . This origin of the name has been objected to on the ground that emigrant travelers would not say farewell when they meant goodbye , for farewell meant a place where the fare was good . Nevertheless the compiler is of the opinion that farewell in the sense of goodbye was not an uncommon use of the word , and meant that the emigrants were sorry to leave the pleasant spot .
BETHEL , Polk County . All that remains of this com munity is a school , situated at the base of the Eola Hills about a mile east of McCoy . In pioneer days the Chris tian Church , known locally as the "Campbellites , ” founded Bethel Academy in the Eola Hills , which was chartered in 1856 at Bethel Institute and opened in that year with 60 pupils , and with Thaddeus R. Harrison as first teacher. For information about Bethel Institute and Harrison see Scott's History of the Oregon Country , volume II , page 322. Bethel Institute was later merged with Monmouth Christian College , now the Oregon State Normal School . Bethel is a Hebrew word meaning “ House of God .” The name was applied to a holy city of Palestine originally known as Luz .
BEULAH , Malheur County . Beulah is said to have been named after Beulah Arnold , a girl who lived in the com munity .
BIG HOLE , Lake County . Big Hole is a sunken spot in the northwest part of the county , with an area of about a quarter of a square mile . It is roughly circular , and its bottom is about three hundred feet below the surrounding land level . The name well describes it . Big Hole Butte lies just to the northeast .
BINGHAM LAKE, Klamath County . Bingham Lake is south of Crescent Lake . It is named for Cy J. Bingham , for many years connected with the Forest Service and later sheriff of Grant County .
BIRDSEYE CREEK , Jackson County . This stream runs into Rogue River two miles south of the town of Rogue River . It was named for a pioneer settler near its mouth . The word is pronounced , in this case , with the accent on the first syllable .
BIRKENFELD , Columbia County . Antone Birkenfeld , a native of Germany , settled in the Nehalem Valley in 1886 , and located the present site of Birkenfeld about 1910. The place is named for him .
BLACHLY , Lane County . Blachly is three miles from Triangle Lake , a well known geographical feature in the Coast Range . Residents of the neighborhood formerly received their mail at Franklin post office , now discontinued . The office at Blachly was established about 1892 , and named for William Blachly , a local resident .
BLALOCK MOUNTAIN , Umatilla County . Blalock Mountain lies in the northeast part of Umatilla County , between North and South forks of Walla Walla River . It has an elevation of over 5000 feet . It was named for Dr. Nelson G. Blalock whose name is attached to the com munity of Blalock , Gilliam County . For information about Dr. Blalock see under that heading . At one time
Dr. Blalock cut timber and wood on top of Blalock Mountain and flumed it down into the two forks of the Walla Walla River . It is on that account that Blalock Mountain bears its name.
BLOODY RUN , Josephine County . This stream is three miles east of Grants Pass . It was so called because of the frequent attacks made by Indians on pioneer settlers . It was probably the murder of J. K . Jones and his wife on October 9 , 1855 , near this stream that gave it its name .
BOWERS SLOUGH , Benton County . This slough joins Willamette River from the north about four miles west of Albany . Two brothers of the name of Bowers lived in this vinicity in pioneer days and the slough was named for them .
BRADLEY TRAIL , Douglas County . This trail is a well known route of travel along the North Umpqua River in the eastern part of the county . It was named for William Bradley , a pioneer trapper and mountain stockman , who is said to have been born near Oakland , and to have worked his way into the headwaters of the North Umpqua River as early as 1875 , when he was a young man . He traded deer meat and hides with Indians , taking ponies in return , which he sold in Eugene and other points . This trade opened up a trail across the Cascade Range , which has ever since been known as the Bradley Trail , and much of it has been put on modern standards by the Forest Service . Bradley Creek , a tributary of the North Ump qua rising west of Windigo Butte also bears the name of the same man . Bradley was killed by a horse in 1909 , dying near his lonely cabin at Illahe .
BRAYMILL , Klamath County . This post office is a comparatively new one in Oregon . The name of the office was coined by taking the last name of W. M. Bray , principal owner of the Sprague River Company , which operates a sawmill at that point , and combining it with the word “ mill .” Surely ingenuity could go no farther .
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS , Multnomah County . The romantically inclined never fail to name at least one import ant water fall in a state Bridal Veil. The falls in Oregon bearing this name are quite attractive during the higher stages of water , even though they are to a certain extent obscured by the bridge of the Columbia River Highway . They have borne this name since pioneer days . There is a good sized community nearby named Bridal Veil . The creek forming the falls is also known as Bridal Veil Creek . It heads on Larch Mountain .
BROADMEAD , Polk County . “ Mead " is the Anglo Saxon word for meadow , and Broadmead means Broad meadow . The post office was established January 8 , 1915 , with Wm . H. Morris postmaster .
BROWNLEE , Baker County . Two men by the name of Brownlee , an uncle and nephew , settled on the Idaho side of Snake River in the ' 60s . When the railroad was built down the Oregon side , the company named the station Brownlee , and the post office used the same name . The latter was established in 1913 .
BROWNS MOUNTAIN , Deschutes County . Browns Mountain is south of Crane Prairie , and Browns Creek is nearby . These features were named for a homesteader who settled in the neighborhood .
BRYANT LAKE , Linn County . This is a small slough lake about a mile west of Albany . It was named for Hub Bryant, a pioneer resident . Bryant Park , in Albany , was given to the city by the same man . He owned consider able land in the vicinity of the lake .
BUCKFORK , Douglas County . Buckfork is the name of a post office located on Buck Fork , a tributary of North Myrtle Creek . Buck Fork stream was probably named for Buck Peak , a prominent landmark south of Lane Mountain , as it heads near the peak .
BUCK ISLAND , Klamath County . Buck Island is near the lower end of Upper Klamath Lake . It is one of many
features in Oregon named for some event connected with a deer . In pioneer days it was called Rattlesnake Island . BUCKNECK MOUNTAIN , Douglas County . This mountain is on the divide between Rogue River and North Umpqua River , northwest of Crater Lake , and has an elevation of 6173 feet . The origin of the name is not known , but it was applied by a sheepherder some time prior to 1906 .
BUCK ROCK , Jackson County . Buck Rock is a well known landmark northeast of Trail. It was named about 1860 by Albert Winkle , a pioneer hunter and trapper . Its top was frequented by deer .
BUENA VISTA , Polk County . The compiler is informed by E. M . Croisan , of Salem , that Buena Vista was named by his grandfather , Reason B. Hall , whose donation land claim formed the site of the community . Hall was born in Georgia in 1791 , and settled on his land claim about 1847. He named Buena Vista about 1850 , because some of his relatives participated in the battle of Buena Vista in Mexico . About the time he named the community , he started Halls Ferry across Willamette River . James A. O'Neil built a warehouse in Buena Vista , the first mercantile establishment , about 1850. Later one of Reason Hall's sons started another Halls Ferry north of Independence . Buena Vista is Spanish for Beautiful View or Good View . ( This paragraph should be substituted for information under Buena Vista in Quarterly for December , 1925. )
BULLDOG ROCK , Douglas County . This rock is near the summit of the Calapooya Mountains in the northeast ern part of the county and has an elevation of 5801 feet . It was named by Forest Supervisor E. H. McDaniels on account of the prominence with which this bluff stood out from i t s immediate surroundings , i n defiance o f the elements .
BULLRUN , Clackamas County . The post office was named for the river, but the postal authorities were ap parently pressed with efficiency at the time the office was established and telescoped the two words into one . BULL RUN LAKE , Clackamas and Multnomah Counties . Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that the Klickitat Indian name for Bull Run Lake was Gohabedikt , meaning Loon Lake . It is not surprising that such a name was not used by white men . The lake undoubtedly received its present name from Bull Run River , not vice versa . The compiler has no evidence that the lake was called Chitwood for an old settler , as it seems improbable that anyone could have settled in such a locality . Bull Run Lake has an area of about .6 of a square mile , and an elevation of 3161 feet . The natural outlet is through underground springs forming Bull Run River , but a dam now regulates part of the leakage . Contrary to general belief , no drainage from melting snow or ice on Mount Hood enters Bull Run drainage basin . A chemical description of the water may be secured from U. S. G . S. Water -Supply Paper 363. The intake of Portland water supply is about 20 miles down stream from the lake . Economically , Bull Run Lake is the most important lake in Oregon , for it is the source of water -supply for about a third of the population of the state . BUTTERFIELD , Clatsop County . Butterfield is a sta tion just north of Gearhart . It was named for Charles Butterfield , who married Margaret Gearhart , daughter of a Clatsop Plains pioneer . CALAMUT LAKE , Douglas County . This is in the ex . treme northeast part of the county . The writer has been unable to secure definite information as to how it got its name , but it seems probable that it may have been an early form of Klamath , and may have been so called by emigrants . The form of spelling here used is that adopted by the U. S. Geographic Board .
CALIMUS BUTTE, Klamath County . This is an import ant landmark near the center of the Klamath Indian Res ervation and it is used as a fire lookout station . Captain O. C. Applegate , the authority on the Klamath country , says the origin of the name is obscure. One Klamath Indian told him it meant Flat Butte .
CARNATION , Washington County . This post office just south of Forest Grove was established May 20 , 1905 , with Clarence L. Bump first postmaster . It was so named because the Carnation Milk Products Company formerly had a condensery near the place , and Mr. Bump's store where the post office was located was the Carnation store .
CASCADIA , Linn County . This post office was so named because it was located in the Cascade Range .
CAVERHILL , Grant County . The post office of Caver hill was established through the efforts of W. S. Caverhill, a local resident , and it was accordingly named for him . The office was opened about 1912 , and Nellie Caverhill was first postmaster .
CAZAD MOUNTAIN , Douglas County . This prominent mountain northeast of Oakland was named for a pioneer settler of the neighborhood .
CHAPMAN POINT , Clatsop County . Chapman Point is the first important projection into the sea north of Elk Creek and the first outlying southern point of Tillamook Head . It received its name from W. S. Chapman, a well known civil engineer of Portland who owned the point and considerable property nearby.
CHAPMAN SLOUGH , Harney County . This slough is part of Silvies River south of Burns. It was named for a pioneer settler along its banks, John Chapman . CHATFIELD , Wasco County . This siding i s o n the Ore gon - Washington Railroad & Navigation Company line near Mosier . The station was named i n 1920 for R . D.
Chatfield a well -known fruit grower in the neighborhood , and at the time of this writing is manager of the Mosier Fruit Growers Association .
CHEENEY CREEK , Clackamas County . Cheeney Creek is a tributary of Salmon River south of Welches . Surveyors on a power project originally named this stream Sheeny Creek , apparently without substantial reason . The Forest Service changed the name to Cheeney .
CHINA HAT , Deschutes County . China Hat is a butte east of Paulina Mountains . It received its name because , when viewed from Fort Rock , it resembled the style of hat worn by Chinamen during early days of the Pacific Northwest .
CHINIDERE MOUNTAIN , Hood River County . This mountain is just west of Wahtum Lake and has an eleva tion of 4666 feet . H. D . Langille, pioneer resident of Hood River Valley and an authority on the Mt. Hood region states that Chinidere was the last reigning chief of the Wasco Indians , and that this mountain was named for him .
CHOPTIE PRAIRIE , Klamath County . Choptie Prairie is between Saddle Mountain and Chiloquin Ridge , on Klamath Indian Reservation . The name is derived from a Klamath Indian word meaning hidden , or secluded , which well describes this prairie .
CINNAMON BUTTE , Douglas County . This butte is about five miles north of Diamond Lake , and has an ele vation of 6400 feet . It was named by 0. C. Houser of the Forest Service in 1908 because of the characteristic color of the brush and rock formation near its summit .
CLIFTON , Clatsop County . Clifton was a settlement on the south bank of the Columbia River long before the railroad was built and at one time J. W. and V. Cook , pioneer salmon packers , had a cannery there . The name is apparently descriptive of the cliffs above the river, but
the compiler has been unable to ascertain who named the place, or when it was done . Information would be grate fully appreciated . Clifton post office was established January 6 , 1874 , with Vincent Cook first postmaster .
CLIFTON , Hood River County . This name has been applied to the locality about three miles west of Hood River where the Columbia River Highway begins to drop down from the top of the well defined cliffs that characterize the place . The highway has an elevation at this point of about 250 feet above the river .
CLIMAX , Jackson County . B . B . Charley , postmaster at Climax in January , 1926 , writes : " No one now living here knows anything about the name of Climax , how , when or why." Who does ?
CLOVERDALE , Tillamook County . Cloverdale was founded and named by Charles Ray ( 1851-1925 ) , who settled in Tillamook County about 1884 on the farm that subsequently became the site of the community . He established a store , hotel, bank and cheese factory at Cloverdale , and was a charter member of Cloverdale Grange . It is presumed that the name is descriptive of the surroundings , which constitute a fine dairy country . The name was suggested by Cloverdale , California , where Mr. Ray occasionally visited .
COAST FORK WILLAMETTE RIVER , Lane County . This is the smallest of the three streams that combine in the neighborhood of Eugene to form Willamette River . The other two are McKenzie River ( formerly McKenzie Fork ) and Middle Fork . The Coast Fork is so named be cause it headed more nearly toward the coast than did the other two . It has been so called since pioneer days . COFFIN BUTTE , Benton County . Coffin Butte lies about three miles southwest of Suver , and just west of the West Side Pacific Highway . It has an elevation of
732 feet. Viewed from the southeast, this hill has a re markable resemblance to a coffin , hence the name ap plied .
COLEMAN MOUNTAIN , Harney County . This moun tain and a nearby creek were named for a stockman who lived in the vicinity .
COOPEY FALLS , Multnomah County . Coopey Falls were named for Charles Coopey , for many years a well known tailor in Portland . Mr. Coopey was a native of England . He owned land adjacent to the falls that bear his name . Coos HEAD , Coos County . Coos Head is in the north ern part of Cape Arago . The name Cape Arago is given to the western point of a headland about 500 feet high , just south of Coos Bay . At the northwestern corner of this headland is a lighthouse , called Coos Head Light house . Coos Head is only about 100 feet high . COPPERFIELD , Wallowa County . Copperfield is on the west bank of Snake River . The place has had a meteoric career . About 1900 there was a considerable number of prospectors in the place , and it was called Copper Camp, because of the character of the nearby ore . Soon after this the community was definitely named Copperfield , and by 1910 there were about 1000 inhabitants , the in crease in population being due to the digging of two tunnels by the railroad company and by the predecessor of the Idaho Power Company near the Oxbow . In 1914 Copperfield became really famous when Governor Oswald West sent his secretary , Miss Fern Hobbs , double armed with determination and a signed declaration of marshal law , to clean up the morals of the place . The community was trying to recover from the struggle between Miss Hobbs and the power of darkness , when fire swept away most of the buildings , so it was impossible to determine if Righteousness had prevailed . Two more fires have about made Copperfield a thing of the past.
COTTONWOOD CREEK , Lake County. This stream is northwest of Goose Lake and drains several townships. There are a score of Cottonwood Creeks in Oregon, and all serve to testify to the popularity (no pun intended) of members of the populus group, including populus angusti folia, populus trichocarpa and others . General H. M . Chittenden , i n his American Fur Trade states that one o f , i f not the most important tree i n the fur trade busi ness was the cottonwood . Not only were cottonwoods beautiful trees , but lines o f them were welcome sights t o the trappers and travelers , indicating water courses and fuel supplies . They provided shelter i n winter and sum mer and rather surprisingly , fairly good horse feed . Ponies ate and throve on cottonwood bark quite success fully . Most o f the Cottonwood Creeks i n Oregon have borne their names s o long that i t i s impossible t o say who named them . COVE , Jefferson County . The place o n Crooked River known a s Cove i s not inappropriately named . At this point , which i s about two miles south o f the mouth o f the river , the stream i s i n a canyon with an overall depth o f some 900 feet . About half way down from the bluffs above the river west o f Culver , there i s a bench o r shelf , and this shelf i s closed o n the east by rock walls , form ing a natural cove . Proceeding further down into the canyon i s another natural cove near the river . The county highway from Culver t o Grandview crosses Crooked River a t the Cove bridge , and after passing over a rocky divide several hundred feet high , makes a second descent , this time t o cross the Deschutes River . I t then climbs a seven - mile grade t o the bench west o f the Des chutes . The remarkable geological formation o f the two canyons and the ridge are well worth an inspection . CRANE CREEK , Harney County . Crane Creek i s prom inent because the valley o f the stream and Crane Creek Gap t o the west form a natural pass between the drain age area o f South Fork Malheur River and Harney Valley .
CRANE PRAIRIE , Deschutes County . Crane Prairie , before the regulating dam for irrigation storage was built at its lower end , was a natural meadow , with several river channels cutting across it. The main stream flowing through the prairie is Deschutes River . When unregulated , the water stands on the prairie in the spring , but by mid - summer the meadows are comparatively dry . The dam built at the south end of the prairie can be made to hold back sufficient water to flood the entire area several feet deep . This has been done to such an extent that the natural woods fringing the prairie have been water killed and present a desolate appearance . The prairie is so called because of the number of cranes that fish there . When full , the water surface of the reservoir has an elevation of about 4440 feet and covers an area of about seven square miles .
CRESTON , Malheur County . Creston is a descriptive name and was given because the post office was on a divide or crest east of South Fork Malheur River . The name was proposed by T. R. Beers in 1910 .
CROOKED RIVER , Crook , Deschutes and Jefferson Counties . The writer has been unable to ascertain who named Crooked River . It was probably done during the fur trading period , and the name bestowed was unusually appropriate . In any event , it was known as Crooked River before 1849. U. S. G. S. Bulletin 252 by Dr. I. C. Russell is the standard handbook of the geology of cen tral Oregon and contains much valuable information about Crooked River . In 1925 the Geological Survey made an extended survey of the topography and geology of Crooked River between its mouth and Trail Crossing . with particular reference to the remarkable springs that feed the stream in this section . The state of Oregon and the U. S. Reclamation Service published a bulletin in 1915 entitled Ochoco Project which contains much other information about Crooked River .
CROOK PEAK , Lake County . Crook Peak was undoubtedly named for General George Crook who fought Indians throughout south central Oregon in several campaigns . See under Crook County , Crook was in the territory west of Warner Valley near what is known as Crook Peak in 1867. See Bancroft's History of Oregon , volume II , page 535 , et seq . The Coast and Geodetic Survey gives the elevation of Crook Peak as 7834 feet .
CROOKS , Union County . Crooks is a station on the line of the Oregon -Washington Railroad & Navigation Company in the Blue Mountains . It was named for William Crooks , who was born in New York City in 1831 , and died in Portland December 17 , 1907. He was for some years an official of the railroad . For his biography , see The Oregonian , December 18 , 1907. Colonel William Crooks was the son of Ramsay Crooks , of the Astor over land party . For adventures of Ramsay Crooks , see Irving's Astoria . He was born in Scotland in 1787 , and died in New York City June 6 , 1859. He was credited with being “ the strongest man , next to Mr. Astor him self , who at any time stood at the helm , in the home office at New York." ( Chittenden . )
CROW , Lane County . The postmaster at Crow informs the writer that the community was named for one Andy Crow who was first postmaster , although this informa tion does not agree with data furnished by the postal authorities , who state that the post office at Crow was established November 6 , 1874 , with Alexander Wood first postmaster . Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that the name Crow is a literal translation of the Indian word Andaig . The writer has not been able to ascertain what tribe of Indians used this word . If there is accurate information available about the naming of this post office the writer would be glad to have it .
CROWCAMP HILLS, Harney County . This is a prom inent group of hills on the east edge of Harney Valley .
They have a maximum elevation of 5892 feet . These hills , and Crowcamp Creek , are said to have been named for a colony of crows living thereon .
CULP CREEK , Lane County . Culp Creek is a post office as well as a stream tributary to Row River south east of Cottage Grove . Culp Creek was named for John Culp who located in this neighborhood a few years prior to 1900. A logging company established a camp there and called it the Culp Creek camp , and when the post office was established in 1925 , the name naturally attached itself to the new office . Geo . E. Potter , a local merchant was first postmaster .
DAIRY , Klamath County . This place was named by William Roberts , a pioneer settler . He is said to have lived both in the Rogue River country and also in the Klamath country as early as 1865 . He picked on the word Dairy because he had previously lived in a com munity by that name in an eastern state . The valley in which Dairy is located was at one time known as Alkali Valley , but now bears its Klamath Indian name , Yonna Valley . See under that name .
DALLAS , Polk County . Dallas is said to have been originally called Cynthia Ann . It was settled in the ' 40s on the north side of Rickreall Creek , but moved more than a mile southward in 1856 because of inadequate water supply . It was named for George Mifflin Dallas ( 1792 1864 ) , vice -president of the United States from 1845 to 1849. Dallas was vice -president during Polk's administration , and when it came to select a name for the county seat of Polk County , it was but natural that Dallas was chosen . A narrow gauge railroad was built into Dallas in 1878-90 as a result of a county seat fight with Independence . Independence was after the county seat honor , but citizens of Dallas raised $ 17,000 and secured the
branch line , and this settled the contest for the seat of government . Dallas post office was established March 31 , 1854 , with John H. Lewis first postmaster.
DANGER BAY , Crater Lake National Park , Klamath County. Will G. Steel, the authority on Crater Lake , says this name is ill chosen, as he has never seen the time that danger ever befell anyone boating on Crater Lake. However , i t i s an old name , and will doubtless remain . DAVIDSON HILL , Hood River County . This is the hill on the west side o f Hood River Valley north o f Tucker Bridge . I t was named for William Davidson , who settled a t this point about 1880 . DAVIDSON HILL , Polk County . Davidson Hill i s two males o f Buena Vista . I t was named for Carter T . Davidson , born i n 1802 , a pioneer o f Oregon o f 1852 , who settled o n a donation land claim nearby i n the fall o f the year h e came t o Oregon . I t has an elevation o f about 425 feet . DAVIS LAKE , Deschutes and Klamath Counties . This lake has an area o f about four square miles , and i s fed principally by Odell Creek from Odell Lake . The north end o f the lake i s dammed b y a superficial lava flow , and the outlet , Davis Creek , i s subterranean for more than a mile , when i t comes t o the surface and joins the Deschutes River . The north shore o f the lake i s rough and jagged lava , but the south end i s a grassy flat . Its elevation , ac cording t o the Forest Service , i s 4384 feet . Data about the origin o f the name i s meagre . I t was known a s Davis Lake a s early a s 1879 , and i s said t o bear the name o f an army lieutenant . Information will b e welcomed . DAY , Sherman County . Day i s a station o n the line o f the Oregon - Washington Railroad & Navigation Com pany near the mouth o f John Day River . I t was origin ally known a s John Day , but this name was confused with the station John Day i n Clatsop County , and also with
the post office John Day in Grant County , so the railroad cut the words in half. For the origin of the name , see JOHN DAY RIVER .
DAYTON , Yamhill County Dayton was settled in the winter of 1848-9 by Joel Palmer and Andrew Smith , and was named for Dayton , Ohio , the former home of Smith .
DAYVILLE , Grant County . The original site of the Dayville post office was some three miles west of the present location . The first office was established about 1868 , with James N. Brackett first postmaster . The place was named for John Day River , which was named for John Day , a member of the Astor expedition . It is of interest to note that during a period of 50 years there were but three postmasters at Dayville , the second being John W. Lewis and the third J. E. Snow . The present location of the office is at the mouth of South Fork John Day River .
DEAD INDIAN CREEK , Jackson County . This creek and Dead Indian Mountains are in Jackson County , and the Dead Indian Road extends from near Ashland past these two geographic features to Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County . It is said that about 1854 some settlers from Rogue River Valley found two dead Rogue River Indians in some deserted wigwams near the creek , and supposed that Klamath Indians had killed them in a fight. They named the stream for their discovery . For many years the road did not extend across the Cascade Range , but in 1870 Captain 0. C . Applegate and a band of Klamath Indians opened the road all the way to Pelican Bay on Upper Klamath Lake . DEARDORFF MOUNTAIN , Baker and Grant Counties . Flemming Byars Deardorff settled i n this part o f eastern Oregon about 1870 and this mountain was named for him . I t i s 7207 feet high . There i s a Deardorff Creek just southwest o f the mountain , flowing into John Day River . The creek i s i n Grant County . Deardorff was a son o f
Joseph M. Deardorff, a pioneer of 1853 , who settled near Oakland , Douglas County , where members of the family still reside . DEE , Hood River County . Dee was named for Thomas D. Dee , a business associate of the late David C. Eccles and a stockholder in the Oregon Lumber Company . The name was used when the lumber company mill was built at Dee in 1906. DEER CREEK , Douglas County . This stream rises in the hills east of Roseburg and joins South Umpqua River at Roseburg . Its name dates back to pioneer days and the community of Roseburg was known as Deer Creek as late as 1854. The name of the place was subsequently changed to Roseburg because of the settlement of Aaron Rose , who located at the site of the present city of Rose burg on September 23 , 1851. He crossed the plains to Oregon from Michigan in that year . See under ROSE BURG . DEER ISLAND , Columbia County . Deer Island , in the Columbia River , was named by Lewis and Clark . They first visited the island on November 5 , 1805 , on their way down the Columbia , and again on March 28 , 1806 , on their return . It was on the second visit that the party had good luck getting venison . Captain Lewis noted in his diary that the Indian name for the island was E - l a l - lar , o r Deer Island . The compiler i s unable t o identify this Indian word . The town o f Deer Island , which i s o n the mainland , was named for the island nearby . DELAKE , Lincoln County . A . C . Deuel , postmaster a t Delake i n 1925 advises the writer that Delake was the name agreed upon by himself and Judge Frank L . Mann , a Lincoln County resident , because i t was the way that many local Finnish people pronounced Devils Lake . De lake post office i s near Devils Lake . The name was agreed upon about December 1 , 1924 .
DE Moss , Sherman County . De Moss is a station on the Oregon -Washington Railroad & Navigation Company line . There was at one time a post office there by the name of De Moss Spirngs . The station is named for a celebrated pioneer family of the county, members of which styled themselves the “Lyric Bards .” They were musical entertainers , and made extended tours when wheat growing did not require their labors at home. They also operated a recreation park in connection with the springs . DENMARK , Curry County . The writer is advised by the postmaster of this community in 1925 that the first settlers were natives of Denmark , hence the name adopted . He must refer to Captain N. C. Lorentzen , who settled there in 1878 , according to Dodge's Pioneer His tory of Coos and Curry Counties . Lorentzen and his daughter Lena were drowned near Humboldt Bay in December , 1892 , at the time of the wreck of the barge Majestic . DERRY , Polk County . This station on the line of the Southern Pacific Company just east of Rickreall, was named by James W. Nesmith shortly after the railroad was built , for Derry , New Hampshire , where his family had resided . DESCHUTES , Deschutes County . This is a railroad station and post office between Bend and Redmond . It was named for Deschutes River . DESCHUTES COUNTY . This county was created De cember 13 , 1916 , out of a part of Crook County . Bend is the county seat . Deschutes County was named for Deschutes River which was known during the period of fur trading as Riviere des Chutes or River of the Falls . For derivation of the name see under DESCHUTES RIVER . DESCHUTES RIVER , Deschutes, Jefferson , Klamath , Sherman and Wasco Counties . Lewis and Clark discov ered the Deschutes River on Tuesday , October 22 , 1805 ,
a and referred to it by its Indian name Towornehiooks . During the fur trading period the stream was known as the River of the Falls , or Riviere des Chutes . As a result of the modern tendency to simplify geographic names , it is now universally written Deschutes. The Klamath Indians apparently referred to the Des chutes as Kolamkeni Koke . Koke was a general name for stream , while kolam referred to a wild root used for food , possibly a species of aralia . Keni was a suffix meaning place. A literal translation would be stream of the place where the kolam grew . .. Besides being known as Riviere des Chutes , the stream was also known as Riviere aux Chutes . There are two theories as to why this stream was known as the River of the Falls . The first theory and the one that seems to have the most weight behind it, is that the name was applied because the river flowed into the Columbia River just above the Chutes or The Dalles . It was convenient to refer to the tributary river by mentioning the name of the place where it joined the larger stream . The second theory is that the River of the Falls was named because one of the Indian trails used by the fur traders crossed it at what is now known as Sherars Bridge , and there are prominent falls at this point . The compiler of these notes is inclined to believe that the first theory is probably the correct one , although the matter is of course open to argument . Possibly it was named for both reasons . DESERT CONE , Crater Lake National Park , Klamath County . Desert Cone is north of Crater Lake , and has an elevation of 6651 feet . It is at the western edge of Pumice Desert , and is named on that account . DESERT RIDGE . Crater Lake National Park , Douglas and Klamath Counties . This ridge is north of Crater Lake , and has an elevation of 6941 feet at its highest point . It is about a mile long . It gets its name because it is just west of Pumice Desert .
DESPAIN GULCH , Umatilla County . Despain Gulch is east of Hermiston , and the intermittent stream therein flows into Cold Springs Reservoir . This gulch was named for Jerry DeSpain , a prominent Umatilla County pioneer settler . DETER , Jackson County . Deter post office was named for the David M. Deter family . This family owned a cattle ranch near the present site of the post office . Deter is a flag sation on the Southern Pacific Company line over the Siskiyou Mountains south of Ashland . The post office was established in 1920 . DETROIT , Marion County . Charles C. Giebeler, the well -known postmaster and packer of Detroit , advises the writer in 1925 that the first name suggested for this com munity was Coe , but the post office authorities disap proved of the name because it was too much like Cove in eastern Oregon . Detroit was the name then selected be cause of the presence in the community of a number of Michigan people . Detroit post office was established October 16 , 1891 , with Varmess G. Danforth first post master . DEVILS BACKBONE , Clackamas County . This is a narrow divide between Sandy and Bull Run rivers . It was named in pioneer days because of the great difficulty emigrants experienced in getting their wagons past the place . DEVILS BACKBONE , Crater Lake National Park , Klam ath County . Well named . This is a gigantic series of serrated rocks forming a vertical backbone on the inside rim of Crater Lake . Its name is imaginative . DEVILS CANYON , Gilliam County . There are a num ber of canyons of this name in the state , at least two of which are in Gilliam County , opening into the canyon of John Day River . They are so called on account of the . unusual rock formations suggestive of satanic influences , and also because they are so difficult to get through .
DEVILS GARDEN , Lake County . Devils Garden is northeast of Fork Rock . It is an irregular area of sev eral square miles , with a growth of juniper trees, and it is surrounded by extensive lava flows, which form a striking contrast to the enclosed tract which is mostly of ordinary soil . The surrounding lava has given the place the name it bears. DEVILS HORN , Deschutes County . This butte of peculiar color is in the south part of the Paulina Moun tains. It is composed of lava of a reddish hue , and its shape is suggestive of the name that has been given it . It is several hundred feet high . DEVILS PULPIT , Hood River County . This is a prom inent shelf or bench on the east slope of Preachers Peak , at the summit of the Cascade Range , south of Lost Lake . It was named because of fancied resemblance to the type of pulpit that the devil might occupy . There is a legend about this pulpit and Preachers Peak , but the compiler has been unable to locate it . DEWIE CANYON , Crater Lake National Park , Klamath County . This canyon lies to the south of Crater Lake , and is remarkable for its unusual spires and pinnacles . The name is from the Klamath Indian word ti-wi, indi cating the rushing noise made by a cascade . A creek and a waterfall in the canyon have the same name . DIAMOND , Harney County . Diamond post office and Diamond Craters both derive their names from the Dia mond ranch , which was established in pioneer days by A. H. Roby . This ranch used a diamond shaped brand . Mrs. Dolly Kiger applied the name of the ranch to the community about 1874 , according to informaton given the writer by C. H. Smyth , postmaster at Diamond in 1925. Diamond Craters are about six miles northwest of Diamond post office . There are about 20 of them occupying an area of some five square miles , surrounded
by about 30 square miles of rough lava . They are well described in U. S . G. S . Bulletin 217 . DIAMOND LAKE , Douglas County . This is one of the important mountain lakes of Oregon , and lies in the south east part of the county between Mt. Thielsen and Mt. Bailey . It has an elevation of 5182 feet . It was named because of its shape . There is a story to the effect that Mt. Thielsen was at one time known as Diamond Peak , and Diamond Lake was so named on that account , but the writer can find no confirmation of this . DIAMOND PEAK , Lane County . This is one of the im posing peaks of the Cascade Range , and has an elevation of 8750 feet according to the U. S . Geological Survey . For the geography of the region surrounding the mountain see the U. S. G . S. map of the Waldo Lake quadrangle . The writer has been advised that there is a small living glacier on Diamond Peak , but he has no direct knowledge of such . Diamond Peak was named in 1852 for John Diamond , a pioneer settler near Coburg , Oregon , who was a member of a party of road viewers opening a road be tween Middle Fork Willamette River and Idaho for an immigration route . The report is contained in the Journal of the Oregon territorial council , 1852-53 , Ap pendix , pages 13-15 . Other viewers were : William M. Macy , W. T. Walker , William Tandy , Alexander King , Joseph Meadows and J. Clarke . For additional references see Scott's History of the Oregon Country , volume IV , page 8. There is a story , unconfirmed by the writer , that the name Diamond Peak was really bestowed on what is now known as Mt. Thielsen . Authoritative information about this matter would be welcomed . DIAMOND ROCKPILE , Lane County . This point is in the southeast corner of the county south of Diamond Peak and has an elevation of 6437 feet . It received its name because of its peculiar formation and its nearness to Diamond Peak .
DILLARD , Douglas County . John Dillard for whom the town of Dillard was named , was born in Missouri in 1813 and came to Oregon by ox team in 1850. In 1852 he set tled on a donation land claim about 11 miles south of Roseburg and when the railroad was built through that part of the state about 1882 a station was established and named for Mr. Dillard . Mr. Dillard continued to live on his claim until his death in 1892 . DILLER GLACIER , Deschutes County . This is a large important glacier on the east slope of Middle Sister . It was named for Dr. Joseph Silas Diller , for many years connected with the U. S. Geological Survey , and the authority on the geology of western Oregon . He was the author of a number of important bulletins of the Geolog ical Survey , and several geologic folios , covering investi gations in the Roseburg and Riddle quadrangles . His most popular work is the Geological Survey's Guidebook of the Western United States , Part D , The Shasta Route . The compiler has no information as to when Dr. Diller's name was applied to Diller Glacier , or who did it . He was born in Pennsylvania in 1850 and graduated from Harvard ( Lawrence ) in 1879 . DINGER LAKE , Clackamas County . Forest Ranger Joe Graham of Clackamas Lake is authority for the state ment that this lake was named because some fishermen caught a fine catch of trout therein , calling them " hum dingers . " Only the last part of the name was applied to the lake . DINNER CREEK , Clackamas County . Dinner Creek is a small stream tributary to Clackamas River about two miles above Roaring River . W. C. Elliott , a well - known civil engineer of Portland , advises the writer that he named the stream in 1897 because his surveying party stopped there for dinner . DISSTON , Lane County . Disston post office was estab lished October 25 , 1906 , with Cranston H. Jones first post
master . The writer has been unable to obtain informa tion as to the origin of the name. Lena M. Carr , post master at Disston in 1926 , states that some people in the neighborhood say the place was named for the Disston saws that were used in the sawmills in the town . DIXONVILLE , Douglas County . Dixonville is about five miles east of Roseburg . It was established about 1901 , and named for R. B . Dixon who owned the land where the post office and other buildings were located . DODGE CANYON , Douglas County . Dodge Canyon , west of Oakland , was named for J. R. Dodge, who took up a donation land claim near its mouth . DODSON , Multnomah County . Dodson is a railroad station just west of the post office of Warrendale . The name of the station comes from Ira Dodson , an early set tler in that part of the county . Dodson station has been moved several times and was once near the present loca tion of Warrendale . There was at one time a post office called Dodson , but it has been discontinued and patrons are now served through the Warrendale office . DODSON MOUNTAIN , Douglas County . Dodson Moun tain is an important peak east of Dillard , with an eleva tion of about 3200 feet . It was named for Samuel Dod son , a pioneer stockman who settled nearby . His land is still ( 1926 ) owned intact by his son , Samuel Dodson , Jr. Dog RIVER , Hood River County . In pioneer days Hood River was known as Dog River because a party of travelers ate dog meat there in preference to starving . Mrs. Nathaniel Coe of Hood River Valley objected to the name , and secured a change in local usage to Hood River , on account of Mt. Hood . The name Dog River is now applied to a stream heading in Brooks Meadows southeast of Parkdale , and flowing into East Fork Hood River . It is the source of The Dalles water supply . See under HOOD RIVER .
DOLPH , Tillamook County . This community was named for Joseph N. Dolph , who came to Portland in 1862 . He served as city attorney and as United States attorney and also in the state legislature . He served as United States senator from Oregon in 1883-95 ,and had large influence in the senate and was a close friend of President Harrison . He was born in New York in 1835 and died in Portland in 1897. See The Oregonian for March 11 and March 19 , 1897. Dolph was named for him while he was in the senate . It was for a time a post office . DONALD , Marion County . Donald is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway , on French Prairie , northwest of Woodburn , and was named for R. L. Donald , of Port land , who was an official of the construction company that built the railway . DONNER UND BLITZEN RIVER , Harney County . This stream was named during the Snake War of 1864 , when troops under the command of Colonel George B. Currey crossed it during a thunder storm , and gave it the Ger man name for thunder and lightning . The river is fre quently called simply Blitzen . DORA , Coos County . Dora post office was established January 22 , 1877 , with Francis E. Schofield first post master . It has been reported that the place was called for a baby named Dora Roach , whose parents operated the office about 1873 , but this information does not agree with that furnished by postal authorities as shown above . Dosch ROAD , Multnomah County . Few Oregon pio neers have been so greatly respected as Colonel Henry E. Dosch . His contributions to the development of the state were substantial , and his character such as to win him a host of friends . He was born in Germany June 17 , 1841. He emigrated to St. Louis , Missouri, in January , 1860 , and had been in the United States but little more than a year when he enlisted in the northern army , and
finally reached the rank of acting colonel of volunteers . In 1863 he walked across the plains , and after visiting California arrived in The Dalles in 1864. After various mercantile experiences in eastern Oregon and elsewhere , he retired in 1890 , and devoted the remainder of his life to horticulture . His knowledge of the state and its pro ducts was profound . He represented Oregon at every important exposition beginning at the World's Columbian Exposition held at Chicago in 1893. For his services in Japan he was decorated by the emperor with the orders of the Sacred Treasure and the Rising Sun. For many years he resided near Hillsdale , and the country road be tween Mt. Zion and Hillsdale was named for him . There is also a station on the Southern Pacific west of Bertha called Dosch . Colonel Dosch died at Portland in 1924 . Doty CREEK , Marion County . This stream drains part of Ankeny Bottom , in the southwestern part of the county . It was named for Nelson B. Doty , who took up a donation land claim nearby in pioneer days . DOUGLAS COUNTY . On January 24 , 1851 , the Territo rial Legislature created Umpqua County , and named it for the Umpqua River . It is said that the short life of Umpqua County was due to political troubles . In any event , on January 7 , 1852 , the Territorial Legislature created Douglas County out of the eastern portion of Umpqua County . Another part of Umpqua County was added to Coos County in December , 1853 , and the re mainder was given to Douglas County in 1862. Douglas County was named for Stephen Arnold Douglas ( 1813 1861 ) , distinguished American politician and Democratic candidate for the presidency in 1860. He was a strong sup porter of Oregon in the Congress , and at the time Doug las County was named for him . He was in the United States senate from Illinois . According to the Bureau of the Census , Douglas county has a land area of 4991 square miles .
DOVES BAR , Marion County . This bar is near the east bank of Willamette River southwest of Salem . It was named for Bethuel Dove, who owned a nearby donation land claim on the west bank of the river in Polk County . DRAIN , Douglas County . This place was named for Charles Drain , a pioneer settler in the locality . The donation of the land claim on which the town of Drain is located was taken up by Warren Goodell. He sold it to Jesse Applegate , and some time about 1850 Jesse Apple gate sold the property to Charles Drain . Mr. Drain was once a member of the legislature , and his son , J . C. Drain , was also in the legislature and was speaker of the house . DRAKE PEAK , Lake County . Drake Peak , with an elevation of 8402 feet, is a prominent point in the moun tains northeast of Lakeview . It was named for John M. Drake , a well -known officer in several campaigns against the Snake Indians in south central Oregon . He reached the rank of colonel toward the conclusion of the Snake War . For information about his activities in this terri tory see Bancroft's History of Oregon , volume II , page 488, et seq. DREAD AND TERROR RIDGE , Douglas County . This ridge is on the south side of the North Umpqua River in the northeast part of the county . It is about four miles long and has an elevation of 4896 feet. The name was applied by District Ranger C. V . Oden of the Forest Ser vice in 1908 because of the dense thickets of thorns and other brush which made the prospects of fire fighting in that section extremely disagreeable. DREW , Douglas County . This place is said to have been named for a local resident , Robert Drew . DREW CREEK , Lake County . This stream drains into Goose Lake . It was named for Lieutenant - Colonel C. S . Drew , in command of the Owyhee Reconnaissance of the First Oregon Cavalry in 1864. The stream has been dammed for irrigation storage.
DREWSEY , Harney County . The writer has been un able to obtain information about the origin of the name of this place . Information would be appreciated . DRIFT CREEK , Marion County . This stream was named Drift Creek in early days because of the accumu lation of driftwood along its banks . Its upper reaches were in heavily wooded country . DRYLAKE , Crook County . This post office is in the south part of Crook County . There is a small lake bed . nearby which fills with water in the early spring , but is generally dry during the late summer . For many years the stockmen have referred to this as Dry Lake or Dry Lake Flat . When the post office was established a few years ago the name Dry Lake was selected by local resi dents , but the post office authorities telescoped this name into one word and it has been so known ever since . DRY RIVER, Crook and Deschutes Counties . This is the bed of an ancient river that once drained the High Desert . The course of the channel is well marked from the west end of the desert to Crooked River , a distance of more than 50 miles . In some places the dry bed is in a canyon , and in other places in a narrow defile between abrupt basalt walls . The highway betweed Redmond and Prineville crosses this defile at a point where an excellent view may be had of it . In many places water may be uncovered by digging in the gravel in the dry bed . DUFUR , Wasco County . According to the History of Central Oregon , the first settler in the neighborhood of Dufur was Lewis P. Henderson , who established a home about four miles from the present site of the community in 1852. During the next three years Messrs . Reynolds , Marsh and Brown , stockmen , established ranches nearby . In 1863 David Imbler erected a farmhouse where the town of Dufur now stands . In 1872 Andrew J. and E. Burn ham Dufur purchased a farm where Dufur is now located . a These two men were members of a well -known Wasco
County pioneer family which came from New England by way of Panama to Oregon in 1859. On January 11 , 1878 , the post office was established and named for the Dufur family . Chauncey A. Williams was first post master . DUKES VALLEY , Hood River County . This is a sort of natural cove on the north slope of Booth Hill between the Mt. Hood Loop Highway and Hood River . There seem to be plenty of legends as to how the valley got its name . The compiler is of the belief that it was named for a man named Duke who lived in the valley in the ' 60s . There is a story , however , to the effect that it was named for a well -known ox, used by Peter Neal in logging operations , who much preferred wandering off into the secluded pas tures of Dukes Valley to hauling logs. In 1886 Captain J. H. Dukes, a veteran of the Civil War , came to the Hood River Valley , and the compiler has been advised that Dukes Valley was named for him , although there is nothing to indicate that he actually lived in Dukes Valley , but in the town of Hood River , except for a short time when he lived near Oak Grove . DUNCAN , Umatilla County . Ida M. Wilbur , post master at Duncan in 1925 , advises the writer that the community was named for Isaac Duncan , a veteran of the Civil War . He lived in the neighborhood for many years , and the name of Duncan was proposed for the place in 1899. The post office was established in 1900 . DUNDEE , Yamhill County . William Reid came to Ore gon in 1874 from Dundee , Scotland . Among other things he became interested in Willamette Valley railroad con struction , and he assisted in organizing the Oregonian Railway Company , Limited , a corporation of Dundee , Scotland , which succeeded to the interest of The Oregon Railway Company in 1880. The Oregon Company had previously taken over property of The Willamette Valley Railroad Company , which had gotten into financial dif
ficulties . The Oregonian Railway Company made sev eral narrow gauge extensions on the west side of the Willamette Valley , and one extended east from Lafayette , The town of Dundee was established and named for Reid's home in Scotland . For details of Reid's history and of the construction of the railroad mentioned above , see Scott's History of the Oregon Country . DURBIN , Marion County . Durbin is a railroad station east of Salem . It was named for F. W. Durbin of Salem , who had a switch put in so that he could load cardwood at this point . DURHAM , Washington County . Albert Alonzo Dur ham came to Oregon in 1847. He built a sawmill below Oregon City , which he sold . Then he built a sawmill at Oswego , where he did a large business until 1869. See advertisement of his sawmill at Oswego in The Oregonian in 1850-51 . He named Oswego for Oswego , New York . After operating at Oswego , he moved into Washingtn Cunty and built a sawmill and a flour mill on Fanno Creek . These mills were operated by waterpower , and for a number of years the place was known as Durhams Mills . When the Oregon Electric Railway was built the station at this point was called Durham . A. A. Durham was born in Genesee County , New York , March 15 , 1814 ; died in Washington County , Oregon , April 4 , 1898. His sons were : George H. Durham , born at Springfield , Illi nois , December 4 , 1843 ; R. L. Durham , born at Oregon City in 1849 ; Silas A. Durham , born at Oswego October 30 , 1854 ; died September 22 , 1898 , at Portland . Their mother , Mrs. M. A. Durham , died November 14 , 1904. R. L. Durham died January 22 , 1916 . DURKEE , Baker County . The site of this community was established on the Durkee ranch , and named for the Durkee family . DUTTON CLIFF , Crater Lake National Park , Klamath County . This cliff is at the southeast corner of Crater
Lake at an elevation of 8150 feet. It was named by Will G. Steel in 1886 for Captain Clarence E. Dutton , U . S . A . DYAR ROCK , Crater Lake National Park , Klamath County . This rock is on the south rim of Crater Lake , and has an elevation of 7880 feet . It was named in 1872 by Captain 0. C. Applegate for Leroy S. Dyar , of Ontario , California , then Indian agent on the Klamath Indian Reservation , and later a member of the Modoc Peace Commission . Dyar was the only member of the commis sion who escaped uninjured when attacked by Captain Jack and his band of Indians in the Lava Beds April 11 , 1873 , at which time General E. R. S. Canby and Dr. E . Thomas were killed and Chairman A. B . Meacham wounded and left for dead . EAGLE CAP , Wallowa County . This peak was for many years thought to be the highest mountain in east ern Oregon . In fact many supposed it to be the highest in the state. In early days the Wallowa Mountains had a variety of names , including Eagle Mountains , and Eagle Cap was supposed to be the top of them a l l , hence the name . While there i s no exact measurement o f its alti tude , barometric observations by Clyde B . Aitchison indi cate a height o f about 9675 feet . Apparently there are other peaks i n the Wallowa Mountains that are higher . EAGLE CREEK , Clackamas County . Eagle Creek i s a post office a s well a s a stream . There are many streams o f the same name i n various parts o f the state . A . C . Cogswell , postmaster a t Eagle Creek i n 1925 , advises the compiler that the place was called Eagle Creek a s early a s 1844 , and that the name originated with Indians be cause there were s o many eagles along the stream . I t i s probable that this was the first stream i n Oregon t o b e called Eagle Creek . EAGLE POINT , Jackson County . Just east o f the town o f Eagle point i s a prominent rocky cliff , surmounted by pine trees , and i n pioneer days this was a favorite nest
LEWIS A. MCARTHUR . ing place for eagles . It was called Eagle Point . It is said that John Mathews suggested the name of this point for the post office , which was established December 6 , 1877 , with Franklin B. Inlow first postmaster . EAST LAKE , Deschutes County . This is a landlocked lake about two miles in diameter , occupying what was probably once part of the crater of a volcanic peak known to geologists as Mt. Newberry . It is in the Paulina Mountains southeast of Bend . It is in the eastern part of the crater , opposite Paulina Lake , and is called East Lake on that account . EASTSIDE , Coos County . This is a descriptive name because the community is located on the east side of Coos Bay . This place was at one time the terminal of the old Coos Bay Military Wagon Road . It was originally called East Marshfield , but about 1910 the name was changed to the present style. ECHO , Umatilla County . This place was named for Echo Koontz , daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J . H. Koontz . The community was started about 1879 , and the Koontz family was among the first to settle there . Echo is near the site of Fort Henrietta , so called for Mrs. Henrietta Haller, wife of Major Granville O. Haller , U. S. A. , who commanded troops in early Indian campaigns . When the post office of Echo was established , Major Lee Moore house , now of Pendleton , tried to have the name Henrietta adopted , but as Mr. Koontz was interested in the town , his daughter's name was selected . ECOLA POINT , Clatsop County . The name Ecola has an interesting peregrination since it was first applied to what is now known as Elk Creek by Captain William Clark on January 8 , 1806. He called the stream Ecola , or Whale Creek , but both of these names fell into disuse . Some time prior to 1900 J. Couch Flanders of Portland , was attracted by the name and he applied it to a group of cottages owned by the Couch family on the south flank
of Tillamook Head about two miles north of Elk Creek . The name was attractive and patrons of Elk Creek post office finally had the postal authorities rename that office Ecola . To avoid confusion R. L. Gilgan and L. Allen Lewis then changed the name of the Couch family cottages to Ecola Point, because of the prominent pro jection nearby . Ecola Point is between Chapman Point and the main promontory of Tillamook Head . The name Ecola is no longer used for the post office , which is now Cannon Beach . See under that name and also ELK CREEK . George Gibbs , in his Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon gives the word ehkoli , a whale , and indicates that it came from the Chinook Indian word ekoli , with the accent on the first letter . The modern spelling with the accent on the middle syllable is , however , firmly established . EIGHTMILE , Morrow County . The post office at Eightmile takes its name from Eightmile Canyon , which was so named because its mouth was about eight miles up Willow Creek from the Columbia River . The name was first used by pioneer stockmen . EIGHTMILE CREEK , Wasco County . This stream was so called because the pioneer wagon road from The Dalles into central Oregon crossed it about eight miles from town . Eightmile Creek and Fivemile Creek join , and the combined stream , called Eightmile Creek , flows into Fifteenmile Creek . For information about the names of this group of streams see under FIFTEENMILE CREEK . ELAM , Benton County . Elam is the post office name for a small community known as Harris , near Philomath . The postal authorities would not accept the name Harris for the office because of similarity to Harrisburg in Linn County . Accordingly the office was named for Mrs. Gladys Elam , the first postmaster . See also under HARRIS .
ELBOW LAKE, Douglas County . This little lake is about a mile east of the Pacific Ocean , just west of Tah kenitch Lake . It is known as Elbow Lake on account of its shape . See Siltcoos Lake map of U. S . Geological Survey . ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN , Douglas County . This feature is in the northeast part of the county northwest of Dia mond Lake , and has an extreme elevation of 5950 feet . The name was applied by V. V. Harpham and 0. C. Houser , of the Forest Service , in 1908 , because the moun tain when viewed from the west is suggestive both in shape and size , of the name it bears . ELGIN , Union County . It is the generally accepted belief that this town was named for Elgin , Illinois . 0 . C. Maxwell, postmaster at Elgin in 1925 , advises the writer that this is probably true , but he can get no local information indicating by whom or when it was done . ELIOT GLACIER , Hood River County . Eliot Glacier is one of the larger glaciers on Mt. Hood and occupies the northeast part of the mountain north of Cooper Spur . It is the source of Eliot Branch , and its lower end is not far from Cloud Cap Inn . It was named for Dr. Thomas Lamb Eliot , for many years one of Portland's most re vered citizens and a foremost and outstanding member in educational and religious centers . Dr. Eliot was born in St. Louis , Missouri , in 1841 , and graduated with the first class from Washington University in St. Louis , of which his father was chancellor . He came to Portland Decem ber 24 , 1867 , and took over the pastorate of the Unitarian Church . For a short biography of Dr. Eliot see the Oregonian of October 13 , 1925 , page 5. Dr. Eliot was at one time greatly interested in mountaineering and the glacier on Mt. Hood was named for him on that account. During the year 1925 the Mazamas research committee made a number of investigations as to the line of flow of Eliot Glacier . These observations were carried on at an
elevation of approximately 7800 feet , and notes were taken for 14 weeks . The investigations indicated that the stakes which were set in the glacier traveled about four feet a week . The maximum movement was near the center of the glacier and the movement near the side walls was somewhat less , and during part of the season the sides of the glacier moved eight inches a week . Addi tional observations at an elevation of 7200 feet indicated a movement of about two feet a week for the central part of the glacier . It is the plan of the research committee to carry on additional investigations during 1926 , and the various lines across the glacier have been marked so that they may be identified in the future . See Mazama for December , 1925 . ELK CITY , Lincoln County . Elk City was named by pioneer settlers about 1865 , and the post office was estab lished a few years later with M. W . Simpson first post master . He was still living in 1926 , about 90 years of age . Elk City is at the junction of Elk Creek and Yaquina River , but whether the community or the creek was first named , the writer is unable to learn . It is said to have been the first settlement in what is now Lincoln County . ELK CREEK , Clatsop County . Captain William Clark was the first white man of record to visit the vicinity of Elk Creek , which he did on Wednesday , January 8 , 1806 . He called the stream Ecola , or Whale Creek . These names did not persist and since pioneer days the stream has been called Elk Creek . The village near its mouth at the north end of Cannon Beach was first called Elk Creek , then Ecola , and in 1925 its official postal name is Cannon Beach . See under ECOLA and CANNON BEACH for addi tional information . R. G. Thwaites on page 324 of volume III of his Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Ex pedition , is confused about Whale Creek and mistakes it for the Nehalem River , the most important stream to the
south . He has done the same with other features visited by Captain Clark during the first days in January , and identifies them with points too far south . See under TILLAMOOK HEAD . ELK CREEK , Douglas County . Elk Creek joins Ump qua River near the town of Elkton . The stream has borne the name of Elk Creek since the period of the fur - traders . The writer does not know when the stream was first named , but John Work mentions it under the name of Elk River in his diary on June 7 , 1834. See Oregon His torical Society Quarterly , September, 1923. Elk appear to have been plentiful in the Willamette Valley and in the Umpqua country , and there are many features named for them in those parts of the state . ELK LAKE , Deschutes County . Elk Lake is a fine body of water southwest of Bend , and Elk Lake post office is nearby . The lake was named in 1906 by Forest Ranger Roy Harvey of Eugene . This was because a band of elk spent the summer on the east slopes of the Cascade Range nearby . The post office was established because the lake was and is extensively used for recreation pur poses . ELKHEAD , Douglas County . This community and post office were named because they were located near the head or source of Elk Creek in the western slopes of the Calapooya Mountains . ELK MOUNTAIN , Dsechutes and Lane Counties . This prominent peak of the Cascade Range is south of South Sister and west of Elk Lake . The mountain and Elk Lake were named about 1906 by Roy Harvey . A band of elk came across the summit of the range every year from the west and spent most of the summer on the side of a butte , which Harvey called Elk Mountain . This is said to be the only place where elk range on the east slopes of the Cas cade Range . a
ELK POINT , Washington County . This is a prominent hill about 960 feet high , just west of the community of Sylvan . The Pointer family settled near this hill in pio neer days , and called it Elk Point because the animals browsed on the sides of the point in question . In later years this feature has been called Pointers Point , but this was not its original name and on June 3 , 1925 , the United States Geographic Board officially adopted the name Elk Point . ELKTON , Douglas County . Elkton was a community as early as 1850-51 , but it did not have a post office until March 5 , 1863. Levi Kent was first postmaster . Elkton received its name because it was located at the junction of Elk Creek and the Umpqua River . At one time the Hudson's Bay Company maintained an establishment known as Fort Umpqua very close to the present site of Elkton . For further information about this matter see Leslie M. Scott's article on John Work in Oregon His torical Society Quarterly , September , 1923. John Work visited the Umpqua river in 1834 and Fort Umpqua , which was on the south side of the Umpqua River at the mouth of Elk Creek , apparently did not exist at the time of Work's visit . He mentions " umpqua old fort ” which appears to have been established in 1832 near Calapooya Creek . There was of course , later on , Umpqua City , near the mouth of the river , which had nothing to do with the Hudson's Bay Company forts . ELLENDALE , Polk County . This pioneer community was about two miles west of Dallas , on Rickreall Creek . In 1845 James A. O'Neil built the first grist mill in Polk County , a few hundred yards west of what was later Ellendale . About 1849 O'Neil sold the mill to James W. Nesmith and Henry Owen , who operated it until 1854 , and then sold it to Hudson & Company . As early as 1851 there was a post office there known as Nesmith Mills . Reuben P. Boise came to Oregon in 1850 , and took up a
donation land claim at Nesmiths Mills in 1852. He named the place Ellendale for his wife , Ellen Lyon , a native of Massachusetts , who sailed from New York to San Fran cisco in the record time of 89 days on the Flying Cloud . The original Nesmith house at Ellendale is still owned by the Boise family . The mill flume took water from the creek on the south side and crossed to the north side near the present county bridge . ELLIOTT PRAIRIE , Clackamas County . This prairie lies east of Pudding River and Butte Creek . It was named for William Elliott , who came to Oregon in 1846. He was born in Indiana in 1815 and served in the Florida War in 1836. He married Nancy Sconce in 1838. He died at Park Place February 27 , 1905. His wife died in 1888 . Elliott served in the Cayuse and Yakima wars . ELMIRA , Lane County . Amos F. Ellmaker , in 1925 , advises the writer that Elmira was named by his brother , Byron Ellmaker , for Elmira , California , a place that he greatly admired . About 1884 Byron Ellmaker bought a location for a wood and iron smithy near the present site of Elmira , which was then called Duckworth . Ellmaker did not like this name , and persuaded the postal author ities to change it to Elmira , which it still is . ELMONICA , Washington County . So named for Elea nor and Monica Stoy , daughters of Sam B. Stoy , who lived there in 1909. Mr. Stoy was a well - known insurance man of Portland at the time and coined the name from the names of his two daughters , who then attended school in Portland . ELSIE , Clatsop County . Elsie was named for Elsie Foster , niece of the first postmaster , S. A. Gragg . The compiler is advised that an effort was made to name the office Clover , but that name was not accepted . EMBREE SLOUGH , Harney County . Earl H. Conser of Burns , who knows the facts of such matters , writes the compiler as follows : "Embree Slough , near Burns , was
named for one ' Doc ' Embree , through whose land the slough followed an irregular course . He had several initials , but I am unable to find anyone who knows them exactly . He was a doctor of sorts . " EMIGRANT BUTTE , Klamath and Lane Counties . Emi grant Butte lies west of Summit Lake , in the extreme southeast corner of Lane County , at the summit of the Cascade Range . It has an elevation of 6535 feet. It was named because of the emigrants that traveled over the Meek Cutoff, or emigrant route , that passed nearby . EMIGRANT BUTTES, Umatilla County . These buttes are west of Stanfield , and have an elevation of 759 feet . They are close to the route of the Old Oregon Trail , and were named for the emigrants that traveled that way . EMIGRANT CREEK , Jackson County . Emigrant Creek is southeast of Ashland and is supposed to be so named because emigrants who crossed the Cascade Range over the Applegate route came down this stream into Rogue River Valley . EMPIRE , Coos County . Empire City , as it was first known , was founded in 1853 by men from Jacksonville , called the Coose Bay Company , headed by Perry B. Marple . For a list of members of this company , see Scott's History of the Oregon Country , volume III , page 161. The name Empire City was suggested by the ex pectation that the town would be the center of a large region . Discovery of gold in northern Califrnia and southwestern Oregon led to the formation of the project , and stock in the company was offered for sale in The Oregonian , January 7 , 1854. Empire City was formerly county seat of Coos County . A custom house was estab ished at Empire City in 1853 for the southern collection district of Oregon , with David Bushing first collector . EOLA , Polk County . The village of Eola was formerly known as Cincinnati , and so appears on the post office list of 1853. It is said to have been named by A. C. R. Shaw
> because of the fancied resemblance of the site to that of Cincinnati. The place was incorporated as a town with the name of Eola by the territorial legislature on January 17 , 1856. Miss A. J. Scott, later Mrs. A. S. Duniway , taught school in Cincinnati in 1853 , and during pioneer days an effort was made to establish the state capital there . The name Eola is derived from Aeolus , god of the winds in Greek mythology . There seems to be good au thority for the belief that the name Eola was suggested by local musical enthusiast named Lindsay Robbins , who disliked the name Cincinnati , and offered the new name because he was fond of the Aeolian harp . However , Geo . H . Himes thinks that Shaw suggested Eola as well as the original name , so there you are . EOLA HILLS , Polk and Yamhill Counties . These hills , which have an extreme altitude of 1170 feet, extend from Eola on the south to a point near Amity on the north , a total distance of about 15 miles . They constitute one of the important groups of isolated hills in the Willamette Valley . They have had various names , including Bethel Hills and Yamhill Mountains , but Eola Hills seems firmly established , except for the northern extension , which is separated from the main ridge by the pass east of Amity . This northern extension is known as the Amity Hills . Eola Hills derive their name from the village at their southern end . They are composed of lava flows, chiefly basalt and beds of fragmentary volcanic material . The Christian Church chartered the Bethel Institute in 1856 , which had been previously conducted as the Bethel Academy in the Eola Hills . See under BETHEL . ERMA BELL LAKES , Lane County . These two moun tain lakes are just west of the summit of the Cascade Range and about five miles north of Waldo Lake . They are shown on the U. S. Geological Survey map of the Waldo Lake quadrangle . They were named for Miss Erma Bell , for a number of years employed as a com
puter in the Portland office of the U. S . Forest Service . She died April 27 , 1918 , as a result of an automobile acci dent near Troutdale , and it was thought proper to per petuate her memory by naming these lakes for her . ERROL , Clackamas County . Errol station received its name from Joseph A. Strowbridge , Jr. His father came to this county from England many years ago on a four masted vessel named Errol. The post office at Errol sta tion was installed about January 1 , 1922 . ESTACADA , Clackamas County . Estacada is a Spanish word and means staked out, or marked with stakes , and the principal use of the name in the United States is in northwestern Texas where the form Llano Estacado is employed to describe a tract of land that would be called in English Staked Plain . The Spanish name refers to the trunks of an upright desert plant that remain standing like stakes or poles over an area of many hun dred square miles . The name was used in Oregon simply because it had a pleasing sound , and with no thought of its original significance . EUCHRE BUTTE , Lake County . This is a prominent mountain north of Lake Abert . It is said to have been so named because of an historic card game played nearby by cowboys in pioneer days . EUGENE, Lane County . Eugene F. Skinner took his land claim at Eugene at the foot of Skinner Butte in 1846 , and , in 1847 , built his cabin and moved his family into it . His wife , Mary Cook Skinner , was the first white woman to dwell in Lane County . Skinner came to Oregon in 1846 , and settled at Dallas . He was born Sep tember 13 , 1809 , in Essex County , New York ; died at Eugene December 15 , 1864. His wife was born February 7 , 1816 ; died June 4 , 1881. Their daughter , Leonora , was the first white child born in Lane County ( 1848-62 ) . Eugene City in 1855 is described by Thomas J. Dryer in The Oregonian , June 23 , 1855. The first steamboat to
, ascend Willamette River to Eugene was the James Clin ton, March 3, 1857 (ibid . , March 21 , 1857 ) , The Indian name of Skinner Butte was Ya -po -ah ( ibid . , April 23, 1897, page 3), or Ya-po-oh (ibid . , November 17 , 1890 ) . For notes on Eugene in 1885 , ibid . , January 31 , 1885 . The population in 1871 was 1200. For description of the town in 1872 , ibid . , July 26 , 1872 , page 3 ; description in 1888 , ibid. , November 18 , 1888 . EUGENE GLACIER , Lane County . Eugene Glacier is on the north slope of South Sister , beween Skinner and Lost Creek glaciers . It was named for the city of Eugene in 1924 by Professor Edwin T. Hodge of the University of Oregon . EVANS , Wallowa County . The town of Evans was named in honor of Mrs. Sam Wade whose family name was Evans . The name was suggested by J. McDonald , S. Miles and J. F . Haun , the owners of the town site in 1908 . EVANS CREEK , Jackson County . Evans Creek was named for a pioneer settler on Rogue River , who operated a ferry about three miles west of the mouth of Evans Creek , and was also postmaster for the office of Gold River . This office was near the site of the ferry . Evans was generally known as “ Coyote " Evans , but why , the writer does not know . There was not a post office at Gold River in 1853 , but there was in 1856. The Terri torial legislature changed the name of Rogue River to Gold River in 1854 , and reversed itself in 1855. The post office name Gold River was doubtless the result of this action . FAIRVIEW , Multnomah County . The locality , Fair view , west of Troutdale , on the Columbia River , has also been known by the names Cleone and Clarnie . Fairview was adopted , in 1855 , as the name of a Methodist Sunday school , which organized in 1853. The late Stephen Rob erts proposed the name , and it was adopted in preference
to Mount Pisgah and Mount Pleasant . After the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's railroad was built, about 1882 , and a post office was established , named Fairview , a confusion in mail matters ensued because an older Fairview existed in Coos County , Oregon . Milton Hosford proposed Cleone , which was accepted as the name of the post office , but the railroad adhered to the old sta tion name Fairview . Cleone post office was established March 27 , 1883 , with Hosford first postmaster . Differ ences over the name of the place were composed , prob ably due to the abandonment of the Coos County office of Fairview , and on January 14 , 1914 , the name of the office of Cleone was changed to Fairview . FALL CREEK , Lane County . Fall Creek is a post office on the stream of the same name , which is tributary to Middle Fork Willamette River . Fall Creek post office is near the junction of Little Fall Creek and the main stream . The writer is advised that many years ago this post office was known as Tay for the River Tay in Scot land , but about 1886 T. C. Randall , who was then post master , had the name changed to Fall Creek and it still is . FALL RIVER , Deschutes County . Fall River heads in giant springs , and after flowing through pine woods for some eight of ten miles joins Deschutes River from the west , north of Pringle Falls . About half way between the source of the river and its mouth , it descends a series of small falls and cascades with a total drop of about a hundred feet . It is from these falls that it receives its name. FALOMA , Multnomah County . This post office is north of Portland and serves a community which was at one time known as Bridgeton . About 1921 the post office authorities were requested to establish an office there , but they objected to the name Bridgeton because of the duplication of other similar names in the United States . A meeting of local citizens was held and it was decided
to ask to have the place named Faloma . This name was made up by using the initials and other letters of three original land owners in the owners in the neighborhood , to -wit : - Messrs . Force , Love and Moore . FANGOLLANO , Malheur County . Charles J. Bush , postmaster of the nearby office of Harper, writes the compiler in December , 1925 , as follows : " Fangollano is the Spanish translation ( fango llano ) of Mud Flat , the name the locality bore before the post office was estab lished . Those responsible for the later christening no doubt got their inspiration from hearing Spanish spoken by the Spanish and Basque sheepmen who are wont to graze their flocks nearby ; and wishing to retain , I pre sume , something of the significance of the old name without advertising what they considered a certain obloquy that attached to it, they compromised on Fango llano . The post office at Fangollano is now discontinued . " It should be noted that Fangollano post office was at Little Mud Flat , which is six miles west of Big Mud Flat . FANNO CREEK , Washington County . Fanno Creek takes its rise north of Garden Home , and after flowing westward turns sharp to the south and enters Tualatin River just north of Tualatin . It was named for Augustus Fanno , who settled on its banks in pioneer days . Au gustus Fanno was born in Maine in 1804. He came to Oregon in 1846 , with his wife and little son . Mrs. Fanno died on the arrival of the family at Oregon City , and after casting around for a new home, Fanno selected a spot in the Tualatin Valley on the trail from regon City to Tillamook Bay . This claim was about 12 miles from Oregon City , on what is now called Fanno Creek . He was married a second time , and died on his farm June 30 , 1884 . FARADAY , Clackamas County . This is the station for the Cazadero power plant of the Portland Electric Power Company , on Clackamas River . It was named by O. B .
Coldwell , now vice -president of the company , for Michael Faraday , the great British scientist , who discovered the induction of electric currents . FIELDS , Harney County . Charles Fields took up a homestead where Fields post office is now located . He established a "station and kept the travel and freight haulers . ” He sold out to John Smyth in 1911 , and when ” the post office was established in 1913 , Smyth had it named for Fields . FIFE , Crook County . Fife is in the southeast part of the county. The compiler is advised that the place was named for the county of Fife , Scotland , the home of the first postmaster . This postmaster is said to have been named Tom Balfour . FIFTEENMILE CREEK , Wasco County . This is the stream that flows through Dufur , and it received its name in pioneer days because the road from The Dalles crossed it about 15 miles from The Dalles . The road also crossed Fivemile Creek and Eightmile Creek before it reached Fifteenmile Creek . The Dalles - California Highway travels along a l l o f these streams between The Dalles and Dufur . The three streams combine before they flow into the Columbia , and the proper naming o f the resulting creek has been somewhat perplexing . Fifteenmile Creek i s the largest o f the three , and i t has seemed proper t o have its name follow through t o the Columbia , even though a t its mouth i t i s only about four miles from The Dalles . The mouth o f Fifteenmile Creek i s a t Seufert , and there i s a substantial concrete viaduct carrying the Columbia River Highway over the creek a t that point , known a s Seufert Viaduct . The writer i s o f the opinion that the name Fifteenmile i s most generally used for the stream below the junction . FIRST LAKE , Linn County First Lake i s one o f a series o f four on the east bank o f the Willamette River
north of Albany . These lakes are named in order from Albany north . First Lake is the one nearest the city . FIVEMILE CREEK , Wasco County . This stream was so named because the pioneer road from The Dalles into central Oregon crossed it about five miles from town . Fivemile Creek and Eightmile Creek join , and about a mile and a half from the junction the combined stream ( Eightmile Creek ) flows into Fifteenmile Creek . For information about the names of this group of streams see under FIFTEENMILE CREEK . FLAVEL , Clatsop County . Named for Captain George Flavel, who once owned the land on which the community is located . In 1892 ambitious schemes were put on foot to build a railroad from Salem to Flavel, and the town site concern , the Flavel Land and Development Company , laid plans for a big terminal to rival Astoria . In 1897 a fine hotel was built , which enjoyed a short season of social gaiety , but Astoria was too strongly entrenched for the rival community , which so far has not made the expected development . Silas B. Smith states that the name of the Clatsop Indian village at what is now Flavel was Konapee . FLORA , Wallowa County . Flora is a post office in the extreme north part of Wallowa County . It was named after the daughter of the first postmaster in that district , A. B . Buzzard . This information was given the writer by N. J . Hansen , postmaster at Flora in 1925. He advises that the name was applied in the fall of 1890 . FLORENCE , Lane County Florence is on the north . bank of Siuslaw Inlet , at the mouth of Siuslaw River . The town is said to have been named for A. B . Florence , who was a member of the state senate at the sessions of 1858 , 1859 and 1860 , representing Lane County . Accord ing to another version ( The Oregonian , October 7 , 1903 ,
by Lionel Johnson ) , the town was named after a French vessel , wrecked about 1873 , at the mouth of Siuslaw River . FLOUNCE ROCK , Jackson County . Flounce Rock is a peculiar geological formation north of Rogue River be tween Trail and Prospect . It bears a fancied resemblance to the flounces on a woman's dress . It was so named at a time when flounces were worn , by Hiram Abbott , a pio neer resident of the neighborhood . FOLEY SLOUGH , Harney County . This is a part of Silvies River east of Burns . It was named for an early settler, J. C. Foley . FOLEY SPRINGS , Lane County . Foley Springs are on a homestead which was taken up by Dr. Foley about 50 years ago . After his death the springs were bought by . Peter Runey . Runey secured the establishment of a post office which was called Foleysprings , in honor of Dr. Foley . Postal authorities still use the name spelled as one word . The resort at the springs is very old , the original hotel of hand - hewn logs , whitewashed , being still in exist ence as a hostelry . The springs are hot , rendering the baths very pleasant . FOSTER ROAD , Multnomah County . Philip Foster came to Oregon in 1843 , by sea . His wife was Mary Charlotte Pettygrove , sister of F. W. Pettygrove , one of the founders of Portland . Foster was born at Augusta , Maine , January 29 , 1805. During his first four years in . Oregon , Foster engaged in the merchandise business at Oregon City . His farm , at Eagle Creek , was the first on the Oregon Trail in the Willamette Valley . This made the Foster farm the most widely known in Oregon . The Foster place was , during many years , a depot of supplies for new settlers . He was preceded there by Samuel Mc Swain , a pioneer , probably of 1842. Foster died March
17 , 1884. Mrs. Foster died in 1879. For his biography , , see The Oregonian , March 28 , 1884 , page 1. Foster Road bears his name . FOREST GROVE , Washington County . Geo . H. Himes is authority for the statement that either S. H. Marsh or Harvey Clark petitioned the postal authorities to change the name from Tualatin to Forest Grove about 1850 . Previously that part of the county was known as West Tualatin Plain , but the writer cannot ascertain that the name Tualatin was actually used for the place in that form . The name Forest Grove is shown on a map of Oregon prepared by John B. Preston , surveyor - general of Oregon , dated October 20 , 1851. The name was sug gested by a grove of oak trees on the campus of Pacific University. According to the Reverend Myron Eells ( The Oregonian , November 6 , 1895 ) , the name was first ap plied January 10 , 1851 , by trustees of Tualatin Academy . FORT KLAMATH , Klamath County . For the origin of the word Klamath , see under Klamath County . The Klamath Indian name for the locality of Fort Klamath was Iukak , meaning within , or in the midst , and referred to the location close to or between mountains . The fort was established with two companies of soldiers in 1863 . It was an important post during the Modoc , Snake and Piute wars , and at that time and for some years later it was located at a point about a mile southeast of its present location . The troops were removed in 1889 . FORT ROCK , Lake County . This is a natural feature . There is a post office of the same name nearby . The rock is an isolated mass , imperfectly crescent shaped , nearly one -third of a mile across and i t s highest point i s about 325 feet above the floor o f the plain o n which i t stands . I t has perpendicular cliffs 200 feet high i n places . I t i s a prominent geographic feature , and i t i s not surprising that i t has been likened t o a fort . a
FORT STEVENS , Clatsop County . Isaac Ingalls Stevens was governor of Washington Territory , 1853-57 ; delegate to Congress , 1857-61 . He was killed while leading the Seventy -ninth Regiment , New York Volunteers , at Chan tilly , Virginia , against the Confederates , September 1 , 1862. He was major - general, and had seized the colors of the regiment after the color sergeant had fallen . A biography of Isaac Ingalls Stevens has been published by his son , Hazard Stevens , two volumes . Governor Stevens was highly energetic and constantly active , and was very popular with the people of the territory. He was born at Andover , Massachusetts , March 18 , 1818 . In 1839 he graduated from West Point . He served with distinction in the war with Mexico . The route of his journey to the territory in 1853 , laid out and surveyed , by him , as one for a railroad , was largely followed by the Northern Pacific . The biography , by his son , is a highly meritorious book : Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Houghton Mifflin & Company , 1900. For prospectus of Stevens' railroad surveys , see The Oregonian , July 16 , 1853 ; progress of the surveys , ibid . , October 1, 22 , 1853. Stevens visited the Eastern states in 1854. He left Port land March 29 , 1854. His report on his council with the Blackfeet , dated June 8 , 1854 , appears , ibid . , July 29 , 1854. Fort Stevens, in Oregon , was named for him by Captain George H. Elliott , United States engineers , who built the fortifications there and at Cape Disappointment in 1864 (ibid. , September 21 , 1864 ) . For biography of Stevens , ibid . , April 22, 1900, page 18. FOSSBACK MARSH , Lane County . This is a swampy area not far from the mouth of North Fork Suislaw River . It was named for a pioneer family of the vicinity . FOSSIL , Wheeler County . The compiler is advised that this post office was established in 1876 , at the ranch of T. B . Hoover , who was the first postmaster . He had
discovered and was removing some fossil remains on his ranch at the time , and this suggested the name of the new office . FOSTER , Linn County . The post office at Foster was established February 8 , 1893 , with Aaron H. Yost first postmaster . The writer was advised in 1925 that the office was named for the postmaster general at the time , but the postmaster general then was John Wannamaker , so this theory of the name is untenable . It has also been suggested that Foster was named for an assistant post master general at the time , but inquiry of the authorities indicates that there never has been an assistant post master general by the name of Foster . At the time of establishing the office there were two cabinet members , John W. Foster , secretary of state , and Charles Foster , secretary of the treasury , for whom the place might have been named . The writer is inclined to think that John W. Foster was the man that it was intended to honor . FOURMILE LAKE, Klamath County . So called because it was assumed that the lake was four miles long . This lake is just northeast of Mt. McLoughlin in the heart of the Cascade Range . FOURTH LAKE , Linn County . This lake is the fourth of a series of four lakes , beginning at Albany and extend ing north along the east bank of the Willamette River . They are named in order from Albany . Fourth Lake is fed by the outlet of Third Lake and other small streams , and empties into the Willamette River . Fox , Grant County . Fox takes its name from Fox Creek , an important tributary of North Fork John Day River . The name was applied to the stream in pioneer days on account of some incident that occurred on a hunting or prospecting trip that had to do with a fox . The post office was established many years ago . FRANK BRICE CREEK , Lane County . This stream rises in the western slopes of the Cascade Range and
flows into Layng Creek , a tributary of Row River . It was named after Frank Brass , a prospector of early days . Brass fell into the stream on a prospecting trip and a companion named the creek for him . Time has brought about the change in spelling . FRANKTON , Hood River County . This is a community on the west side of the Hood River Valley , and is said to have been named for one Frank Bakus , who platted a tract of land with the hope of developing a town . E. L. Smith , a well- known pioneer of Hood River , was inter ested in this enterprise . FRAZIER MOUNTAIN , Clackamas County . Frazier Mountain , elevation 5110 feet , was named for Donald Frazier , who died in 1918 in military service during the World War . He was a forest guard on the Mt. Hood National Forest . The mountain was formerly called Shellrock Mountain , one of several in the state , and it was believed the new name would be more suitable than the duplication , as well as honor a man who died for his country . Frazier Mountain is located in township 5 south , range 7 east . FREEWATER , Umatilla County . Freewater was estab lished as a rival community to Milton , just to the south , and hoped to get settlers by the device of offering free water for irrigation purposes. The original plat of the town was filed as New Walla Walla , in 1889 , on account of proximity to Walla Walla , Washington . The Free water plat was filed October 16 , 1890 . FREMONT , Lake County . For some years , beginning about 1913 , Fremont was a post office . It was located about six miles west of Fort Rock . The name was prob ably suggested by the name of Fremont National Forest, which was named for Captain John C. Fremont, who explored central Oregon in 1843. Regardless of the fact that Fremont made an accurate and valuable record of his trip through Oregon , he is generally spoken of
lightly , as a general who never commanded an army and an explorer who never made a discovery . He was born in Georgia in 1813. At the age of 25 he was appointed a second lientenant in the topographical engineers of the army . He made several explorations in the West , and these , coupled with his experiences in California , led to his nomination by the Republicans in 1856 for the presi dency . He served in the Civil War , but with no con siderable distinction . He died in 1890. While his geo graphical work was of good character , he doubtless re ceived too much advertising , and the fact that he was the son - in - law of Senator Thomas H. Benton was more of a handicap than a help . FRENCH PRAIRIE , Marion County . French Prairie lies in the Willamette Valley , between the Willamette River and Pudding River , north of Salem . I t s general elevation i s less than 200 feet and i t i s well shown on the U.S. Geological Survey map o f Mt. Angel quadrangle . Early French Prairie i s described by H. S . Lyman , i n reminiscences o f Louis La Bonte ( Oregon Historical So ciety Quarterly , volume I , pages 169-88 ) . A list o f French Canadian settlers i s given by F . X . Matthieu ( ibid . , page 9 1 )
reminiscences o f F . X . Matthieu , b y H . S . Lyman , ibid . , volume I pages 73-84 . The prairie was named because o f the early French Canadian settlers . FRIEND , Wasco County . Friend was named for George J . Friend , a s the post office established February 2 8 , 1903 , was located o n his homestead . The name was proposed b y Theo . H . Buskuhl , first postmaster . FROMAN , Linn County . This i s a railroad station southeast o f Albany , named for Thomas Froman , a pio ner resident o f the neighborhood . FRUITA , Wallowa County . Fruita i s located i n a park on Imnaha River near the mouth o f Grouse Creek . When the post office was established , various names , including Imnaha , Park and Grouse Creek were suggested , but
postal authorities rejected them a l l , mostly because o f duplication . Finally the department sent a Postal Guide and requested that a name o f one word b e selected that did not duplicate any other name i n Oregon . A local resident by the name o f T . F . Rich , had lived a t Fruita , Colorado , and h e suggested that name , which was ap proved by the authorities . FRY , Linn County . Fry i s a railroad station between Albany and Lebanon , named for Olney Fry , Sr. , a pioneer settler o f the vicinity . FRYREAR BUTTE , Deschutes County . This butte i s east o f Sisters , and was named for an early settler nearby , John B . Fryrear . FUEGO MOUNTAIN , Klamath County . Fuego Moun tain i s i n the east central part o f the Klamath Indian Reservation . Fuego i s Spanish for fire . Captain 0 . C . Applegate advises the writer that i n early days there were several bad forest fires on this butte , and owing t o remoteness , they were hard t o control . He thinks this was the reason for the name .