# Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 27/Number 2/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 previous installments, and will welcome such addressed to him at Gasco Building, Portland, Oregon.-EDITOR Quarterly.
Part III.
ALLEN CREEK, Josephine County. Allen Creek is southwest of Grants Pass. It was named for Lafayette Allen who took up a donation land claim on its banks in pioneer days.
ALMA, Lane County. Alma is in the southwestern part of Lane County on the Siuslaw River. A. H. Hinkson of Eugene, who is familiar with the history of the place informs the writer that it was named by A. P. Condray, but he has been unable to ascertain why the name was selected. N. C. Hinkson was the first postmaster and the postoffice was established in 1886. Alma is a girl's name and was doubtless suggested by Condray because he knew someone named Alma. Alma is a Latin word meaning kind or bountiful.
ALTHOUSE CREEK, Josephine County. Althouse Creek and Alt house Mountain near the Oregon-California line were named for the Althouse brothers, early settlers in that part of Oregon.
ANEROID LAKE, Wallowa County. On page 134 of the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly for March, 1926 , the compiler discussed the origin of this name and said he doubted if it had anything to do with a girl. J . H. Horner of Enterprise who has devoted many years to the study of the history of Wallowa County informs the compiler that there appears to be no doubt that the lake was named for Anna Royal, of Walla Walla, Washington, who visited the locality about 1893. It was for sometime known as Anna Royal Lake. Miss Royal was the first white woman who ever climbed up to the lake and just how the name became changed to Aneroid Lake is not known. It does not now seem advisable to attempt to revert to the old name because Aneroid Lake is in universal popular use and Aneroid Point, one of the high peaks of the Wallowa Mountains, takes its name from Aneroid Lake.
ARMIN, Wallowa County. Armin is said to have been named for one Armin Bodmer, of the Wallowa Valley, at a time when he was courting a young widow, Effie B. Hanna, who lived in the place.
BALLSTON, Polk County. Ballston was named for Isaac Ball who took up a donation land claim where the town now stands. The post office was originally established as Ballsville on July 19, 1878, with Andrew N. Martin postmaster. The name was changed to Ballston on July 19, 1880 .
BIG CREEK, Clatsop County. Big Creek has been known by that name for many years, and yet at one time it must have had another name. Old maps show it as Tillasana Creek, changed later to Tilly Ann Creek and even Tilly Jane Creek. The writer has been unable to determine where these older names originated. H . S. Lyman in 0. H. S. Quarterly, volume 1, number 4, says that the Indian name for the locality near Knappa was Tle-las-qua, which may have been the same as Tillasana. Additional information would be appreciated.
BILLY MEADOWS, Wallowa County. These meadows are about 25 miles northeast of Enterprise. They were named for William Smith, better known as Billy. He was a pioneer sheepherder employed by R. Frank Stubblefield.
BROWN MOUNTAIN, Wallowa County. This is a high peak in the Wallowa Mountains northwest of Eagle Cap. It was named because of its characteristic brown color near the top.
BUFORD CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream rises in Oregon and flows into Washington. It was named for a pioneer settler near by.
BUTCHERKNIFE CREEK, Wallowa County. One day in the early '90s Jack Shields and Dick and Alex Warnock found an old butcherknife on this stream, and named it on that account. Butcherknife Creek is a tributary of Lightning Creek.
CAPE ARAGO, COOS County. Just how Arago's name became at tached to one of the most important headlands on the Pacific Coast has not been explained to the entire satisfaction of the compiler of these notes. Cape Arago was discovered by Captain James Cook and named Cape Gregory. See the entry in the Quarterly on page 364 for December 1925. The name Cape Arago first appeared on the Coast Survey chart prepared by William P. McArthur in 1850 and issued the following year.
Dominique Francois Jean Arago (1786-1853) was a great French physicist and geographer. He was the intimate of Alexander von Humboldt, and his friendship with Humboldt "lasted over forty years without a single cloud ever having troubled it."
It seems likely that the naming of Humboldt Bay in northern California brought about the naming of Cape Arago' in Oregon. Stories about the naming of Humboldt Bay differ in detail but agree fairly well in general. The bay seems to have been named in 1850 as the result of an exploration made by a company of miners, styled Laura
Virginia company or association. One report says that the bay was named for the ship in which the expedition was made, the Humboldt. Other stories are to the effect that the company was on the ship Laura Virginia but this point seems to be more or less immaterial as it is quite possible that there could have been two ships in the expedition. The Humboldt was an old vessel that had been sailed from Panama to San Francisco in 1849 by William P. McArthur. See Oregon Historical Society Quarterly for September, 1915, page 249. McArthur visited Humboldt Bay and mapped it in 1850 and a few weeks later charted Port Orford which he named Ewing Harbor for his Coast Survey ship Ewing. The Coast Survey records indicate that Cape Arago was probably named by one of its officers, and the compiler believes that the most likely explanation is that McArthur named it immediately after he named Ewing Harbor. The name was doubtless suggested to him because of the name of Humboldt Bay. He was familiar with the work and geographic operations of Arago and doubtless thought that he was entitled to the same honor as Humboldt. There is of course little real evidence to indicate that this is actually what happened but the theory here advanced seems to have more in its favor than any other.
CHAPMAN CREEK, Josephine County. This stream is about four miles southeast of Kerby. It bears the family name of William Chapman, a pioneer settler on its banks.
CLEVELAND, Douglas County. F. M. Good came to Oregon from Kentucky in 1853 and was one of the early settlers near the present community of Cleveland, west of Winchester. He started a sawmill and flour mill, and named his brand of flour for the Cleveland flour mill in Ohio. Thus the place in Oregon received its name indirectly for the city in Ohio. Cleveland post office was established December 16, 1874 , with Francis M. Good first postmaster, who was probably the F. M. Good just mentioned. The office was discontinued January 27, 1923.
COLLEGE CREEK, Wallowa County. College Creek is a short tributary of Imnaha River in the eastern part of the county. A. N. Adams, better known as Sam, named this stream. He was a Civil War veteran, and pioneer of Wallowa Valley. He applied the name after a school had been established nearby. He was a rancher.
COLORADO LAKE, Linn County. This lake, which has an elevation of 195 feet, lies on the south bank of the Willamette River a few miles east of Corvallis. The compiler has been unable to obtain in formation as to why this lake is called Colorado Lake, and would welcome such.
COURTNEY CREEK, Lane County. Courtney Creek was named for one Courtney, who operated a pioneer sawmall near the point where this stream leaves the foothills.
COURTNEY CREEK, Wallowa County. This Courtney Creek was named for pioneer stockmen, Lins, Alex and Bent Courtney. It is in the northern part of the county.
DAWSON CREEK, Washington County. In the pioneer days this stream was known as Stony Creek and is so shown on old maps.
DAY RIDGE, Wallowa County. Day Ridge is in the northern part of the county. It was named for the Day brothers, homesteaders.
DIAMOND PRAIRIE, Wallowa County. This little prairie is west of the town of Wallowa. It is generally understood to have been named because of its shape.
DILLON, Wasco County. This is a station on the railroad near the Celilo Canal. It was named for an army officer, Captain Theo. H. Dillon, who was a member of the engineer corps and assisted in the construction of the canal. One of the construction camps was known as Dillon's Camp, which the railroad company called Dillon.
DOTHAN, Douglas County. Dothan post office is at West Fork station on the Southern Pacific Company line through Cow Creek Canyon. The post office was formerly known as West Fork to agree with the railroad station, but Little Hudson, a pioneer railroad agent and postmaster asked to have the post office name changed because of confusion in accounts. Hudson suggested the name Dothan which he found in biblical history. Dothan was a place near Samaria in Palestine.
DOWNEY GULCH, Wallowa County. This gulch is in the extreme northeast part of the county. It was named for R. M. Downey, a pioneer resident and at one time county assessor.
DREWSEY, Harney County. Abner Robbins started a store at this place in the summer of 1883 and called it Gouge Eye. His reason for selecting this pleasing name is not known by the compiler. About a year after Robbins started the community he applied for a post office but the postal authorities were reluctant to accept his original name, so he submitted a new name, Drusy. Postal authorities changed this to Drewsey and so it has been from that day to this. It is not known why Robbins suggested the name Drusy. In ordinary English the word drusy means a rock surface covered with very small crystals. Robbins may have been interested in mineralogy and suggested the name on that account.
DUTCH FLAT, Wasco County. In the early '70s a German settled on the plateau east of and above Mill Creek. His home was known as Dutchman's Cabin and the flat has been called Dutch Flat ever since.
ELDER CREEK, Josephine County. Elder Creqlk is about two miles east of Waldo. It is named for John Elder, a pioneer rancher.
EIGHT DOLLAR MOUNTAIN, Josephine County. Eight Dollar Mountain which has an elevation of 3992 feet is one of the prominent
features in the Illinois Valley. There are several stories as to how it got its name, the most probable being that it came about as a result of the discovery nearby of a gold nugget worth $8.00. Another version is that a man wore out a pair of shoes worth $8.00 walking around its base. Its sides are excessively rough and inasmuch as the distance is about 12 miles it is quite possible that the latter story may be true.
ENOLA BENCH, Clackamas County. Enola Bench lies just north of Zigzag River and west of Devil Canyon. The name Enola was made by spelling Alone backward. It was applied by a homesteader who had a home that was quite isolated.
EUCHRE MOUNTAIN, Lincoln County. Really accurate information about the name of Euchre Mountain seems hard to obtain, but it is generally believed that the word Euchre was employed by pioneer surveyors as an approximation of the Indian name of the mountain. The correct pronunciation and meaning of the Indian name are not now available. The Coast and Geodetic Survey gives the height of Euchre Mountain as 2580 feet.
FINDLEY BUTTES, Wallowa County. The Findley Buttes are in the Wallowa Valley between Enterprise and Imnaha. They are named for Florence Findley who took up a homestead there in the '80s. These buttes are sometimes known as Brumback Buttes for N. B. Brum back, a nearby settler, but Findley Buttes is the older name and in the opinion of the writer, the correct one. Florence Findley married J. J . Johnson, an old settler.
FINDLEY CREEK, Wallowa County. Findley Creek flows west into Imnaha River near Imnaha. It was named for the Findley family. See under FINDLEY BUTTES.
FIVEMILE RAPIDS, Wasco County. These great rapids of the Columbia River were named by U. S . engineers because of their distance east from the boat landing at The Dalles. They form a part of The Dalles of the Columbia, and were formerly known as the Long Nar rows, The Dalles and The Great Dalles. See under The Dalles in these notes and also Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1926, page 115. Part of Fivemile Rapids is in the state of Washington.
FREEZEOUT CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream is in the eastern part of the county. It was named by one Jack Johnson be cause he nearly froze there one night. Johnson was a prominent pioneer character of the Wallowa country.
GALENA, Grant County. Galena is a post office in the valley of Middle Fork John Day River, at a place once the site of Susanville post office. It is alleged to the writer that about 1901 a mine and its employees about two miles away up Elk Creek secured the removal of the Susanville office to a point near the mine. This left
the abandoned post office site without an office. A new office with a new name was petitioned for, and due to the fact that there was a considerable quantity of galena ore in the vicinity, Galena was suggested. Galena is a common ore of lead, chemically known as lead sulphide.
GALICE, Josephine County. The postmaster at Galice, in 1926, informs the compiler that the place takes its name from a French doctor who came to the place as early as 1855 and discovered placer gold. It is said that this Frenchman is buried close to Galice Creek nearby. Much gold has been taken from the placers during the past three-quarters of a century.
GALES CREEK, Washington County. Gales Creek and Gales Peak nearby were named for Joseph Gale who came to Oregon in 1934, with Ewing Young, from California. He was born in 1800 near Washington, D. C. He settled on East Tualatin Plain and afterwards at the foot of Gale's Peak, on a tributary of Tualatin River, and later in Eagle Valley, Union County. Gale, in his younger days, followed the sea; afterwards, he became a trapper in the Rocky Mountains. Lieutenant Wilkes gave him papers for sailing the Star of Oregon. "Captain Gale has always been a man of great energy, brave, fear less and honest". (J. W. Nesmith, in address before Oregon Pioneer Association, 1880 , page 12 of Transactions). Together with Alanson Beers and David Hill, he constituted the executive committee of the provisional government, elected July 5, 1843. He died in Eagle Valley, Union County, Oregon, December 13, 1881. For his biography see The Oregonian, December 29, 1881, page 4; February 12, 1882, page 4; October 12, 1883, page 1; May 9, 1877, page 4.
GARDEN HOME, Washington County. This name is mildly sentimental, and may be classified with Sweet Home, Pleasant Valley and others of that class. The community of Garden Home has existed for many years, and became prominent when the Oregon Electric Railway was built. The site of the present Garden Home station is somewhat east of the older settlement.
GARDINER, Douglas County. Gardiner is on the north bank of the Umpqua River near its mouth. It is an historic community of Oregon, and bears the name of a Boston merchant who sought to trade on Umpqua River. His vessel, the Bostonian, was wrecked at the mouth of the river October 1, 1850. Most of the goods on the vessel were saved and moved to the location of what was subsequently the town of Gardiner. The place became the headquarters of the Umpqua customs district in 1851, with Colin Wilson as collector. See advertisement in The Oregonian, December 6, 1851 . The community is described in The Oregonian for June 23, 1855. Gardiner post office was established August 1, 1864, with David Morey first postmaster.
GARFIELD, Clackamas County. Garfield is about three miles east of Estacada. It is not now a post office. It was named for James A. Garfield, twentieth president of the United States.
GARFIELD PEAK, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This peak is on the south rim of Crater Lake and has an elevation of 8060 feet. It was named by Will G. Steel for James R. Garfield, then secretary of the interior, on July 15, 1907. Mr. Garfield was the first cabinet officer to visit Crater Lake.
GARIBALDI, Tillamook County. Garibaldi seems to be one of those places that several persons have had a hand in naming. Will G. Steel is authority for the story that it was named for the great Italian patriot by an early settler named Joe Champou about 1848. The writer has been informed that it was so called by a Mr. Bailey in 1880. The first version seems improbable, because in 1848 Garibaldi was just starting the most active part of his career, and it is doubtful if anybody in Oregon knew much about him at that time. Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in Italy on July 4, 1807 . His life was at all times eventful, and he had been condemned to death before he was 27 years of age. He was a revolutionist in South America for several years, then returned to Italy in 1848 to join the revolution in that country. Then for more than 15 years he was for the most part engaged in military activities connected with the establishment and early period of the kingdom of Italy. He died in 1882.
GARLINGHOUSE LAKE, Benton County. This is a small slough lake northeast of Monroe. Its elevation is 265 feet. It was named for William Garlinghouse, a pioneer settler nearby.
GASCO, Multnomah County. This is a station between Portland and Linton. It was named for the Portland Gas & Coke Company whose plant is located nearby.
GASTON, Washington County. Joseph Gaston emigrated to Oregon from Ohio in 1862 and actively promoted the west side railroad south west of Portland, which was built by Holladay and Villard. He built the narraw gauge line from Dayton to Sheridan in 1878. He wrote and published histories of Portland and of Oregon. He died July 20, 1913 , aged 79 years. Gaston was named for him.
GATCH FALLS, Linn County. These falls are on Marion Creek, a tributary of North Santiam River. They were named in 1874 by a Marion County road locating party under the leadership of John Minto, for Professor Thomas M. Gatch, afterward president of Oregon Agricultural College, and a well known pioneer educator.
GATES, Marion County. The post office which serves Gates was originally located on the south side of North Santiam River and was therefore in Linn County. The office was then known as Rock Creek and it is reported that a man by the name of Bennett Robertson was the first postmaster. About 1892 Mr. Robertson moved the post of
fice across the river to a place then known as Gatesville and the name of the post office was changed to Gates. This was in honor of Mrs. Mary Gates, one of the oldest settlers in the vicinity. The name Gatesville was first applied to the place about 1888. Mrs. J. P. McCurdy, postmaster at Gates in 1925, writes the compiler as follows: "There was much opposition to the adoption of the new name of Gates by the older settlers who wished to retain the name of Rock Creek. A petition was signed to keep the old name. The party circulating the petition got drunk and lost it, and therefore the name of Gates remained." Page Mr. Volstead.
GATEWAY, Jefferson County. Gateway is named for a natural depression in the terrain north of Madras, due to erosion by Trout Creek and its tributaries. It is in effect a natural gate for railroad and vehicular traffic north and south through central Oregon. The name was applied to the community about 1911, probably by George McFarland. The post office was originally known as Youngs, but it was not at the present site of Gateway. Youngs was named for L. H. Young, a local resident, and was about three miles from where Gateway office is now located.
GATTON CREEK, Multnomah County. This small stream con nects Ramsey Lake with Willamette River, just north of St. Johns. It was named for William Gatton, a pioneer of 1852, who settled near the present site of St. Johns. He was born in 1831, and died March 24, 1924 . For information about Gatton property see Portland Tele gram, August 10, 1925 , where the name is misspelled Gratton, and letter from J. N . Peary, on editorial page, ibid., September 1, 1925.
GAZLEY, Douglas County. Gazley post office which was established about 1914 was named for James F. Gazley, a pioneer, who took up land in the vicinity in 1852.
GEARHART, Clatsop County. Philip Gearhart was a pioneer settler on Clatsop Plains, and on part of his donation land claim is now located the summer resort of Gearhart.
GEER, Marion County. Geer is a railroad station east of Salem. It was named for the family of T. T. Geer. His parents were pioneers of Oregon and he himself one time governor of the state. His book Fifty Years in Oregon, is one of the most interesting contributions to the intimate history of early days in Oregon.
GEISER, Baker County. This mining camp was named for Albert Geiser, owner of the Bonanza mine.
GENEVA, Jefferson County. This post office was established about 1914 through the efforts of John T. Monical. His wife's name was Geneva Monical, and the office is said to have been named for her, as she was the first postmaster.
George, Clackamas County. This community was named for Melvin C. George, of Portland, former representative in congress from Oregon. Judge George was born in Ohio in 1849. He came to Ore gon when he was two years old. He has been a practicing lawyer for many years and has occupied various political positions, including that of circuit judge. He was representative in Congress from 1881 to 1885, and while he was in that position a petition was received at Washington for a post office in Clackamas county. Walter Q. Gresham was postmaster general at the time and suggested Judge George's name for the new office, which was accordingly adopted. The place is not now a post office.
GERLINGER, Polk County. Louis Gerlinger, a well known Oregon lumberman and railroad builder promoted The Salem, Falls City and Western Railway, later purchased by the Southern Pacific Company. The crossing of this line and the original west side line a mile south of Derry was named in honor of Mr. Gerlinger.
GERVAIS, Marion County. Named for Joseph Gervais, a pioneer citizen of Oregon, and an early resident on French Prairie. Gervais came to Oregon with the Hunt party of the Astor enterprise in 1811, and for a number of years was engaged as a trapper for the various companies. He settled on French Prairie, but his claim was not at the present site of Gervais. Gervais is on the Peter Depot claim. Neill Johnson is said to have given the, name to the town of Gervais. Gervais and Etienne Lucier may have named Pudding River in 1813. Both of these men voted for affiliation with the United States rather than Great Britain. Gervais died on French Prairie July 13, 1861, aged 84 years.
GESNER, Marion County. Gesner is a railroad station east of Salem. It was named for the Gesner family, early settlers. Alonzo Gesner was at one time county surveyor, a fact which may have had to do with the selection of the name.
GIBBON, Umatilla County. This is a station on the line of the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company 20 miles east of Pendleton just west of the junction of Umatilla River and Meacham Creek. Elevation 1749 feet. Gibbon has also been known as Bingham Springs because it was the railroad station for that resort. It was named for John Gibbon, brevet major-general, who was a distinguished soldier of the Civil War, on the Union side. On August 9, 1877, in the battle with Nez Perces at Big Hole Pass, he was wounded. In 1885-86 he was in command of the department of the Columbia, at Vancouver, Washington, and there had charge of suppression of anti-Chinese riots in Washington Territory. Gibbon served in the Mexican War. In the Civil War he took part in the battles of Antie tam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Petersburg, Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor. He was wounded at Fredericksburg and
Gettysburg. He was born in 1827. He died February 6, 1896. He held the rank of colonel in 1877.
GIBSON GULCH, Polk County. Gibson Gulch is in the southeast part of the Eola Hills. David Gibson was a pioneer settler in the Eola Hills, and the gulch in question was named for him. He is reported to have been an Oregon pioneer of 1849, and on returning to Illinois by Panama, came to Oregon again in 1852. He died prior to 1900, and was buried in Spring Valley.
Gilchrist Valley, Crook and Deschutes Counties. Gilchrist Valley is drained by one of the tributaries of Crooked River, and lies east of Hampton Butte. It is about 20 miles long, north and south, and 10 miles wide, and its physical characteristics are well described by Dr. I. C. Russell in U. S. G. S. Bulletin 252. Dr. Russell named the valley for Charles Adams Gilchrist, its first settler, as a tribute to his enterprise and hospitality. C . A. Gilchrist was born in Indiana November 5, 1855 . He lived in Missouri, California and New Mex ico, and finally came to Oregon and began ranching in what is now known as Gilchrist Valley. He married Miss Mabel F. Johnstone of Indiana in 1899. He died March 3, 1926. See Portland Telegram, March 5, 1926 , page 16. During the latter part of his life he lived in Portland.
GILLESPIE BUTTE, Lane County. Gillespie Butte is about a mile north of Eugene and has an elevation of 602 feet. It was named for Jacob Gillespie, who came to Oregon from Missouri in 1851, and who took up land near the butte. He was virtually founder of the Cum berland Presbyterian church in Eugene, and held a negro slave in Oregon. His two daughters married William and Thomas Goodpas ture. See under that name.
Gilliam County. Gilliam County was created February 25, 1885 by the state legislature. It has a land area of 1201 square miles, according to the Bureau of the Census, and its county seat is Condon. The county was named for Colonel Cornelius Gilliam, who commanded the forces of the provisional government in 1847-48, after the Whitman massacre, in the campaign against the Cayuses. He was killed toward the end of the campaign, March 24, 1848, while drawing from a wagon a rope for his horse; the rope caught the hammer of a gun and discharged it. Gilliam was born in North Carolina in 1798. He came to Oregon in 1844. "He was brave, obstinate, impetuous and generous, with good-natured abilities but little education. Thus died an honest and patriotic and popular man, whose chief fault as an officer was too much zeal and impetuosity in the performance of his duties." (Bancroft's History of Oregon, vol. 1, page 725). For narrative of his death, see The Oregonian, June 29, 1888, page 2, letter by William A. Jack, and ibid., January 24, 1926, section 1, page 20, article by Opal Clark of Heppner.
GLACIER PEAK, Crater Lake Natonal Park, Klamath County. This peak is at the west edge of Crater Lake, and is the highest point on the rim above the lake, with an elevation of 8156 feet. It was so named because here were found the first evidences of glacial scratch ings, indicating the occurrence of glacial action on Mt. Mazama. It was at one time known as Maxwell Peak, for Sir William F. Maxwell, of Edinburg, Scotland, who explored the Crater Lake region in 1875.
GLADSTONE, Clackamas County. So called for Eilliam Ewart Gladstone, the great English statesman.
GLASS BUTTE, Lake County. Glass Butte is in the northeastern corner of Lake County, and has an elevation of 6390 feet, according to the Coast and Geodetic Survey. It is composed of two prominent rounded domes, and several lesser hills, and is an important land mark. The butte takes its name from the obsidian or volcanic glass scattered over its slopes. It stands about 2000 feet above the surrounding plain.
GLENADA, Lane County. Glenada townsite was platted by Geo. H. Colter about 1890. The writer is advised that since the place was in a circle of the Siuslaw River, it was called "Glen-Ada" the Ada being for Mrs. Colter. Why the circle of the river suggested Glen has not been explained. The postal authorities played havoc with Mr. Colter's name by condensing it into Glenadca. The office was established about 1891 with Margaret I. Grant first postmaster. She was a sister of Mrs. Colter.
GLENDALE, Douglas County. When the railroad was extended south from Roseburg in 1881-3. Solomon Abraham acted as right-of way agent, and platted several communities, including the present site of Glendale. This site he named Julia, for Mrs. Abraham. The chief engineer of the railroad, Charles A. F. Morris, and Abraham got into a controversy about the townsites, and Morris changed the name of the station from Julia to Glendale, although the post office and townsite remained as before. This resulted in confusion, and the post office was subsequently changed from Julia to Glendale. There are several stories as to why the name Glendale was selected. Will G. Steel says it was suggested by G. Wingate, for the Scottish glens. Albert Abraham of Roseburg, son of Solomon Abraham, informs the writer that Morris was a native of Glendale, Massachusetts, or Glen dale, Scotland, and suggested the name himself. Accurate information would be appreciated.
GLENWOOD, Washington County. This name is said to have been originated about 1880, and was, adopted because of the natural sur roundings suggested a glen in the woods. It is not unappropriate, differing in this respect from many similar names in the state. James Ketchum is reported to have been the first postmaster.
GLIDE, Douglas County. The post office at Glide was established
in 1890, and Mrs. Carrie Laird was the first postmaster. According to information furnished the compiler, Mrs. Laird had considerable difficulty thinking of a suitable name for the new office until one day she observed her small son playing about and singing, "The River Goes Gliding Along." Without more ado Mrs. Laird christened the place "Glide," and it has been gliding along ever since.
GOBLE, Columbia County. This place was first, settled by Daniel B. Goble, in April, 1853. He took up a donation land claim, and later sold it to George S. Foster, who laid out the town and named it for the previous owner. Goble was born in Ohio in 1815 and arrived in Oregon in August, 1852.
GOLD BEACH, Curry County. Gold was discovered in the sands of Curry County in the early '50s and the beaches were named on that account. They were the scene of operations of hundreds of placer miners in pioneer days. This particular beach was at the mouth of Rogue River, and the settlement there was for some years known as Ellensburg, but it is said that there was confusion with Ellensburg, in Washington Territory, and the name was changed to Gold Beach. It is the county seat of Curry County. The compiler is informed that the place was once known as Whaleshead, but has no evidence to con firm this statement. The present Whaleshead Rock is some miles fur ther south, and does not seem near enough to have furnished a name for the locality at Rogue River. It is true that both Bancroft and Mrs. Victor refer to the settlement of Whaleshead as being at the mouth of Rogue River but the wording is vague and the community may have been several miles from the mouth of the river. Additional information would be appreciated.
GOLD HILL, Jackson County. Gold Hill was the scene of an early gold discovery in southern Oregon. There is now some controversy as to the exact location of the hill so known, but from what evidence the writer has seen it is quite certain that the original Gold Hill was on the south bank of Rogue River opposite the present community of Gold Hill. There seems to be no historic reason to believe that it was north of the town, even though so shown on some maps. The hill to the north is somewhat more imposing than the original Gold Hill to the south, and this may be the reason that some local residents tried to move the name. The town is of course named for the hill. In pio neer days the main settlement in this neighborhood was that of W. G. T'Vault at Datrdanelles, now Rock Point, about two miles west of the Gold Hill of today.
GOLD RAY, Jackson County. Colonel Frank Ray of New York was interested in the power development at the falls of Rogue River at Lower Table Rock, and named the place Gold Ray. This name caused confusion on the line of the Southern Pacific Company, be cause of the close proximity of Gold Hill, the next station to the
west. The railroad name for Gold Ray is Ray Gold. The California Oregon Power Company uses the original arrangement of the words.
GOLDSON, Lane County. According to advice received by the writer from Seth W. Harpold, postmaster at Goldson in January, 1926, the place was named after the first postmaster whose name was John Goldson. The post office was established about 1892.
GOLTRA, Linn County. Goltra is a station between Albany and Lebanon, named for W. H. Goltra, a pioneer settler of the vicinity.
GOODPASTURE ISLAND, Lane County. This island is on the east bank of the Willamette River just north of Eugene. It was not named for succulent forage, but for William and Thomas Goodpasture, who married the daughters of Jacob Gillespie. The two wives inherited the island as part of their father's estate. See under GILLESPIE.
GOSHEN, Lane County. The compiler does not know who named the town of Goshen. In biblical geography, Goshen was a pastoral region in lower Egypt, occupied and colonized by the Israelites before the Exodus. It was situated east of the Delta and west of the modern Suez Canal.
Gourlay Creek, Columbia and Washington Counties. This little stream is a tributary to South Scappoose Creek. It was named for Alexander Gourlay, a pioneer homesteader nearby.
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Clackamas County. It seems strange that there is not more definite information about the origin of this name. Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that it was so called because the First U. S . Rifles camped there on their way over the mountains in 1849. George H. Himes advises the writer that these troops did not come over the mountains, but traveled down the Co lumbia from The Dalles by boat. However, it is known that in the early '50s there were in the eastern side of the Willamette Valley some heavy army wagons said to have been secured from soldiers. It seems probable that a small detachment of soldiers was sent over the Barlow Road with some livestock belonging to the main body of troops. Army records indicate that this was contemplated and there was some controversy among officers as to whether or not it was a proper plan of procedure. See Portland Telegram editorial page, March 1, 1926 , where there is a discussion of the origin of the name.
GRAND RONDE, Yamhill County. This name is universally misspelled. The U. S . Geographic Board vainly attempted to secure the use of Grande Ronde but without avail. The French word ronde, meaning circle or roundness requires the adjective agreement grande, and the two words together may be taken as describing a fine large valley of excellent appearance, more or less hemmed in by hills. This valley and the one in Union County were named by French-Canadian
trappers because of the view they afforded. For many years there was a Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. There were 1064 Indians on this reservation in the census of 1867. The Grand Ronde Agency was closed in the fall of 1925. Following is the last paragraph of an editorial on the subject of closing this agency which appeared in The Oregonian November 18, 1925:
"It was on the Grand Ronde and Siletz reservations that the first effort was made to persuade the Indians to work. J. Ross Browne tells o fone pow wow at which the topic was broached. 'All white people had to work. The shirts and blankets they wore were made by white man's labor . Were they better than white men that they should live without working?' So the report runs. 'Yet it is doubtful that they were as much impressed by this as by the further warning that "if they undertook to leave they would be shot, and then the president's heart would be sad because he could no longer protect them."' Both sides to the controversy have since learned a good deal. A con siderable proportion of those whose subsequent departure has resulted in discontinuance of the agency have gone to work and are doing well."
GRANDE RONDE VALLEY, Union County. This imposing valley has given its name to Grande Ronde River and also to La Grande. In this part of Oregon, the French name has retained both final "e"s. Grande Ronde, in eastern Oregon, is mentioned as early as 1827 by Peter Skene Ogden. See Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, volume XI, page 361. On Saturday, September 14, he writes: "Reached Clay River, or River de Grande Ronde wh. discharges in s. branch of Columbia 2 days march from Nez Perces." The writer has no fur ther knowledge of the use of Clay River for this stream. It is obvious that the Grande Roride Valley was named before the river. It has been stated by students of the history of this part of the state that the French word ronde means a table song or roundelay and that the trappers sang such songs in the Grande Ronde Valley, which was a drinking post. The compiler feels that this supposed origin of the name is fanciful as ronde in connection with the word grande also means great circle and this term very aptly describes the condition at the Grande Ronde Valley. Washington Irving quotes Bonneville as calling this stream Fourche de Glace, or Ice River.
GRANDVIEW, Jefferson County. The name of Grandview suggests an hyperbole, but the compiler is of the opinion that the view justifies the name. Residents of the community enjoy a view of the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range that is certainly inspiring.
GRANGER, Benton County. This is a station on the railroad be tween Albany and Corvallis. The compiler has been unable to get information as to the origin of the name, and would welcome such.
GRANITE, Grant County. Granite was originally known as In dependence, and was founded in the later '60s. About 1877 the name
was changed to Granite, doubtless to prevent confusion with Independence in Polk County. The new name was adopted because of the prevalence of granite rocks in the neighborhood.
Grant County. Grant County was created October 14, 1864 , and was named for General U. S . Grant, who at the time was at the height of his fame as a military leader for the northern armies. Grant County was carved out of parts of Wasco and Umatilla Counties.
GRANT, Sherman County. Grant is a station on the railroad in the north part of Sherman County. It is not now a post office al though it was at one time. The place came into being when the rail road was built in the early '80s and it was known at that time as Villard in honor of Henry Villard, the great railroad man. The name was later changed to Grant presumably for U. S. Grant. In 1883 the community was burned. The townsite was platted in November, 1883, by William Murray and W. Lair Hill. The Columbia River flood in 1894 practically wiped out the town and citizens were forced to seek hillsides for safety.
GRANTS PASS, Josephine County. Many stories have been circulated as to how this community got its name. Grants Pass citizens for the most part are inclined to the belief that the name was applied as a result of the capture of Vicksburg by General U. S. Grant. About the time the news arrived in southern Oregon, men were engaged in improving the road over the low hills north of the point where the city is now located, and they celebrated General Grant's victory by naming the summit Grants Pass. This name was later applied to a nearby stage station and then to a post office, and on completion of the railroad the post office was moved from the stage station near the geographic feature called Grants Pass to a point near the rail road station and the present community took its name from the post office.
Versions of the story ascribing the name to a visit of General Grant appear erroneous, because there is no evidence that General Grant was ever in that part of Oregon. He was stationed at Fort Vancouver from September, 1852, to September, 1853. The death of Colonel Bliss, of the adjutant-general's department, on August 5, 1853, caused the promotion of Grant to the rank of captain of a company then stationed at Humboldt Bay, California. Grant made the journey from Fort Vancouver to Humboldt Bay by sea to San Francisco, and thence north to the place of his destination. He went to Fort Vancouver in 1852 by sea, from San Francisco.
General Grant visited Portland in 1879, arriving October 15, and leaving October 17. For narrative of his service in Oregon. see The Oregonian, April 26, 1897 , page 6. For history and description of the town, Grants Pass, see The Oregonian, June 25, 1890, page 7. Leslie
M. Scott says the pass through the mountains north of the present town of Grants Pass, may have been named for a settler in that vi cinity named Grant.
Another version of the story is that a party of road viewers named the pass through the mountains after one of General Grant's victories (letter of "Pioneer" in The Oregonian, November 15, 1883, page 2.) Leslie M. Scott, in Scott's History of the Oregon Country dismisses the story of General Grant "passing" in a card game as pure fiction.
GRASS VALLEY, Sherman County. Pioneer settlers, without ever changing countenance, tell newcomers that in early days the rye grass was so tall in this part of Oregon that it was well over a man's head. They even state that this was so when the man was on horse back. This accounts for the name. Grass Valley was incorporated as a result of a popular vote held September 10, 1900.
GRASS VALLEY CANYON, Sherman County. Grass Valley Canyon heads in Grass Valley, hence the name. The canyon wanders northward through Sherman County, and finally joins the canyon of John Day River. This name is one of that class that is cumbersome, due to the fact that the name of one feature is used to describe another. Salmon River Glacier is another example. Grass Valley Canyon is an old name, however, and will probably persist.
Grave Creek, Jackson and Josephine Counties. This stream rises in the northwest corner of Jackson County and flows into Josephine County. It receives Wolf Creek near Leland. In 1846 a girl named Josephine Crowley, daughter of Leland Crowley, died on what is now Grave Creek, and her burial there gave rise to the name. James W. Nesmith, in a letter published in The Oregonian, November 23, 1883 , stated that in the late summer of 1848 he started for California with a party of gold seekers, and that they found Josephine Leland's grave had been desecrated by Indians. They reinterred the remains, and called the stream Grave Creek. In 1854 the legislature tried to change the name of Grave Creek to Leland Creek, but the effort has not been successful. It is claimed that Josephine County was named for Josephine Crowley. For details concerning these matters see under Josephine County.
GRAY, Linn County. This is a junction point on the Oregon Elec tric Railway southwest of Albany. It was named for Carl R. Gray, formerly president of the Oregon Electric and other roads, and later president of the Union Pacific Railroad Company at Omaha.
GREENLEAF, Lane County. The name Greenleaf was first applied to this community about 1885, and when the post office was established about 1895, the same name was used for the office. It also was used for Greenleaf Creek, a stream flowing into Lake Creek where Greenleaf post office was first located. The name is said to have been
used because of the abundance of green maple trees in the vicinity. About 1908 the post office was moved some three miles down Lake Creek.
GRESHAM, Multnomah County. Gresham was named for Walter Quinton Gresham, (1832-1895), soldier and statesman. He made an enviable record in the Civil War, displaying gallantry in action, and in 1865 was brevetted major-general of volunteers. After the war he practiced law and became a member of the federal judiciary. He was postmaster general in Arthur's cabinet from April 3, 1883, to September 24, 1884 , when he became secretary of the treasury, and served about a month in that position. He was a candidate for the republican nomination for president in 1884 and 1888, but eventually drifted away from the republican party, and was secretary of state in Cleveland's cabinet from March 7, 1893, until his death on May 28, 1895 . Gresham post office was established about 1883, and the name was suggested by Benjamin F. Rollins because W. 0 . Gresham was then postmaster-general. Gresham named the post office of George, in Clackamas County, for Judge M. C . George of Portland. See under that heading.
GRIZZLY, Jefferson County. This post office was established about 1890, with a Mrs. Edmonds first postmaster. It was named for Griz zly Butte, a prominent timbered mountain about four miles to the southeast. The writer does not know how Grizzly Butte got its name.
GROSSMAN CREEK, Wallowa County. Grossman Creek was named for a pioneer trapper. He died many years ago near what is now Rondowa.
GROUSE HILL, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Grouse Hill is a prominent feature north of Crater Lake, and has an elevation of 7401 feet. It was so called because of the abundance of grouse found there.
GUANO LAKE, Lake County. This is a mud lake or playa about five miles long situated in township 39 south, range 27 east. It is fed by Guano Creek, an intermittent stream heading on Hart Mountain. Guano Lake has no outlet. The lake and creek were so named be cause of the guano deposits along their banks. The lake was named firs;t, in the summer of 1864, during the Owyhee Reconnoissance of the First Oregon Cavalry under Lieutenant-Colonel C. S . Drew. See Drew's Official Report, page 15. For a number of years the stream feeding the lake was called Warner Creek, but is now generally known as Guano Creek.
GUILD LAKE, Multnomah County. This is a shallow lake within the city limits of Portland, on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is being gradually filled with material sluiced down from the near by hills and dredged from the river. It was named for Peter Guild, a pioneer of 1847.
GUMBOOT CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream is in the south east part of the county. It was named because Jack Johnson, a prom inent pioneer stockman, once found an old gumboot in it. Gumboot Butte took its name from the stream. Johnson was one of the earliest settlers on Imnaha River.
GUMJUWAC SADDLE, Hood River County. This pass is a mile southwest of Lookout Mountain, between the watershed of Hood River and Badger Creek. It is about 5200 feet in elevation. The Forest Service is authority for the statement that the name is of Indian or igin, but its meaning is unknown.
GUNTER, Douglas County. Gunter post office was established in the fall of 1905, with J. 0 . Gunter first postmaster. Gunter petitioned for the office and suggested the name of his father-in-law, Craig. Other petitioners sent in Gunter's name, which was adopted by the authorities. Gunter was born in Indiana August 7, 1852 , and came to Oregon in November 1885.
GURDANE, Umatilla County. The post office of Gurdane was named for John S. Gurdane, a pioneer settler of south Umatilla County. He was one time a member of the state legislature. The post office was established about 1896.
GWENDOLEN, Gilliam County. The station of Gwendolen, which is also a post office, is said to have been named for the daughter of the first conductor on the Condon branch of the Oregon-Washing ton Railroad & Navigation Company line. This branch was construct ed shortly prior to 1900 and the post office was established about the time the station was named.
GYPSUm, Baker County. According to advice received by the writer from the postmaster at Gypsum in January, 1926, the place was named in the fall of 1907 on account of the gypsum deposit that is located about one mile northwest of the station. General Chas. F. Beebe of Portland was interested in the development of this deposit and probably suggested the name for the station. The post office was established about 1913, with J. C . McNaught as first postmaster.
HAAs RIDGE, Wallowa County. Haas Ridge lies just west of Lightning Creek. It was named for the Haas family, pioneer sheep men.
HAINES, Baker County. F. W . Castor, postmaster at Haines in 1926 advises the writer that the community was named for one "Judge" I. D. Haines, who owned land on which the town was located. The community was started the year the railroad was constructed through Baker Valley. The post office was established about 1885 with Mrs. John Dorset, first postmaster.
HALE BUTTE, Linn County. Hale Butte is about two miles west of Jefferson and has an elevation of 427 feet. It was named for Mil
ton Hale, whose donation land claim took in part of the butte. Hale established the city of Syracuse on the Santiam River opposite the present site of Jefferson in pioneer days, but his town did not grow to maturity. Hale Butte has been shown on the map as Gale Butte, a typographical error.
HALL CREEK, Coos County. This stream joins Coquille River at Arago. It was named for David Hall, who took up a donation land claim near its mouth.
HALLS FERRY, Marion County. Halls Ferry is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway. It is not far from the site of Halls Ferry across from the Willamette River north of Independence. This ferry was first established about 1868 by Noah Leabo. He sold it to J. A. Colby about 1874 and B. F . Hall bought it about 1882 and after that it was known as Halls Ferry. B . F. Hall was the youngest son of Reason B. Hall, who founded the town of Buena Vista. For infor mation about the Hall family see under BUENA VISTA.
HALSEY, Linn County. This place was named for William L. Hal sey, vice-president of the Willamette Valley Rail-way Company dur ing the construction period. Halsey was one of the Holladay organ ization. The railroad was built through what is now Halsey in 1871, and the name was doubtless applied at that time. Halsey was not named for the man of that name connected with the Astor enterprise. For biography of William L. Halsey, see The Oregonian, February 22, 1884 , page 3.
HAMBONE BUTTE, Clackamas County. This butte is between Salmon and Roaring rivers. Its elevation is about 4900 feet. It was named by T. H. Sherrard of the Forest Service, who says that the selection of the name was arbitrary, and that it had no peculiar sig nificance.
HAMILTON, Grant County. Hamilton is named for J. M . Hamil ton, a pioneer stockman of the neighborhood and also the first settler where the town is now situated. Mr. Hamilton located there some time in 1874 and lived there until his death in 1909. The first store was built by Anson C. Frink who was the first postmaster. The Hamilton ranch was headquarters where settlers met to try the speed of their favorite horse as Mr. Hamilton was a fancier of horse flesh.
HAMLET, Clatsop County. Hamlet post office was established about 1906, with Albert Hill first postmaster. Inquiries by the writer have failed to disclose a reason why this post office received its name.
HAMMOND, Clatsop County. Named for Andrew B. Hammond, a pioneer of the Pacific Northwest, merchant, railroad builder and lum berman. He was born in New Brunswick in 1848, and in 1866-7 came to Washington and then settled in Montana, where he lived about 30 years, successfully engaged in mercantile and railroad affairs. From 1895 to 1898 he built the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad, later
acquired by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Company. In recent years Mr. Hammond has resided in San Francisco, and he is one of the foremost capitalists of the Pacific Coast, being interested in timber, lumber, fishing, shipping and various mercantile operations. Silas B. Smith states that the Clatsop name of the Indian village near the present site of Hammond was Ne-ahk-stow. See 0. H. S. Quarterly, volume 1, page 321.
HAMNER BUTTE, Klamath County. Hamner Butte is a prom inent mountain southeast of Davis Lake. It was named for Frank Hamner, a homesteader near Black Rock south of the butte.
HAMPTON BUTTE, Deschutes County. Hampton Butte is really a group of dissected hills, part of which is in Crook County. The summit, with an elevation of 6333 feet, is apparently in Deschutes County. The Butte was named for a pioneer homesteader. There is a description of it in U. S . G . S . Bulletin 252, which states that it was the result of explosive volcanic eruptions, which discharged acid lavas and probably furnished most of the material for the extended tuff sheets forming the surface of much of the adjacent country. The butte is of importance geologically and is well described in detail by Dr. I . C. Russell in the bulletin mentioned above. Hampton post of fice was established in May 1911. A. S. Fogg, the first postmaster, suggested naming the office for the butte.
HARBOR, Curry County. Harbor post office is where the commun ity of Chetco was formerly located. For the origin of the name Chetco, see under Chetco River. It is reported that the new name was taken from the title of the Chetco Harbor Land and Townsite Company. It does not seem to the writer to be an improvement over the old name Chetco.
HARDING, Clackamas County. George A. Harding, for more than half a century a resident of Oregon City, was born in Sydney, Aus tralia, in 1843, and after a short visit in California, arrived in Ore gon in 1857. He was a director of the Willamette Valley Southern Railway Company, and this station on that line was named for him on that account.
HARDMAN, Morrow County. Hardman is an old community. The post office has been established more than forty years. The place was named for a pioneer family engaged in the stock business. Dave Hardman was postmaster there about 1884.
HARDSCRABBLE HILL, Linn County. Hardscrabble Hill is the northeast part of a butte about two miles southwest of Jefferson. Hardscrabble Hill itself has an elevation of 369 feet and is close to the west bank of Santiam River. This hill and other features in the state bearing the same name are so called because of the poor charac ter of the soil and the difficult yof cultivating it. See also HUNGRY HILL.
Hardy Creek, Lane County. Hardy Creek is a tributary of South Fork McKenzie River. It was named for Charles A. Hardy, an attorney of Eugene, who built a hunting and fishing lodge near the mouth of the stream. Hardy Ridge nearby derives its name from the same source.
HARKENS LAKE, Benton County. This lake is about three miles northeast of Monroe. Its outlet is an intermittent stream flowing into Willamette River. Its elevation is 260 feet. It was named for a nearby settler.
HARLAN, Lincoln County. James R. Harlan was one of the or iginators of the plan to secure a post office, and the office, when established, was named for him. He was first postmaster, according to information furnished by the postmaster in 1926.
Harney County. Harney County has a land area of 9933 square miles, and is the largest county in Oregon. It was created February 25, 1889, and was named for William Selby Harney who was appointed to the command of the department of Oregon of the United States Army, in 1858, and was recalled in 1859, for his summary seizure of San Juan Island, from the British, in July, 1859. He served in the Black Hawk War, the Florida War, and the Mexican War, and was in command of Union forces in Missouri in the early part of the Civil War. He was breveted major-general in 1865. He was a noted Indian fighter, and was popular in the Pacific Northwest. He died May 9, 1889 . For obituary, see Scott's History of the Oregon Coun try, volume V, page 212. Harney County was not named until after Harney Lake and Harney Valley had been so called for a number of years, and the name of the county was undoubtedly suggested by the names of those features.
HARNEY LAKE, Harney County. The first written information about Harney Lake is contained in Peter Skene Ogden's journals of his third Snake expedition, printed in the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly for June 1910. On October 29, 1826, when the expedition was not far from what is now known as Harney Valley, Ogden wrote that Thomas McKay, who had been sent on in advance, rejoined the party and reported the discovery of "a country of rivers and lakes, one of the latter the water is salt." The entry for Tuesday, November 1, is: "At sunset we reached the lakes. A small ridge of land an acre in width divides the fresh water from the salt lakes. These two lakes have no intercourse. The fresh water has an unpleasant taste 1 mile wide 9 long. In this (salt) lake discharges Sylvailles River and 2 small forks; but it has no discharge. Salt Lake at its south end is 3 miles wide. Its length at present unknown to us but appears to be a large body of saltish water. All hands gave it a trial but none could drink it. *****" Subsequent entries give further information about the lakes. There is no doubt in the mind of the writer that what Ogden called Salt Lake is the Harney Lake of today, and the fresh
water lake is Malheur Lake. During certain stages Malheur Lake discharges into Harney Lake, with the result that Harney Lake gradu ally tends to get more alkaline. T. C. Elliott who edited the journals is slightly confused about the lakes and in a footnote states that Har ney is not salt, which is incorrect. J . J . Donegan of Burns advises the writer that in the days of emigrations Harney and Malheur were known as Bitter lakes. The Indian name for Harney Lake is said to have been Tonowama. Harney Lake received its present name be cause of its location in Harney Valley. See under that heading.
HARNEY VALLEY, Harney County. Harney Valley was named for Major-General W. S. Harney. The valley is quite well defined, and has an average elevation of about 4100 feet. The southern part of the valley is occupied by Harney and Malheur lakes and their sur rounding marshes and meadows. The main valley and adjoining tri butary valleys have an area of about 750 square miles, for the most part quite level. The name was applied as the result of the establish ment of Camp Harney during the Snake War. See Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 488, et seq.
HARPER, Malheur County. Harper is on the Malheur River and it has been a post office since 1913. Harper was named for the Har per Ranch of the Pacific Livestock Company on which it is situated. The ranch, in turn, took its name from one of the early settlers along the Malheur River.
HARRIMAN, Harney County. This place is just between Malheur Lake and Crake Creek Gap. H . Denman owned the land where this community developed, and then the Oregon Short Line Railroad Company began to build from Ontario into the Harney Valley, Den man named his place after Edward H. Harriman, the great railroad magnate.
HARRIS, Benton County. Harris is the name of the station served by Elam post office, not far from Philomath. The place has been a community for about 50 years, and bears the name of a pioneer land owner. When the post office was petitioned for, residents asked that it be named Harris but postal authorities were afraid of confusion with Harrisburg, Linn County. For additional information see under ELAM.
HARRISBURG, Linn County. Harrisburg was incorporated in 1866. It was named presumably after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Some persons say the name was proposed by Hiram Smith, pioneer of 1853; others, by Asa A. McCully, pioneer of 1852. The locality was called Prairie Precinct in 1852. In that year, D . and A. A. McCully started a store there. W . A. Forgey surveyed the site in 1853. At that time the place was named Thurston, and soon afterwards, Har risburg.
Hart Mountain, Lake County. Hart Mountain is a prominent landmark on the eastern side of Warner Valley. It has an elevation according to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey of 8020 feet. Its western face is abrupt and impressive and the bold escarp ment stands over 3,000 feet above the floor of Warner Valley. Near the foot of Hart Mountain is Hart Lake. Hart Mountain was at one time known as Warner Mountain. Wilson and Alexander established a ranch near the foot of the mountain and used a heart as a cattle brand. The vaqueros were not noted scholars and the ranch was im mediately known as the Hart Ranch and has been known ever since and Hart Mountain and Hart Lake derived their name from this source. It is not likely that the spelling will ever be changed as the incorrect form is universally used.
HARVEY MOUNTAIN, Lane County. This mountain was named for J. Roy Harvey, who was a pioneer forest officer in the Pacific Northwest. He served in many positions with the Forest Service. Harvey Mountain is about six miles southeast of Blue River.
HAT CREEK, Wallowa County. Hat Creek is in the southeast part of the county and flows into Snake River. It was named many years ago that Alex Warnock was riding an unruly pony and had his hat bucked off near this stream. The hat hung on a bush for some time and the stream was named on that account. Hat Point, a pominent peak near the headwaters of Hat Creek, was named for the stream.
HAUSER, Coos County. Hauser is a station on the line of the Southern Pacific Company north of Coos Bay. It was named for Eric V. Hauser of Portland. About 1914 Eric Hauser and his sons had a construction contract on the railroad. The community now known as Hauser was then called North Slough, but the name was changed to Hauser because the new name was not suggestive of miasmatic sur roundings.
HAYDEN LAKE, Polk County. Hayden Lake is near the west bank of the Willamette River, two miles southwest of Eola. It was named for Benjamin Hayden, a picturesque pioneer lawyer of Oregon, who achieved fame as a rustic raconteur. West of Hayden Lake is Hayden Slough and nearby in the Willamette River is Hayden Island, both of which were named for the same man.
HAYES HILL, Josephine County. Hayes Hill was in pioneer days a place that travelers had to reckon with, between Rogue River and Kerby. The road was steep and hard to negotiate. Hayes Hill was named for Jarvis Hayes, a pioneer settler nearby.
HAYSTACK BUTTE, Jefferson County. Haystack Butte bears a descriptive name, due to its shape. It has been so known for many years, and the territory near its base is known as Haystack country. The butte lies east of Juniper Butte, and The Dalles-California High way passes through a saddle between them.
HEBO, Tillamook County. Hebo was named for Mount Hebo, an important peak in the Coast Range nearby. See under that name.
HECETA HEAD, Lincoln County. The following editorial by Har vey W. Scott, printed in The Oregonian, August 20, 1895, effectively sums up Heceta's claim to fame: "The Columbia River was first seen by civilized man August 17, 1775. Captain Bruno Heceta, commanding the Spanish corvette Santiago, in a voyage along the coast from Mexico, noticed an opening in the coast from which rushed a current so strong that he could not enter. His nautical observations, published with his report, show that the position of his ship was within one minute of the latitude of Cape Disappointment, which he called Cape San Roque. The smoke from forest fires then was not so thick as now, though it was the same time of year; for Heceta saw clearly the distant mountains. Heceta Head, further down the coast, perpetuates his name." For additional information see under CAPE FALCON and COLUMBIA RIVER. The name Heceta is frightfuly mispronounced in Oregon. Locally it is called Heketa. It should be Ay-thay-tah with the ac cent on the second syllable. There was a post office called Heceta but it has been discontinued.
HELIX, Umatilla County. Helix was first known as Oxford, but the postal authorities objected to the name because it was a duplicate of similar names elsewhere. The writer is informed that a Mr. Henderson, on whose farm the place was located, selected the Greek word Helix because a number of Indian trails centered nearby. Helix really means a spiral so the reason for Mr. Henderson's selection is not quite clear unless there was a spiral, winding trail leading to the community.
HELMICK HILL, Polk County. Helmick Hill is just west of the point where the West Side Pacific Highway crossed Luckiamute River. It was named for Henry Helmick, a pioneer of 1845, who with his wife Sarah took up a donation land claim on the Luckiamute in 1846. Their home was at the base of the hill. Mr. Helmick died in 1877. In 1924 Mrs. Helmick presented to the state land for a park adjacent to the highway, which was dedicated with appropriate honors, and named Helmick Park. She celebrated her 100th birthday on July 4, 1923. For information about the Helmick family and the park see Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, December 1925.
HEMLOCK, Tillamook County. There are a number of geographic features in Oregon named for the hemlock tree, which is an important part of our forests. The place in Tillamook County, which has been discontinued as a post office, was named for the western hemlock, tsuga heterophylla, which grows in great abundance in the Coast Range. It is a fine large tree, growing 160 feet high, and even taller, and is characteristic of the middle, moist, forest zone, on western slopes, but is not common east of the Cascade Range. The other va
riety of hemlock in Oregon is known as mountain or black hemlock, tsuga mertensiana, and is an alpine tree with little resemblance to the western hemlock. It has drooping slender branches, and its height is not often more than 60 feet. It grows near the timber line, and is not often found below 4000 feet in the Cascade Range, and in other mountains in eastern Oregon. It prefers a north exposure, and will endure dense shade. It grows in Oregon above 8000 feet. See Sud worth's Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope. The mountain hemlock has a rather larger cone than the western hemlock. Its leaves are rounded and plump looking, differing in this respect from other hem locks. The leaves of the western hemlock are flat and grooved.
HEPPNER, Morrow County. Named for Henry Heppner. He and Jackson L. Morrow opened the first merchandise store there, in 1873. The county was created and named in 1885. The town of Heppner was founded in 1873 (The Oregonian, December 15, 1877, page 2). Morrow settled at Scott Prairie, near Shelton, in 1853, and was one of the founders of Tumwater. In 1855-56 he served as lieutenant in Captain Swindall's company in the Indian war. Heppner died at Port land February 16, 1905, aged seventy-six years (biography and por trait, ibid. , February 18, 1905. Destruction of large part of the town of Heppner June 14, 1903, by flood was one of the great tragedies of Oregon.
HEREFORD, Baker County. At the time this community was be ing formed, it is said a Hereford bull was led through the settlement, and as the local residents were mostly interested in stock, someone suggested Hereford as the best name for the place.
HERMISTON, Umatilla County. Hermiston was named by Colonel J. F. McNaught, a pioneer settler in the community. The name was suggested by Robert Louis Stevenson's unfinished novel, Weir of Her miston. Colonel McNaught liked the sound of the name, and found that it did not duplicate any other post office name in the United States. The railroad station at Hermiston was originally called Max well probably after A. L. Maxwell, who was at one time a passenger traffic official of the railroad company. Postal authorities would not accept the name Maxwell as a post office name because of duplica tion and it was for this reason that Colonel McNaught picked out a new name.
HEWETT BOULEVARD, Multnomah County. Hewett Boulevard is west of Council Crest, and connects Mount Zion with Sylvan. It was named for Henry Hewett, a pioneer grain merchant and insurance man of Portland. Mr. Hewett was born at Hunters Hill, near Gates head, County Durham, England, on January 15, 1847. He came to the Pacific Coast about 1864, and settled in Portland in 1870, and in the following year shipped the first cargo of wheat that ever went from Portland to the United Kingdom. He later extended his activ ities to include marine insurance, and was for many years Lloyd's
agent in Portland. He lived for a time at Nineteenth and Glisan streets in Portland, where the Couch School now stands, and per sonally planted many of the shrubs now growing in the school yard. In 1888 he moved to the hills west of Mount Zion and developed a country place, setting out many shrubs and trees secured from abroad. In the later years of his life he devoted himself entirely to the insur ance business. He possessed a vast fund of information about the marine history of the Pacific Coast. He died at his home near Mount Zion on February 16, 1915 .
HILDERBRAND, Klamath County. This post office was estab lished about 1886, under the name of Hildebrand, with N. S. Hilde brand first postmaster. The office was named for him, as he pe titioned for it. Since that time the office has been discontinued and reestablished several times and the last reestablishment was with the name misspelled Hilderbrand.
HILGARD, Union County. Hilgard is said to have been named for a local resident whose initials are not now known. The compiler be lieves that this statement is incorrect and that the place is really named for Henry Villard. Villard's original name was Hilgard and the compiler has been unable to find that anyone else of that name lived in Oregon in the early days. Henry Villard built the railroad over the Blue Mountains, and it is safe to assume that the town of Hilgard bears his family name. See under VILLARD GLACIER.
HILLSBORO, Washington County. Hillsboro was named for David Hill who was born in Connecticut in 1809. He represented Twality in the provisional legislature in 1847. The town of Hillsboro was named for him. He died May 9, 1850. Hillsboro was formerly spelled Hillsborough. Prior to 1849 the place was called Columbus. Hill was an Oregon pioneer of 1842, and settled at the site of Hillsboro, it is believed, in 1847. The Oregon Spectator, of January 10, 1849, mentions Hillsborough, and Abraham Sulzer as having a store there. On January 10, 1850, the place is still referred to as Hillsborough, and, on April 18, 1850, David Hill is spoken of as postmaster of Tual atin Plains. An early name of the locality was East Tualatin Plain; that of the Forest Grove locality, West Tualatin Plain.
HILLSDALE, Multnomah County. Hillsdale is the post office for Bertha station, southwest of Portland. The railroad found it in advisable to use the name Hillsdale because of possible confusion in train orders with Hillsboro, on the same line. The name Hillsdale has been in use since pioneer days, and is quite suitable for the place. Hill is from the old Anglo-Saxon hyl, and Norse holl. Dale means a small valley. It comes from the same source as dell, and the German thal and Slavonic dol.
Hipp, Benton County. Hipp is the name of the post office that serves the community of Alder. Postal authorities would not accept
the name of Alder for a post office because of confusion with many other offices of that name. The name Hipp was suggested by L. M. Roser who was manager of a sawmill nearby and the post office was established in 1922 The writer has not been able to ascertain why the word Hipp was suggested.
HiYu MOUNTAIN, Clackamas and Hood River Counties. This mountain is just south of Bull Run Lake. Its name is the Chinook jargon word for much, or plenty, and is used to indicate that the mountain is quite large. There is a Hiyu Ridge in Lane County south of South Fork McKenzie River.
HOAGLIN, Douglas County. The name Hoaglin is said to be of Indian origin. The writer is informed by the postmaster at Hoaglin in 1926 that the name has been used for the post office since about 1898. A nearby Indian told the postmaster that the word meant some sort of medicine.
HOLBROOK, Multnomah County. Philo Holbrook was a pioneer of Oregon, and owned a farm at the present site of Holbrook. When the postoffice was established, it was named for him.
HOLCOMB LAKE, Washington County. Holcomb Lake is about three miles northeast of Orenco. It was named for Stephen A. Hol comb, a pioneer settler who took up a donation land claim nearby.
HOLDMAN, Umatilla County. Holdman brothers were early set tlers in this community, and when the post office was established, it was named for them.
HOLE-IN-THE-GROUND, Lake County. This very remarkable place is well described by its name. It covers an area of about a quarter of a square mile, and its bottom has sunk over three hundred feet be low the surrounding land level. It is about eight miles northwest of Fort Rock.
HOLLADAY, Clatsop County. A railroad signboard at the end of the track south of Seaside is all that exists in Oregon today of geographic nature to call to mind one of Oregon's most important pio neer citizens. Ben Holladay came to Oregon in August, 1868 with what was considered immense wealth and plunged into the Willamette Valley railroad fight that was then raging. Holladay was a native of Kentucky and came west in 1856, and having made money in the overland stage business, he sold out to Wells Fargo & Company about 1866 and turned his attentions to Oregon. He allied himself with the east side of Salem interests, and built in all about 240 miles of rail road. In 1873 his railroad defaulted, and today is part of the South ern Pacific system. Holladay's ventures and extravagances scattered his wealth. He died July 8, 1887, aged 68 years. For references to his activities and controversies see Scott's History of the Oregon Coun try, volume III, page 172. His name was applied to the station in
Clatsop County because for some years he was interested in the "Sea side House," a famous pioneer resort south of the present site of Sea side.
HOLLAND, Josephine County. Holland post office was estab lished about 1899 and the first postmaster is reported to have been John M. Smock. The post office was named after a pioneer settler in the neighborhood, James E. Holland.
HOLMES GAP, Polk County. Holmes Gap and Holmes Hill are five miles north of Rickreall, the formuer being a natural pass used by the Southern Pacific Company and by the West Side Pacific High way. The gap has an elevation of 166 feet and the hill just to the east 567 feet. These features were named for Horatio Nelson Vis count Holmes, a pioneer of Oregon, who took a donation land claim at this point.
HOLTON CREEK, Josephine County. Holton Creek flows into the Illinois River just south of Kerby. It was named for Dr. D . S . Hol ton, a pioneer physician of the neighborhood.
HOMESTEAD, Baker County. It is reported to the writer that Frank E. Pearce took up a homestead at this point in connection with his operations with the Iron Dyke Mine, and that the office was named on account of the homestead claim. This was about 1898. J. H . Pearson is reported to have been the first postmaster, and he sug gested the name.
HONEYMAN, Columbia County. Honeyman is a station between Scappoose and St. Helens. It was established to serve a farm owned by William Honeyman, a prominent pioneer hardware dealer of Port land, and was named for him.
HOOD MOUNTAIN, Coos County. This mountain which has an elevation of about 1700 feet is in the valley of South Fork Coquille River. It was named for William L. Hood, a prominent stockman who owned land nearby.
HOOD RIVER, Hood River County. This stream was discovered by Lewis and Clark on Tuesday, October 29, 1805 and called La beasche River, an improvised method of spelling La Biche, French for female deer. In pioneer days some travelers, being in a starving condition, ate dog meat near Hood River, and the unpopular name Dog River was the result, but not because of any suggestiveness of the French name. Later on, Mrs. Nathaniel Coe, a well known pio neer resident of the valley objected to the name Dog River and suc ceeded in changing local usage to Hood River on account of Mt. Hood, its source. For narrative of settlement, in 1852, see The Ore gonian, June 11, 1889, page 3; May 9, 1881, page 3; description, ibid., May 14, 1903; October 4, 1914 , page 4. Hood River Valley is famed for apples and strawberries which producers there ship in large quantities.
The name Dog River is now attached only to a small stream that heads in Brooks Meadows about eight miles southeast of Parkdale and flows into East Fork Hood River. In October 1852 an advertisement in The Oregonian states that a road had been cleared from "Dog River to the ferry" which was one of the first on the Columbia. The name Hood River appears on a map as early as 1856.
HOOD RIVER, Hood River County. The city of Hood River was named for the stream nearby.
Hood River County. This county was created June 23, 1908, and was taken from Wasco County. Since most of the new county was drained by Hood River, it was appropriate to name it Hood River County. According to the Bureau of the Census, it has a land area of 540 square miles.
HOOK, Gilliam County. Hook is the present name of the railroad station formerly called Squally Hook because it was at this point at the south bank of the Columbia River that rough weather was fre quently experienced by steamboat men. In the interest of simplicity the railroad company eliminated the word Squally. A near post of fice was once known as Quinook which was a name made up by taking parts of the station names of Quinton and Squally Hook.
HOOVER CREEK, Wheeler County. Hoover Creek is a tributary of Thirtymile Creek. It flows north of Black Butte about three miles from Fossil. T . B . Hoover located nearby many years ago and the stream bears his name.
HORNING GAP, Lake County. Horning Gap is a pass in the hills north of Silver Lake, named for a homesteader.
HORSE HEAVEN CREEK, Lane County. This stream rises in the Calapooya Mountains and flows southward into Steamboat Creek. Near the head of the creek, which is close to the Bohemia mining dis trict, there was a natural pasture, where miners and prospectors fed their stock.
The name Horse Heaven is used in a great many places in the west, indicating natural pastures along streams, where horses could be turned loose without fear that they would stray away, or good forage on open ranges where large numbers of wild horses would congre gate.
HORSESHOE LAKE, Jefferson County. This is near the summit of the Cascade Range south of Olallie Butte. It drains to the north in to Monon Lake. It was not named because of its shape, but because a horseshoe was found near its shore.
HORSETAIL FALLS, Multnomah County. This name is supposed to be descriptive of the falls. It has been in use since pioneer days. In 1916 the U. S . Geological Survey determined the height of these falls to be 221 feet.
Horton, Lane County. Three brothers by the name of Horton settled near the present Horton post office in 1903. They were E. J. Horton, Sam M. Horton and J. C. Horton. They established a saw mill called Hortons Mill. The post office was established the latter part of 1913 under the name of Horton. Sam M. Horton was the first postmaster and was still in office in January, 1926. Horton is the center of the dairying and lumbering community. An unusual fact about Horton is that a wooden railroad is being constructed to con nect it with the outside world to furnish a means of transportation for a very large stand of yellow fir and cedar timber that grows in the neighborhood. This wooden railroad will connect with the Southern Pacific Company lines near Junction City.
Hoskins, Benton County. In pioneer days the federal govern ment established a fort in Benton County known as Fort Hoslins. Presumably it was named for Lieutenant Charles Hoskins, who was killed in the battle of Monterey, Mexico, on September 21, 1846. He was appointed to the army from North Carolina. Fort Hoskins in Benton County was not a large military establishment and does not always appear to have been located in the same place. The post of fice of Hoskins is named in memory of the fort.
Although Fort Hoskins is now nothing more than a memory, there was a time when it was an important post. Several officers who later achieved prominence in the military establishment were at one time commandants at Fort Hoskins or were stationed there. C. C. Augur was commandant in the late '60's. Hewas later a major general. Frederick T. Dent, later a brigadier-general, was com mandant at Fort Hoskins in 1861. He was a brother of Mrs. U. S. Grant. Sheridan in his Personal Memoirs, volume I, page 97, says "I spent many happy months at Fort Hoskins."
HOT LAKE, Union County. This is a steaming mineral lake at Hot Lake station and post office near Union. The name is quite descriptive although the compiler does not know when it was first used. In August, 1812, Robert Stuart and companions traveling from Astoria to St. Louis, visited Hot Lake. As far as known this was the first time it was seen by white men. Washington Irving's Astoria describes the event in the following words:
"In traversing this (Grand Ronde) plain, they passed, close to the skirts of the hills, a great pool of water, three hundred yards in circumference, fed by a sulphur spring, about ten feet in diameter, boiling up in one corner. The vapor from this pool was extremely noisome, and tainted the air for a considerable distance. The place was much frequented by elk, which were found in considerable num bers in the adjacent mountains, and their horns, shed in the spring time, were strewed in every direction around the pond."
HOULTON, Columbia County. Houlton post office is located at St. Helens railroad station. The town of St. Helens is about one mile
from the station. Houlton was originally called Milton. For infor mation about this see under MILTON CREEK. The post office was estab lished about 1891, and inasmuch as there was already a post office in Umatilla County by the name of Milton, it was necessary to find a new name for the Columbia County community. B. I. Plummer was the first postmaster, and he recommended the name Houlton for Houl ton, Maine, his former home.
HOWELL PRAIRIE, Marion County. Howell Prairie is west of Silverton, between the branches of Pudding River. It was named for a pioneer settler.
Howlock Mountain, Douglas and Klamath Counties. This is an important peak in the Cascade Range north of Mt. Thielsen, and has an elevation of 8351 feet. It was at one time known as Walker Mountain, possibly for W. T. Walker of the road-viewing party that explored Middle Fork Willamette River in 1852. See under Walker Mountain for additional information. About 1916, at the suggestion of the compiler hereof, the U. S. Geographic Board changed the name of the peak to Howlock Mountain, for a well known Piute Indian chief who ranged central Oregon. The reason for this change was that the name Walker Mountain was applied to a much more important mountain southeast of Crescent, a comparatively short distance away, and it was thought advisable to avoid duplication.
HUBBARD, Marion County. Hubbard was named for Charles Hubbard, who was born in Kentucky February 14, 1800, and came to Oregon in 1847. A few months after his arrival in Oregon City with his family, he was visited by Thomas Hunt, a squatter not far from Pudding River, and induced to rent Hunt's land while Hunt went gold seeking in California. Hunt was never heard from again, and Hub bard bought the right in the claim from Hunt's widow, and settled there. He built a cabin in 1849 about where Hubbard High School stands in 1926. The railroad was built through that part of the Wil lamette Valley in 1870 and Charles Hubbard donated land for a sta tion, and laid out a townsite, which was named after him. He died on Mission Bottom in 1884.
HUBER, Washington County. Huber is a station west of Beaver ton. It bears the name of Jacob Huber, an early resident. The com munity became established about 1910 and the post office about 1916.
HUGO, Josephine County. Hugo post office was established in the spring of 1897, and was named for Hugo Gabar, an early settler who was instrumental in securing the office.
HUG POINT, Clatsop County. Hug Point is on Cannon Beach. It is so called because it is necessary to hug the rocks to get around the point without getting wet. A makeshift automobile road has been cut in the face of the point, but the writer feels that he would just as soon be drowned as scared to death.
HULBERT LAKE, Lane County. This is a long narrow lake fed by intermittant streams and surface drainage. It is four miles west of Harrisburg and has an elevation of 295 feet. It was named for Joseph Hulbert, a pioneer settler nearby.
HULLT, Marion County. Hullt post office was first established on the Hullt homestead and was named for that family, which settled there some fifty years ago. Mr. Hullt was the first postmaster. The office is now located near the famous Silver Creek Falls, of which there are ten cascades in all, the highest of which is about 184 feet.
HUMBUG POINT, Clatsop County. This point is on Cannon Beach north of Hug Point. It has long been known as Humbug Point because travelers going south along the beach flattered themselves that they had reached Hug Point only to find that they had been hum bugged, and had several miles yet to go. The two points look much alike.
HUNGRY HILL, Linn County. This hill is southwest of the town of Scio, and has an elevation of 665 feet. Jefferson Myers is authority for the statement that it was named because the soil on its slopes was so poor and rocky that farmers who tried to till it were driven out by starvation.
HUNTINGTON, Baker County. This place was named for J. S . Huntington, an early resident. The place was originally Miller -stage station. Members of the Huntington family were early settlers. It is probable that one of the family was the first postmaster.
HUNT MOUNTAIN, Baker County. Hunt Mountain bears an his toric name, but the name was applied in modern times. It was at the request of J. Neilson Barry and other Oregonians that the U. S. Geographic Board attached the name of Wilson P. Hunt, leader of the Astor overland expedition, to the summit of the northeastern spur of Elkhorn Ridge, northwest of Baker. For details concerning Hunt and the overland expedition see Irving's Astoria. Hunt is mentioned as having seen the range northwest of Baker, in Astoria, under the date of December 28, 1811.
Wilson Price Hunt was chief partner in the Pacific Fur Company after Astor. He was born at Ashbury, New Jersey, date uncertain. He went to Saint Louis in 1804, and engaged in the fur trade there. After the Astor enterprise at Astoria, he returned to Saint Louis, and was appointed postmaster there in 1822. He was a man of remark able energy, strong purpose and fidelity, and was highly respected.
HURRICANE CREEK, Wallowa County. Named by A. C . Smith in the early '80s. He explored the creek after a big storm and found a great many trees blown down.
IDAVILLE, Tillamook County. Idaville was platted about 1870 by Warren N. Vaughn, it being a part of his donation land claim. He
named the place for his oldest daughter, Ida Vaughn. The post of fice was established about the same time with Peter Morgan postmas ter. The office was discontinued for a time.
ILLAHE, Curry County. This is the Chinook jargon word meaning "land" or "earth" and is also used to connote "country." George Gibbs states that it is derived from the Chinook Indian word Ilahekh. There are of course a variety of spellings, but the government has adopted Illahe as a standard spelling. Beside the post office in Curry County, there are other features bearing the name, including a place on North Umpqua River, Illahe Hill about four miles southwest of Salem, and Tenasillahe Island in the Columbia River. I
ILLUMINATION ROCK, Clackamas County. On this rock oc curred the first successful illumination of Mt. Hood. This illumina tion was part of the Independence Day celebration in Portland on July 4, 1887. Will G. Steel organized a party which carried one hun dred pounds of red fire to this rock and the light was seen as far as the mountain was visible.
IMBLER, Union County. This place was named for the Imbler family, pioneer settlers.
IMNAHA RIVER, Wallowa County. Imnaha is a beautiful name for a stream that rises in the Wallowa Mountains, and flows to Snake River through one of the deepest river gorges on the continent. The word was first written by Washington Irving in The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, volume XXX, in the form Immahah. As far as the writer knows, Captain Bonneville was the first white man to go into the Wallowa country. For information about his explorations, see under BONNEVILLE. He was in the vicinity of Imnaha River in Janu ary and February, 1834. It is difficult to follow Bonneville's march as described by Irving, for the geography of the country is obviously con fused, but the general character of the landscape is very well de scribed, and Irving's somewhat extravagant style is quite suitable to the remarkable rock formations and almost bottomless canyons the traveler encountered. Beside the river, there is a post office named Imnaha. J. H. Horner of Enterprise, an authority on Wallowa coun ty history, informs the writer that Imnah was the name of a sub chief and that it was the custom among the Indians to sound a to indicate the territory ruled over by a chief. This Imnaha was the land ruled over by Imnah. See also Wenaha River.
INDEPENDENCE, Polk County. Independence was named by Elvin A. Thorp, who founded the community. The name was in honor of Independence, Missouri. Thorp was born in Howard Coun ty, Missouri, in 1820, and took up a donation land claim at the present site of Independence, Oregon in June 1845.
INDEPENDENCE PRAIRIE, Linn County. This small prairie is at the junction of Marion Creek and North Santiam River. It was named
by the Marion County road viewing party on Independence day, July 4, 1874 . The party was in charge of John Minto.
INDIAN CREEK, Hood River County. In pioneer days there was a permanent Indian town or camp on the flat where the main west side road crosses this creek, and the name was applied on that ac count.
IONE, Morrow County. The name of this small community in east ern Oregon furnished Harvey W. Scott with ammunition for a char acteristic editorial that appeared in The Oregonian for June 22, 1903 after the Willow Creek flood of June 14 had brought into prominence various geographic names in that part of the state. He said: "Let us take advantage of the present occasion to correct the cur rent pronunciation of lone, the town on Willow Creek, below Hepp ner. In current use they call it I-own , with accent on the last syl lable, almost invariable. But lone is a name of three syllables, the accent properly on the second. So, many of our people say I-rene, two syllables, with accent on the last. But Irene is a name of three syl lables, with accent on the second. We have a steamboat that most persons call Cal-li-ope, with accent on the final syllable. But Calliope is a name of four syllables with accent on the second. Again, in the name Arion, the accent is commonly placed on the first syllable. But the correct pronunciation places it on the second syllable making the "i" long. Our schools and academies should insist on right pronun ciation of these and other names. In Idaho, on the Oregon Short Line, they calle a town Sho-shon-two syllables, with accent on the ultimate. Now, Shoshone is not a classical Greek name, as the fore going are, but an Indian one. Nevertheless, the Indians called it Sho-sho-nee, accentuating the final syllable, as emigrants who came across the plains perfectly remember."
The town of Ione was named by E. G. Sperry, who owned land, in 1883, after Ione Arthur, a girl who was visiting the Sperry family from Brownsville. She was with her father, John Arthur and others of her family. The post office was established in 1884, with Aaron Royce first postmaster. He ran the first store in the community.
IRELAND MOUNTAIN, Baker and Grant County. This peak, which is on the summit of the Blue Mountains, has an elevation of 8330 feet. It was known for some years as Bald Mountain, but the name was changed to Ireland Mountain by the U. S. Geographic Board at the request of the Forest Service and eastern Oregon citizens. This was in honor of Henry Ireland who was for many years supervisor of the Whitman National Forest, and who died May 31, 1916 . Before being connected with the Forest Serivce he was with the Department of the Interior.
IRON MOUNTAIN, Harney County. This is about ten miles west of Harney Lake and has an elevation of 5367 feet, according to the
U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. It is known as Iron Mountain be cause of the hard metallic appearance of the rock of which it is com posed.
IRONSIDE, Malheur County. The name Ironside was first ap plied in 1891. It is said that Marion Young, who was the first post master, suggested the name of the postoffice. The name was chosen because of the proximity of Ironside Mountain, the most prominent geographical feature nearby.
IRONSIDE MOUNTAIN, Malheur County. This is the most im portant landmark in the northern part of the county. The highest point is 7804 feet above the sea. It is so called because of the iron like appearance of the mountain.
IRRIGON, Morrow County. Irrigon is near the site of Grande Ronde Landing, a former rival of Umatilla. For information about these places see under Umatilla. Later the place was called Stokes, and it was a station on the railroad under that name even after Irrigon post office was established. Irrigon post office was estab lished December 19, 1903, with Addison Bennett first postmaster. He served until 1908. After various ventures in the newspaper business, he served for many years as a staff writer on The Oregonian and died in Portland, September 30, 1924 . He made up the name Irrigon from Irrigation and Oregon. He was editor of the first newspaper in the place, called the Oregon Irrigator, later the Irrigon Irrigator, its in itial number appearing January 27, 1904. Irrigon was the scene of a promising irrigation enterprise, hence Mr. Bennett's style of name.
ISLAND CITY, Union County. Island City received its name because it is located on an island formed by a slough which leaves Grande Ronde River west of the town and rejoins the river several miles to the east. The slough is south of the main stream.
ISTHMUS SLOUGH, Coos County. Isthmus Slough was known as Wapello Slough in pioneer days, but the name was changed be cause the slough led to the isthmus over which there was a trail to Beaver Slough, a tributary of Coquille River. The isthmus lies east of Isthmus Slough. East of the isthmus are Ross Slough, Catching Slough and the mouth of Coos River.
Jackson County. The discovery of gold in Southern Oregon in the early fifties made it desirable to provide a county government for that part of the state, and accordingly on January 12, 1852 , Jack son County was created and named for Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. As then constituted the county com prised all that part of Oregon west of the Cascade Range and between the south boundary of Umpqua County and the northern boundary of California. The county has been reduced in size considerably since its original establishment. Large areas have been taken to form
most of Curry and Josephine Counties to the west. According to the Bureau of the Census the present area of the county is 2794 square miles.
JACKSON CREEK, Douglas County. This stream was for many years called South Fork South Umpqua River, a name sufficiently cumbersome to call for a change. It was re-named by the U. S . Geo graphical Board for Clarence W. Jackson, who was killed by a truck in the state of Washington while in the employ of the Forest Service. He had formerly been a ranger on the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon.
Jackson Creek, Multnomah and Washington Counties. This stream is a tributary of McKay Creek and is about eight miles north of Hillsboro. The falls of this stream are known as Jackson Falls. These features were named for John B. Jackson, a pioneer settler who took up a donation land claim nearby.
JACKSONVILLE, Jackson County. The development of Jacksonville began with the placer gold discoveries there in 1851-2 . Leslie M. Scott advises the writer that Jacksonville was named for Jackson Creek, upon which it is located, and Jackson Creek was named for one of the men who discovered gold on its banks.
JAMIESON, Malheur County. Oregon Short Line Railroad Com pany officials named Jamieson for a Doctor Jamieson, who was an early settler on Willow Creek. The post office was established in 1911, with J. L . Pope first postmaster.
JASPER, Lane County. The writer has been unsuccessful in his efforts to secure the origin of the name of this place.

## JAYNES RIDGE, Wallowa County. The ridge is in the southeast

part of the county. It is named for Barren Jaynes, a pioneer rancher.
JEFFERSON, Marion County. Jefferson was named for Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States. The name was ap plied in early days. The place was first called Santiam, or Santiam City, for Santiam River. Milton Hale started Syracuse on the oppo site bank of the river, but that place did not develop. JEFFERSON COUNTY. Jefferson County was created December 12, 1914, and the territory comprising it was taken from Crook Coun ty. It was named for Mt. Jefferson, which is one of the principal geo graphic features in the district, and stands at the west end of Jef ferson County. For details concerning the name of Mt. Jefferson see under that name. Jefferson county has a land area of 1779 square miles. JEFFERSON PARK, Jefferson and Marion Counties. Jefferson Park is a place of peculiar beauty, wedged in across the Cascade Range by Mt. Jefferson on the south and by the almost perpendicular
walls of a great rock barrier to the north. The floor of the park is about a mile wide north and south, and probably three miles long from east to west. It was formerly known as the Hanging Valley, a name lacking in descriptive quality and appropriateness. The present name of Jefferson Park is much more suitable and is now well estab lished. It was of course suggested by the mountain. The park is about 5900 feet above the sea, and the views to be had from it of the glaciers on the north slope of Mt. Jefferson and of the great can yon of the Whitewater to the east must be seen to be appreciated. For excellent pictures of the park and other information see Mineral Resources of Oregon, volume II, No. 1 and Mazama for December 1925.
JENNINGS LODGE, Clackamas County. Jennings Lodge was platted as a townsite in 1905 and became a post office about 1907. It was named by Judge B. F. Bonham for Benjamin Jennings, an Oregon pioneer of 1847. He was receiver of the Oregon City land office under President Buchanan and helped build the Lot Whitcomb, the first steamer built on the Willamette River, at Milwaukie in 1850. His house is still occupied by one of his several chaldren, W . B. Jennings.
JEWELL, Clatsop County. This place was named after Marshall Jewell, postmaster general from 1874 to 1876. The name was given by W. H . Kirkpatrick, first postmaster at Jewell.
JOHN DAY, Grant County. The town of John Day in Grant County takes its name from John Day River.
John Day River, Clatsop County. This stream, like the other of the same name, in eastern Oregon, was named for John Day of the Astor-Hunt overland party of 1911-12 . For information about him, see under the other heading, John Day River. There is a rail road station, John Day, in Clatsop County near the mouth of John Day River that takes its name from the stream, and also a point east of the river known as John Day Point. Lewis and Clark mention the stream in their journals for November 27, 1805, and give the Indian name Kekemarke.
John Day River, Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Sherman, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler Counties. John Day River is one of the import ant rivers of Oregon, but due to the fact that it drains an area with little rainfall, the stream does not deliver a great deal of water. If it is remarkable in this respect, it is still more so for the enormous amount of suspended material it carries away from its drainage basin. Measured in tons per square mile, the John Day carries off 198 a year, or practically double that of any other important stream in the state. (This calculation is at Dayville.) Its total delivery at the Columbia is more than 750,000 tons of suspended matter a year. It bears the name of John Day (1771-1819) of the Astor overland party. He was a Virginia backwoodsman, and he and Ramsay Crooks fell behind the
main party in the Snake River country in the winter of 1811-12. They had several terrible experiences. According to one account John Day went insane in Astoria in 1814 and was buried there, but T. C. Elliott cites Ross' statement that Day died in the upper Snake River country in 1819. See Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, volume XVII, page 373. Lewis and Clark named this stream Lepages River on October 21, 1805 , after one of their party. Peter Skene Ogden mentions John Day River by name as early as November 29, 1825. 0. H. S. Quarterly, volume X, page 337. For editorial by Harvey W. Scott showing impossibility of Mrs. S. A. Weeks of Sherwood being daughter of John Day, see The Oregonian, January 10, 1910 . The fossil beds of the John Day country are among the most important in America.
JOHN HENRY LAKE, Wallowa County. This lake was named for John Henry Wilson of Wallowa. JOHNSON CREEK, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties. U. S. land surveyors named this stream for William Johnson, a pioneer of 1846, who settled near what is now Lents, and there built a sawmill in the '50s. Scott's History of the Oregon Country gives some addi tional facts and also information about Johnson's sons, Jacob and Jas per W. Johnson.
JOHNSON MOUNTAIN, Coos County. Johnson Mountain is in the southwest part of the county and Johnson Creek flows around it on the south. These two geographic features were named for a pio neer miner "Coarse Gold" Johnson who discovered gold nearby in rich nuggets in 1854.
JORDAN VALLEY, Malheur County. Jordan Valley is the name of a post office located in Jordan Valley and is on the banks of Jor dan Creek, which is a tributary of Owyhee River. The stream was named for Michael M. Jordan who was the leader of a party that dis covered gold on its banks in May, 1863 . He was killed in an Indian fight in the Owyhee country in 1864. See Bancroft's History of Wash ington, Idaho and Montana.
JORY HILL, Marion County. Jory Hill, with an elevation of 737 feet, is southwest of Salem. Several members of the Jory family settled in this neighborhood in pioneer days on donation land claims, and the hill was named for them.
JOSEPH, Wallowa County. Joseph is a town in the Wallowa Val ley and is named for Chief Joseph, (1837-1904), who claimed the val ley as his ancestral home, thus bringing on a war with the whites, which resulted in Joseph's retreat to Montana. For details of his life see under CHIEF JOSEPH MOUNTAIN. Joseph Creek in Wallowa County also bears his name.
JOSEPHINE COUNTY. Josephine County was created January 22, 1856 , from a western portion of Jackson County. It now has a
land area of 1637 square miles. It was probably named for Josephine Rollins, who was the daughter of the discoverer of gold in the Jose phine Creek that bears her name, according to H. H. Bancroft, (His tory of Oregon, vol.II, pages 415 and 713.) According to Geo. H . Parker (letter to The Oregonian, November 2, 1913), Josephine Rollins was then (1913) living at Sonoma, California; Parker wrote that he had received a photograph of her taken when she was forty-five years of age; that she was the sister of the wife of Jacob Thompson, of Ash land; that she came with her father, in 1851, to the county now bearing her name. In 1846 a girl named Josephine Crowley, daughter of Leland Crowley, died on what has since been called Grave Creek. The legislature, by act of January 6, 1854 , tried to change the name to Leland Creek, in honor of Miss Crowley (see Special Laws of legis lature, page 19; The Oregonian, December 7, 1883 .) Partisans of each origin of the name, Josephine County, have been insistent during many years. Josephine Rollins was the first white woman who made her abode there, so that the name of the county is probably hers. See letter of "Pioneer", The Oregonian, November 15, 1883 , page 4. For history of the grave of Josephine Crowley, by J. C. Fullerton, ibid., November 23, 1883 , page 2; by James W. Nesmith, ibid. , November 23, 1883 , page 2; by Matthew P. Deady, ibid., December 5, 1883.
JOSEPHINE CREEK, Josephine County. This is a tributary of Illinois River west of Kerby. According to Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 713, it was named for Josephine Rollins, who was a daughter of the man who discovered gold in the creek. In another place, vol. II, page 227, note 38, Bancroft makes the conflict ing statement that Josephine Creek was named for Josephine Kirby whose father discovered gold nearby. The compiler has been unable to reconcile these statements. Possibly some reader may know the facts. See under JOSEPHINE COUNTY.
JUMPOFF JOE CREEK, Josephine County. Jumpoff Joe Creek is in the extreme northeast corner of the county. The Pacific High way crosses it in Pleasant Valley. James W. Nesmith, in a letter printed in The Oregonian for November 23, 1883, says the stream was named for an exploit of Jo McLaughlin, in 1837 or 1839, but does not state the nature of the exploit. McLaughlin died at Fort Vancouver in December 1849.
JUNCTION CITY, Lane County. About 1870 when the railroad construction war was being waged in the Willamette Valley, Ben Hol laday had a scheme to build a west side railroad. It was to join his east side line at a point on the Willamette Valley, not further south than Eugene. Junction City was selected upon to be the place the two roads were to come together. The west side road was not built ac cording to plans and as a result the city never became a junction point for railroad traffic, but nearly fifty years later it did become
a junction point of the two main branches of the Pacific Highway through the Willamette Valley. The name, therefore, is now quite appropriate.
JUNIPER BUTTE, Jefferson County. Juniper Butte is just south of Culver. It is a prominent feature on the landscape, and has a rather peculiar concavity on the north, like a natural ampitheater on a large scale. The compiler is unable to determine why it should have been called for the juniper tree any more than several other buttes in the neighborhood which have as many of these trees growing on their slopes.
JUNTURA, Malheur County. Juntura is the Spanish word for "juncture." It was applied to a community in Malheur County be cause it was near the junction of the North Fork with the main Malheur River.