# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/P

​P Ranch, Harney County, The P Ranch is one of the historic and romantic landmarks of eastern Oregon. It is in the valley of the Donner und Blitzen River south of Burns and west of Steens Mountain. For many years it was the headquarters of Peter French, one of the West's great cattle kings. For information about him, see under the heading FRENCHGLEN. It is frequently said that the P Ranch was named for a brand based on Pete French's first name, but in September, 1943, Archie ​McGowan of Burns, wrote the compiler that this is not a fact. French came to Oregon in the early '70s as a scout for Dr. Hugh James Glenn, the great land-owner of the Sacramento Valley. Among others, French bought out an old prospector and trapper who had a small ranch in the place that French wanted for headquarters. This man was already using a P iron, according to McGowan. French bought him out, iron and all, and made the brand famous throughout the West. It was a coincidence that it was the initial of Pete French's first name.
Pacific City, Tillamook County. Pacific City was named because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. The post office was established July 31, 1909, with Peter Murray postmaster.
Pacific OCEAN, western boundary of Oregon. After crossing the Isthmus of Panama in September, 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovered the ocean which he called Mar del Sur or Sea of the South. In November, 1520, Fernando Magellan, also under the Spanish flag, sailed through the straits which have since borne his name. On sailing into the great sea, he found it calm and bestowed the name of Pacific Ocean. Both names were used for many years. The Lewis and Clark expedition, 1803-1806, used these names: "Entrance of the Columbia River into the Great South Sea or Pacific Ocean" and again, "The Great Western Ocian, I can't say Pacific, as since I have seen it, it has been the reverse." (Thwaites Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, volume III, pages 235 and 162.)
PACKARD CREEK, Lane County. This stream is three miles south of Oakridge. It was named for a logger who took a contract for getting out some sugarpine logs. He used ox carts for hauling logs from the woods to the river. This took place in the early '70s.
Paddys VALLEY, Douglas and Lane counties. This is the valley of Middle Fork Willamette River where that stream crosses the county line west of Emigrant Butte. George H. Kelly of Portland told the compiler that the name was very old, and that he had been unable to learn its origin. When he was a young man the place was called Paddys Marsh.
PAISLEY, Lake County. There is conflicting information about the reason for the name Paisley. The compiler has been informed that the place was named by Charles Mitchell Innes, a Scot, for Paisley in his native land. This was about 1873. The writer was told that Innes bestowed the name because the Oregon townsite reminded him of Paisley in Scotland. Whatever the reason may have been, it certainly could not have been this. A letter from E. J. McDonald printed on the editorial page of the Oregonian, July 21, 1927, says that the place was named by a Mr. Steele, also a native of Scotland. The reader will have to make his own choice. The post office was established May 12, 1879, with Samuel G. Steele first postmaster. Presumably he is the man referred to by McDonald.
PALANUSH BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte, southeast of Crane Prairie, is named with the Klamath indian word indicating a place that is dried up.
PALATINE Hill, Multnomah County. Since the '80s the hill or ridge just west of the west bank of the Willamette River and east of Tryon Creek has been called Palatine Hill. The Palatine Hill road traverses the summit of this hill, which has a maximum elevation of 506 feet. The Romans used the word palatine in referring to something pertaining to ​
the emperor or king. The only clue that suggests itself about the name in Multnomah County is the fact that the plat of Palatine Hill was filed by A. N. and Melinda King February 24, 1886. It may be possible that the Kings selected the name Palatine Hill because of the historic significance.
PALESTINE, Multnomah County. Palestine post office was established June 30, 1891, with James Howe first postmaster. Later postmasters were Henry S. Lewis and Albert Vail. The office was closed February 16, 1903, with all papers to Lents. Palestine post office was situated in a store operated by Henry S. Lewis at 39th and Division streets. The name Palestine was given by James Howe, an Englishman, who is said to have visited the Holy Land and liked the name. The store and post office were later moved to the vicinity of the South Mount Tabor school, near the old cemetery.
PALMER, Multnomah County. Palmer post office was in service near Bridal Veil Creek in the hills about three miles east of Bridal Veil, from February 21, 1898, to December 15, 1919. Idona A. Pulley was the first postmaster. The office was near a logging railroad and was named for a local family.
PALMER CREEK, Jackson County. Palmer Creek is tributary to Applegate River in the southwest part of the county. It rises on the southeast slopes of Palmer Peak, elevation about 4700 feet. The creek was named for one Palmer, an early-day miner who was the first to discover gold on the stream. The peak was named for the creek,
PALMER GLACIER, Clackamas County. There was an unusually light snowfall in the winter of 1923-24 and as a result of this a new glacier was discovered on Mount Hood in the summer of 1924. This glacier is west of White River Glacier. Because it drained into Salmon River it was decided to name it Salmon River Glacier. The name was not satisfactory, but was eventually adopted by the USBGN. At the suggestion of the compiler of these notes and with the approval of the Mazamas and other interested organizations the USBGN changed the name on February 3, 1926, to Palmer Glacier, in honor of General Joel Palmer, who may have been the first white man to attempt to climb Mount Hood. That was in 1845. For information about General Palmer and his activities in Oregon, see under PalMER PEAK. In a letter printed in OHQ, volume VI, page 309, Archibald McDonald says that David Douglas attempted to climb Mount Hood in 1833. The compiler has been unable to get any facts about this attempt.
PALMER JUNCTION, Union County. Palmer Junction was the name given to the junction of the Palmer Lumber Company's railroad and the line now operated by the Union Pacific Railroad Company which extends into Wallowa Valley. The post office was established in 1909.
PALMER PEAK, Multnomah County. Palmer Peak is a high point in the northeastern part of Multnomah County not far from the cliffs above the Columbia River. It has an elevation of 4010 feet and was named for General Joel Palmer, a pioneer of 1845, and a noted character in Oregon history. He was born of American parents in Canada in 1810. He came to Oregon from Indiana, and helped Samuel K. Barlow build the Barlow Road. He made an attempt to climb Mount Hood on October 12, 1845, and while he did not reach the top, his diary indicates that he climbed well up on the mountain, and assured himself that the the Barlovo Oregon was born".cer of ​
summit could be reached. The next day he named Camp Creek. Palmer settled in the Willamette Valley and was one of the founders of Dayton, Yamhill County, He became superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon in 1853, and in 1854 was probably a member of the first party that claimed to have climbed Mount Hood to the top. He was president of the Columbia River Road Company that opened a toll road from Sandy River to the Cascades in 1863. It operated ferries at Sandy River and at Dog (Hood) River. He occupied important political positions, and was once a candidate for governor. He died at Dayton June 9, 1881. Palmer Peak was at one time called Cub Peak, a name without significance. Palmer Creek in Yamhill County, was also named for Joel Palmer. Palos, Linn County. Palos post office was established March 4, 1856, and was closed October 30, 1857. Samuel G. Thompson was the first postmaster. The compiler does not know why this pioneer post office was named with the Spanish word meaning sticks or stones and sometimes timbers, but he has come to the conclusion that Thompson was a student of history and was familiar with the name of the port near the southwest corner of Spain from which Columbus sailed on Friday, August 3, 1492, on his eventful first voyage of discovery. The Spanish place-name Palos was doubtless the origin of the name of the Linn County post office.
PALOUSE CREEK, Coos County. How this stream tributary to Haynes Inlet on the north part of Coos Bay got the name of Palouse River in eastern Washington is a problem that the writer has been unable to solve. Lewis and Clark called the stream in Washington Drewyers River after a member of the expedition, and referred to the Indians as Palloatpallah. Canadian members of the Astor party in 1812 used the name Pavion for the river and Pallata palla for the tribe. David Douglas called the tribe Pelusb pa. For other forms of the name, see Handbook of American Indians, volume II, page 195. Palouse is the style now used in referring to a large area of rolling country and to other geographic features in eastern Washington. The French word pelouse is used to describe terrain covered with fine grasses, a characteristic of the Palouse country before it was cultivated. Whether the name Palouse came from the French-Canadian trappers or from the Indians, or both, is a matter of conjecture.
PAMELIA CREEK, Linn County. Pamelia Creek, at the southwestern base of Mount Jefferson, was named for Pamelia Ann Berry, a girl cook in the Marion County road locating party described by John Minto in
OHQ, volume IV, page 249. Minto named the stream in 1879, and gave as his reason, the unfailing cheerfulness of Miss Berry. It may be added that the wording of the article is ambiguous, and Miss Berry may have been with the party that opened the trail to Black Butte in 1879. Pamelia Lake was named for the creek, probably by Judge John B. Waldo.
PANKY SPRING, Klamath County. Panky Spring and Panky Lake are west of Gerber Reservoir and cast of Bonanza. They were named for the family of Lewis Panky, ranchers in the vicinity.
PANSY MOUNTAIN, Marion County. This mountain is in the extreme north part of the county, north of Detroit. It was named for the Pansy Blossom copper mine, which was operated by Joe Davis and ​
Robert Bagby. The ore at this mine was peacock colored, and the mine was named on that account.
PANTHER, Lane County. More than fifty Oregon streams have been named for the cougar or the panther, not because of the popularity of these animals but because early settlers disliked them so. Ordinarily panthers did not attack human beings, but they killed such an abundance of deer and livestock that they were held in great aversion. Most of the Panther creeks in the state were named because they were the scenes of the visits of the giant cats, or the scenes of their exterminations. An important Panther Creek in western Oregon is that in Lane County, southwest of Eugene. This stream rises southwest of Crow and flows southwest to join Wolf Creek. Panther Creek was named in very early days. Panther post office was established near the mouth of this creek on February 5, 1894, with Demetrius D. Hooker first postmaster. The office was closed May 15, 1909, but the locality retained the name Panther, despite the fact that what local business there was for the place eventually evaporated. There are two varieties of panthers or mountain lions in Oregon, the one in the west part of the state called the Oregon cougar and the Rocky Mountain cougar in the east part of Oregon. Vernon Bailey in Mammals and Life Zones of Oregon has a good account of these animals. Paradise, Wallowa County. This place was named by Sam Wade, Pres Halley and William Masterson, who went from Wallowa Valley about October, 1878, to look for winter range. On returning to the valley they informed the settlers that they had found a regular paradise, with fine grass. Settlers with about a thousand cattle went to the new range in November, 1878. Notwithstanding the appearance of the country the winter was severe and many cattle were lost. Paris, Lane County. Paris, Oregon, is justly famous for two things. It was not named for Paris, France, or "Pah-is," Kentucky. George E. Parris asked to have the place made a post office, and was the first postmaster. The office was named for him with one "r" eliminated. Park Place, Clackamas County. The plat for Park Place, written as two words, was filed for record August 10, 1889, and the post office was established the following year. Postal authorities soon consolidated the name into one word. Park Place was originally called Clackamas, but that name was subsequently moved to a station about three miles to the north and the former station of Clackamas was called Paper Mill. Remains of the old paper mills were in evidence about 1910. The name Park Place was chosen for the townsite because of the park in a nearby oak grove, and Paper Mill was no longer appropriate. The post office name was later changed from Parkplace to Park Place.
PARKDALE, Hood River County. Parkdale is a descriptive name rather accurately describing the community and its surroundings. The name is said to have been selected by Ralph Davies about 1910, when the post office was established.
PARKER, Polk County. This place was named for one "Lon" Parker, a pioneer land owner. Bloomington post office was established on May 25, 1852, near the present site of Parker, with Eli W. Foster first postmaster. The office was closed in 1863. The railroad was built through this area in the late '70s and Parker's station was then established. Many years later the name of the station was changed to Parker. Parker post ​
office was established in September, 1880, and was closed in March, 1882. From 1884 to 1907 it was operated with the name Parkers. In 1914 it was reestablished as Parker and was closed in 1927.
PARKERS Mill, Morrow County. "Uncle Ben" Parker established himself in this community many years ago, after crossing the plains by ox team, and started a small sawmill known as Parkers Mill. "Uncle Ben" was also a stockman, and well known in central Oregon.
PARKERSBURG, Coos County. This place got its name from Captain Judah Parker, who built a sawmill in the community about 1876. For history of Captain Parker by Fred Lockley, see Sunday Journal, March 3, 1946.
PARKERSVILLE, Baker County. In March, 1917, R. R. McHaley of Prairie City, Oregon, wrote as follows: "Parkersville was on the old mail stage road leading from Austin to McEwen and Auburn near the headwaters of Burnt River and about three miles west of Whitney. Mr. and Mrs. Parker kept a stage station for years until the railroad bypassed the station, and the town of Whitney was established. Parkersville is in Baker County about four miles from the Grant County line." The history of Parkersville post office is remarkably obscure. The compiler has been unable to get the date of its establishment, or the names of the postmasters. It was discontinued June 29, 1876, on the Grant County list. By all reports, it was never in Grant County, always in Baker. This is a set of puzzles the reader will have to solve.
PARKERSVILLE, Marion County. This place was about three miles west of the present site of Mount Angel. Parkersville post office was established September 29, 1852, with Freeman E. Eldriedge first postmaster. The office was discontinued on December 2, 1861. The community was named for William Parker, a pioneer of 1846. See Down's A History of the Silverton Country, pages 31, 36, 224 and 226. The name is now used for Parkersville school.
PARKROSE, Multnomah County. Parkrose is a post office serving a suburb of the same name, and adjacent territory, northeast of Portland. The name was doubtless suggested because of the proximity of Rose City Park, the plat of which was filed in March, 1907. It is said that a Portland business man, Frank E. Beach, was the originator of the name Rose City as applied to Portland. Parkrose is a little east of Rose City Park addition and the plat was filed for record on October 5, 1911. The 1943 Postal Guide lists Parkrose as an independent office under Portland. Parkwood, Multnomah County. Parkwood post office was established about 1913 with J. W. Spencer first postmaster. The name has a pleasant rustic suggestion which seems to be about the only reason it was selected. The post office was closed in 1928.
PARRETT MOUNTAIN, Yamhill County. This well-known landmark lies about four miles east of Newberg. Its lower slopes extend into Clackamas and Washington counties. It is crescent shaped and the highest point is near its northern end, with an elevation of 1243 feet. It is easily seen from the hills southwest of Portland and has become a point of interest since it serves to locate Newberg and the Pacific Highway West. Parrett Mountain is a spur of the Chehalem Mountains from which it is separated by Chehalem Gap. It was named for the Parrott brothers, who were born in England and who settled in this ​
vicinity in 1853. The three brothers spelled their name as indicated, but members of the present generation who have investigated the matter in England, use the form Parrett, which they say is correct.
PARRISH GAP, Marion County. This gap is in the hills about a mile northeast of Marion. It was named for E. E. Parrish on whose donation land claim the gap is situated.
PARROTT CREEK, Clackamas County. The stream flowing through New Era was named for Joseph Parrott, a pioneer of 1844. Pass CREEK, Douglas County. This creek bears a descriptive name because of the fact that it heads in a comparatively low divide between the waters flowing into Willamette River and those flowing into Umpqua River. In early days a family by the name of Ward built a corduroy road through the canyon of Pass Creek and operated a toll gate. J. J. Comstock built a sawmill on Pass Creek about the time the rail. road was built and was given the privilege of using cut timber along the right of way. He had previously been in business with Ben Holladay, and Holladay favored him on that account. The name of the creek was used for an early day post office, Pass Creek, established May 31,1867, with William A. Mulvaney first and only postmaster. The office was closed to Yoncalla on January 7, 1869. Drain post office had not yet been established. The compiler has been unable to get the location of Pass Creek post office, except that it was near the stream Pass Creek somewhere between Divide and Drain.
PATAHA CREEK, Lane County. Pataha Creek, which flows into Wildcat Creek east of Austa, is one of several features in the Oregon Coast Range that have Indian names imported from the state of Washington. The compiler does not know the reason for the application of the name Pataha to the stream in Lane County unless it was by someone who had once lived in southeastern Washington or who liked the name because he saw it on a map. Pataha is the name of a village near Pomeroy, Washington, on a creek bearing the same name. Pataha is said to be a Nez Perce word meaning brush. See Meany's Origin of Washington Geographic Names, page 208. PatawA CREEK, Umatilla County. Patawa Creek and its tributary, South Patawa Creek, rise on the west slopes of Emigrant Hill and flow northwestward to join Tutuilla Creek near Pendleton. Patawa is the name of a large and well-known Indian family of Umatilla County, members of which have lived on the banks of Patawa Creek for many years. The spelling Parawa is wrong
PATTERSONS Mills, Douglas County. Pattersons Mills were a very well-known Douglas County commercial enterprise that began operations in pioneer days. The mills were near North Umpqua River not far from the place called Glide. The post office Pattersons Mills was established in August, 1878, with William Patterson postmaster. The office was closed in June, 1886, and the business turned over to Mount Scott post office a few miles to the west.
PATTON VALLEY, Washington and Yamhill counties. Patton Valley was named for Robert Patton who owned land therein. It lies along Tualatin River from a point near Gaston westward to Cherry Grove.
PAULINA, Crook County. In the opinion of the writer there are more than enough geographic features in Oregon named for this belligerent Snake Indian. We have Paulina town, Paulina Mountains, Paulina Peak, ​
Paulina Marsh, Paulina Creek, Paulina Prairie, Paulina Lake, and now there is prospect for an additional list by the simple expedient of changing the spelling, the Southern Pacific Company having established Paunina station on the new Cascade line. There may be honest sentimental differences of opinion about naming these features for the Oregon chief, but practically confusion is the sure result of such a process, especially when the various features are not in the same locality, but yet are not widely separated. For an account of Paulina and his activities, see Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 504 et seq. The name is spelled in a variety of ways, but Paulina is generally accepted. Paulina was a skillful antagonist and his activities covered a large territory. Bancroft's pages are full of Indian atrocities in central and eastern Oregon during the years 1866-68 and scores of miners, trappers and settlers were exterminated, and it is generally believed that Paulina was to a large extent responsible, though of course we have only the white man's side of the story. In the summer of 1867 Paulina raided several ranches in the John Day country. He was pursued by J. N. Clark, Howard Maupin and William Ragan, and was shot down while he was feasting on a roasted ox. Bancroft says that Clark killed him, but in central Oregon it is generally believed that Maupin fired the shot. For additional information see under MAUPIN. Col. William Thompson of Alturas, California, published a book entitled Reminiscences of a Pioneer. He gives a geographic description of the activities of Paulina, and confirms the generally accepted belief that Maupin killed him in Paulina Basin. Paulina Basin is near the junction of Trout Creek and Little Trout Creek north of Ashwood in the northeast part of Jefferson County.
PAULINA CREEK, Deschutes County. According to Captain 0. C. Applegate, the Piute Indian name for this stream and the vicinity of Paulina Prairie was Mil-ka-ke. Captain Applegate told the compiler in November, 1927, that he did not know the translation of the name.
PAULINA PEAK, Deschutes County. Paulina Peak, elevation 7985 feet, is a high point on the south edge of Paulina Lake in the Paulina Mountains. For information about this part of Oregon, see under
NEWBERRY CRATER. Paulina Peak, shown on older maps as Pauline Peak, is one of a number of central Oregon geographic features named for Paulina, the famous Snake Indian chief. There are several spellings, including Paunina, Panina, Panaina and Palihi. He was of the Walapi tribe of Snakes. For information about his activities see under
PAULINA. For a description of the neighborhood of Paulina Peak, see the Oregonian, January 16, 1916.
PAUNINA, Klamath County. Paunina is a station on the Southern Pacific railroad named for the famous central Oregon Indian chief. See under PAULINA. During the construction period Paulina was called Skookum. Pawn, Lane County. The name of Pawn post office was composed by taking the first letter in the names of four local residents who were instrumental in getting the post office established. These four men were named Poole, Akerley, Worthington and Nolen. Willis Nolen suggested manufacturing the name in this manner. Monroe Poole was the first postmaster. ​
PAXTON, Jefferson County. Paxton is a station north of Madras named for G. L. Paxton, a nearby land owner.
PAYN, Clackamas County. Payn post office was on the extreme north edge of Clackamas County just about south of Lents and close to the west base of Mount Scott. It was named for the postmaster, William S. Payn. This office was established April 6, 1898, and was closed January 12, 1904. As with so many other small offices, its death was caused by the advent of rural free delivery.
PAYNESVILLE, Clackamas County. Paynesville was about three miles north of Sandy and a little to the west of the Bluff Road. The post office was established December 31, 1885, with John G. P. Lawlor first and only postmaster. The office was closed June 6, 1888. Paynesville was named for a local landowner who owned property adjacent to Lawlor. Later Lewis Hoaglum acquired some or all of this property. The site of the post office was said to be owned by a man named Pratt in 1947. Peach, Malheur County. This Union Pacific Railroad station was named for a peach orchard nearby. The place was about nine miles east of Juntura, and in 1943 it was reported that the station was no longer in service.
PEAK, Benton County. Peak post office was a few miles northwest of Marys Peak and was named for the mountain. It was on the extreme west edge of Benton County in the Coast Range and was relatively isolated. The office was established October 11, 1899, with Virgie Davidson postmaster. Peak post office was discontinued October 15, 1917.
PEAK, Washington County. A post office with the name Peak was established in Washington County on March 13, 1874, with Bentley George postmaster. It was discontinued June 9, 1876. Peak post office was two or three miles northwest of Forest Grove and near Gales Creek. It was named for Gales Peak, a prominent feature a little to the northwest.
PEARCY ISLAND, Multnomah County. This island is in the angle formed by the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. South of the island is Pearcy Slough. These features bear the name of Nathan Pearcy, a pioneer of Oregon, who took up a donation land claim on the island in 1850. Drainage and reclamation projects are changing the character of islands and sloughs in this locality.
PEBBLE CREEK, Columbia and Washington counties. Pebble Creek, which bears a descriptive name, rises in the extreme north part of Washington County, and after crossing the Columbia County line flows northward to join the Nehalem River in the east part of Vernonia. It has been called Pebble Creek since pioneer times. Pebble post office was established January 31, 1891, with Richard J. Tyacke postmaster. It was on the Pebble Creek road about three miles south of Vernonia, on the Tyacke property. The office was in operation until December, 1895, when its affairs were turned over to the Vernonia office. The Pebble Creek road or trail was one of the first routes of travel into the upper Nehalem Valley, and many pioneer settlers went in that way from the Willamette Valley. See Fred Lockley's interview with Mrs. Sarah Spencer on editorial page of the Oregon Journal, August 18, 1928.
PECK, Douglas County. When the Oregon and California Railroad was built south of Roseburg in the early eighties a station called Nichols was established thirteen miles southwest of Riddle. This station was ​
named for a well-known family of the vicinity. It did not have a post office however until December 31, 1914, when Nichols post office was established with Viola B. Nichols first and only postmaster. This office operated until December 31, 1929. The railroad company had difficulty with the station named Nichols due to the fact that there were other places on the line with the same name. Shipments went astray. As a result, the company changed the name of Nichols station to Peck. The origin of the name Peck is a mystery to the compiler and it is not certain just when the railroad made the change. In any event, a post office was named Peck and established December 29, 1931, with Homer V. Cook postmaster. This was just two years after the Nichols office had been closed. For some reason Mr. Cook never got the Peck office into operation and his appointment was rescinded June 2, 1932. As far as the compiler knows there has been no post office at this point since that date but the railroad station Peck continues to supply the needs of travelers and shippers.
PEDEE, Polk County, Pedee owes its name to Colonel Cornelius Gilliam who was born in North Carolina in 1798 and came to Oregon in 1844. See under GILLIAM COUNTY. He was killed in 1848. Either he, or members of his family, named Pedee Creek, a tributary to Luckiamute River. Pedee community is near the mouth of this creek. The name is, of course, from the famous river of North and South Carolina which was doubtless frequently in the minds of the Gilliams. The stream in the South is officially Deedee, but the place in Oregon is spelled Pedee.
PEDRO MOUNTAIN, Baker County. Pedro Mountain is west of Rye Valley in the southeast part of the county. In December, 1945, LeRoy Grettum of Baker wrote the compiler that old mining men of that area reported that the mountain was named by a group of Portuguese miners who operated there during the eastern Oregon gold rush of the '60s. There was a Pedro Mine on the mountain, and it seems probable that the mountain took its name from the mine. Pedro post office was in operation for a few months in the early summer of 1879 with Lyman S. Brown postmaster. Doubtless it was connected with some work at the mining claim.
PEEL, Douglas County. Peel post office was on Little River, a branch of North Umpqua River, about twenty-five miles east of Roseburg, and a few miles up Little River from Glide. The office was established January 18, 1888, with Robert McKure first postmaster. According to a story in the Roseburg News-Review, February 21, 1947, the office was named for Samuel West Peel, of Bentonville, Arkansas, by Hiram S. Engels, who became second postmaster at Peel on February 15, 1888. Peel and A. A. Engels, father of H. S. Engels, had been schoolmates many years before. Peel post office was closed December 15, 1921. S. W. Peel, 1831-1924, was a well-known citizen of Arkansas, of which state he was a native. He served in the Confederate army in the Civil War and reached the rank of colonel. He studied law, and held several political offices, including that of prosecuting attorney on one of the circuits. He was elected representative in Congress and served from 1883 to 1893.
PEEPOVER SADDLE, Wallowa County. This saddle, in the southeast part of the county, is very narrow, and its summit is sharp. It is called Peepover on that account, and the name is usually written P. O. Saddle. The initials conveniently suggest other forms of the name. ​
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PELICAN, Klamath County. For the history of the post offices called Pelican and Pelican Bay, see under the heading Rocky Point.
PELICAN BAY, Klamath County. Pelicans are much in evidence about the Klamath lakes, and this name was appropriately applied to an arm of Upper Klamath Lake. A few other geographic features in the state are also named for the pelican. The Oregon bird is Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, the American white pelican. The habits of this pelican, particularly in Oregon, are well described in Bulletin 121 of the United States National Museum, Life Histories of North American Petrels and Pelicans, page 285. The Klamath Indian name for these birds was kumal or yamal. Pelican Bay was named by Captain O. C. Applegate in 1866. There was at one time a post office called Pelican near the west shore of Pelican Bay and later another office named Recreation. For the most part these offices served summer patrons.
PELICAN BUTTE, Klamath County. This butte was named for Pelican Bay nearby. One of the Indian names for the butte was Mongina. The
USC&GS formerly listed it under the name Lost Peak, elevation 8026 feet.
PELICAN CREEK, Umatilla and Union counties. Pelican Creek, prominent in the history of northeastern Oregon, rises in the Blue Mountains east of Kamela and flows southeast to join Dry Creek just northwest of Hilgard. In November, 1945, C. C. Fisher of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, then stationed at Salem, wrote the compiler as follows: "When I was a small boy my parents ran the old Pelican stage station on Pelican Creek a few miles above Hilgard. A short distance above the stage station is Pelican Prairie on the old stage road. It was reported that Pelican Creek and Pelican Prairie were named because someone saw a flock of pelicans flying over that area. This was quite an unusual event, as I never saw any pelicans during my young life in the Blue Mountains." The compiler has seen this stream shown as Tillicum Creek on some maps, but that name is wrong.
PEMBERTON CANYON, Gilliam County. This canyon is southwest of Condon. It was named for Pemberton Cason, a nearby resident. Pemberton F. Cason was born in Missouri in 1843 and came to Oregon in 1864. After experiences in the mines and elsewhere, he settled in what was later Gilliam County in 1881. Cason Canyon, west of Pemberton Canyon, was named for the same man.
PENDLETON, Umatilla County. George Hunt Pendleton, of Ohio (1825-89), was Democratic candidate for vice-president in 1864. Pendleton was named in his honor, in 1868, by the commissioners of Umatilla County, J. S. Vinson, James Thompson and Samuel Johnson, on suggestion of G. W. Bailey, then county judge. In that year the Oregon Democratic state convention instructed its delegates for Pendleton for president. The town of Pendleton was designated the county seat against the rivalry of Umatilla Landing, which was just east of the mouth of Umatilla River. The Pendleton townsite was owned chiefly by M. E. Goodwin and G. W. Bailey. For progress of the town until 1890, see the Oregonian, January 1, 1890. Efforts to establish a trading center in what is now the locality of Pendleton began as early as 1851, when Dr. William C. McKay started a post at the mouth of McKay Creek and called it Houtama. Later one Marshall established Marshall Station about a half mile to the east, on the north bank of Umatilla River. This was also known as Swift Station. Marshall is said to have been a "White Collared ​
Man," a euphemism for gentleman gambler. Marshall Station was about two miles west of the present business district of Pendleton. About 1863 Marshall Station was known as Middleton because it was believed to be about half way between Umatilla Landing and the Grande Ronde Valley. When Umatilla County was created in 1862, the temporary seat of government was put at Marshall Station. See under UMATILLA COUNTY, and also Fred Lockley's article in Sunday Journal, June 3, 1945. Marshall post office was established April 21, 1865, with Jonathan Swift postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Pendleton on October 8, 1869.
PENGRA, Deschutes County. Pengra post office was established on the Crook County list January 18, 1886, with Walter O'Neil postmaster. The office was closed December 22, 1888, with papers to Crater. Crater was an office a little to the southwest of Lava Butte and just north of the Vandervert ranch, close to Deschutes River. According to the Polk Gazetteer of 1889-90, Pengra was ten miles south of Crater, at or close to the present site of Lapine. B. J. Pengra had some interests in that locality and the office was obviously named for him.
PENGRA, Lane County. Pengra is a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company. It was named for B. J. Pengra, a pioneer of 1853, who was for a time a newspaper publisher, and in 1862 surveyor general for Oregon. He was an advocate of the Humboldt or Winnemucca railroad route from the Willamette Valley. Pengra had charge of the construction of the military road up Middle Fork Willamette River. He died at Coburg September 18, 1903. For many references to his activities, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country.
PENGRA Pass, Klamath and Lane counties. The USBGN, at the suggestion of the compiler of this book, adopted on November 2, 1927, the name Pengra Pass for the pass in the Cascade Range just west of Odell Lake. This is the pass used by the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company and by the Willamette Highway. This action was taken in honor of B. J. Pengra, one of Oregon's pioneer railroad enthusiasts and an early advocate of a railroad from the Willamette Valley across the Cascade Range to Nevada. It was therefore thought proper that an important strategic point in the Cascade Range should be named in his honor. The proposal made by the compiler was approved by the government bureau concerned. At the time the compiler suggested the name Pengra Pass for this feature, he did not know that B. . Pengra was its actual discoverer. The Oregon Historical Society has been provided with part of a report by Pengra, who, with W. H. Odell, made a reconnaissance of the Diamond Peak region for the Oregon Central Military Road in July, 1865. Writing as of July 21, 1865, Pengra mentions the probability of a good pass to the north of Diamond Peak. On July 27 Pengra and Odell visited Odell Lake and Pengra confirmed his belief that there was a good pass through the Cascade Range at this point. He gives the elevation of the pass as 5000 feet, or 600 feet lower than Willamette Pass west of Summit Lake. Both of these observations are remarkably correct. For editorial comment on B. J. Pengra and pass in Oregon named for him, see the Oregonian, December 11, 1927.
PENINSULAR, Multnomah County. Peninsular post office was established April 25, 1890, with Anna B. Lyman first postmaster, to serve a growing suburban area that was later taken into Portland. The name ​
was descriptive and had its origin in the Peninsular Addition and some additions to that addition. The writer does not know when Peninsular post office was closed, but it is shown as active on the post route map of 1900. The addition was named because it was on the peninsula between Columbia and Willamette rivers. The plat was filed in March, 1889.
PENN, Lane County. Penn was the railroad station for McGlynn post office. See under that name. The name Penn was used for the railroad station because of the Penn Timber Company, which was operating nearby.
PENOLA, Grant County. A post route map dated 1880 shows a post office with the name Penola at a point sixteen miles northeast of Prairie City on the road to Sumpter. Other postal records show that the Penola post office was established January 27, 1876, and was discontinued April 19, 1878. John R. Roy was the only postmaster. The compiler has been quite unable to get information about the origin of the name or word Penola. It does not appear in any available reference works except that it is used for a post office in Virginia. Correspondence with the postmaster in Virginia has failed to produce any explanations of the name.
PEORIA, Linn County. This name came from Peoria, Illinois. The village of Peoria is below the mouth of Lake Creek, on Willamette River, 15 miles southwest of Albany and eight miles northwest of Halsey. The first settlement was by H. A. McCartney, in 1851. In 1875 the place contained four grain warehouses on the river bank, having a capacity of 60,000 bushels of wheat. There were 30,000 bushels in the warehouses. The school contained 60 pupils. The village was a shipping point for considerable business until the Oregon and California Railroad drew the business to Halsey and Shedd. See Material Resources of Linn County, by A. S. Mercer, 1875, page 53. A post office called Burlington was established in this locality on November 17, 1855, with William M. McCorkle postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Peoria on November 7, 1857.
PERDUE, Douglas County. Perdue post office was named for John Perdue, Sr., its first postmaster. The office was first situated on South Umpqua River at the mouth of Elk Creek, and was called Elk Creek. John Perdue, Sr. became postmaster of the Elk Creek office on June 11, 1884, and on the following August 22, the name of the office was changed to Perdue. About this time the office was moved down South Umpqua River about six miles, but the writer cannot determine just when this move was made. For nearly forty years Perdue post office continued to serve the territory, until it was closed rather abruptly on August 31, 1920, because Amos O. Buker, then postmaster, ran afoul of postal regulations prohibiting dual government employment. Buker took on the job of local census enumerator and the government quickly put a stop to his postal activities. The locality was without a post office for three years, until Milo post office was established May 13, 1923, with Mrs. Cora E. Buker first postmaster. See under Milo. Perdue was about half way between Days Creek and Tiller.
PERHAM, Crook County. On August 9, 1946, Remey M. Cox, editor of the Prineville Central Oregonian, wrote the compiler: "Gardner Perry, for many years stage driver on the Prineville-Paulina run, reports he lived near Bear Creek buttes while Perham post office was open. The place was named for Ad Perham, who ran sheep on Bear Creek buttes. ​The post office was operated by Sadie E. Moore, wife of one of Perham's hands. Moore was carrying the mails from Prineville to Silver Lake at the time, while his wife ran the post office in their home. There wasn't much of a settlement there, Perry reports. The Perrys lived about two miles north of the Perham post office. When the Moores moved to Prineville, the post office was closed. Moore ran a harness shop in Prineville." According to postal records, Perham post office was established December 26, 1888, with Sadie E. Moore postmaster. The office was closed November 1, 1890.
PERHAM CREEK, Hood River County. This stream flows under the Columbia River Highway and into the Columbia River about seven miles west of Hood River. It was named to commemorate Eugene L. Perham who emigrated from Indiana to Oregon in 1850. After living at various places in Oregon he married the daughter of the Reverend Edward R. Geary, who came to Oregon in 1851. The newly married couple settled at The Dalles about 1857 or 1858, where Perham was connected with river navigation interests that became part of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1860. The family remained in The Dalles for about 25 years and Perham took an interest in public affairs. He then moved to the vicinity of what is now Perham Creek, but later disposed of his holdings. He died in 1891 and Mrs. Perham died in 1926. The Perhams were a much respected family.
PERIWINKLE CREEK, Linn County. Periwinkle Creek heads near Midway School southeast of Albany and flows northwest through the east part of town and into Willamette River. In earlier days this stream was known as Periwinkle Creek on account of the presence of a small mollusc, well known to fishermen. The name of this little mollusc has many forms, including the popular variation pennywinkle. About 1911 USGS map makers used the name First Periwinkle Creek for the stream in contradistinction to Second Periwinkle Creek to the northeast, but applied the title to the wrong fork. In 1942 the USBGN changed the name of Second Periwinkle Creek to its pioneer style, Cox Creek, and adopted the name Periwinkle for the creek that flows through Albany. The name should be used for the longer branch and not for the shorter fork to the northeast. The business now seems to be adjusted to the satisfaction of local citizens.
PERNOT MOUNTAIN, Lane County. This mountain was named for John F. Pernot, who was in charge of forest insect studies in the Pacific Northwest, for the Forest Service. He was killed by a runaway horse in the Ochoco National Forest, and this peak in the Cascade Range was named for him. It is in the northwest part of township 18 south, range 3 east.
Perry, Union County. G. Earl Stoddard, postmaster at Perry in 1926, informed the writer that the name of that place was selected arbitrarily by postal authorities. Perry was first known as Stumptown, and later Stanley after the man who owned the sawmill, but the authorities would not approve the name Stanley because of duplication with some other Stanley in Oregon.The compiler has no data about any other Stanley in this state, but there may have been such a place.
PERRYDALE, Polk County. Perrydale was named by William Perry, a pioneer land owner. The post office was established in 1870.
PERSIST, Jackson County. William W. Willits came to Oregon ​from Iowa in 1875, and his wife was born at Talent, Oregon, of pioner parents, in 1858. They settled on a homestead at the present site of Persist post office in 1884, and after 18 years of persistent effort, secured an office to serve their immediate neighborhood in 1902 with Willits first postmaster. The name Persist means all it implies to those who for many years pioneered in this part of Oregon with road work, school development and other problems. Mail was first had at Trail post office, 22 miles away by trail, or ten miles by trail to Prospect. The Willits suggested the name Persist on account of their pioneering.
Peter Skene Ogden Park, Jefferson County. Peter Skene Ogden was the explorer of central Oregon during the period of the fur traders. He was born in Quebec in 1794 and entered the service of North West Company in 1811. He entered the Oregon country in 1818 at the head of a trapping party, with headquarters at Fort George, now Astoria. He discovered and named Mount Shasta, California, February 14, 1827. He was one of the first to describe and name geographic features in eastern Oregon. He discovered the Humboldt River in Nevada in 1828, and the city of Ogden, Utah, is named in his honor. He was a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver; he rescued the survivors of the Whitman massacre in December, 1847; and died in Oregon City on September 27, 1854. He is buried in Mounain View cemetery in Oregon City, where a monument was erected by pioneer and historical organizations, and dedicated to his memory on October 27, 1923. Summaries of Peter Skene Ogden's Journals, edited by T. C. Elliott, appear in the OHQ, volume X, page 331; volume XI, pages 201, 229 and 355. The complete Ogden journals of 1824–25 and 1825–26 were published in 1950 by the Hudson's Bay Record Society. The Oregon State Highway Commission has given the name Peter Skene Ogden Park to land adjacent to the Crooked River bridge on The Dalles-California highway in the south part of Jefferson County, to commemorate Ogden's explorations into central Oregon. For article by John W. Kelly about Peter Skene Ogden, see the Oregonian, magazine section, June 26, 1927, and for information about the dedication of Peter Skene Ogden Park, ibid., July 16, 1927. The name Peter Skene Ogden Park was suggested by Robert W. Sawyer of Bend.
Peterson Butte, Linn County. Peterson Butte is southwest of Lebanon and has an elevation of 1430 feet. It was originally called Washington Butte, but in the course of time local custom changed the name to Peterson. It was named in honor of Asa H. Peterson, who crossed the plains in 1845, and settled in that locality. He was one of the party that was piloted from Fort Hall westward by Stephen Meek.
Petes Mountain, Clackamas County. Petes Mountain, maximum elevation 830 feet, is a well-known ridge south of Tualatin River and west of the town of Willamette. In July, 1945, Raymond P. Caufield of Oregon City informed the compiler that Peter A. Weiss received a patent for land on the slopes of this mountain in June, 1868, and that as far as could be learned the ridge was named for him.
Petes Point, Wallowa County. Petes Point is south of Wallowa Lake. This point was named for Peter Beaudoin, a Frenchman who was at one time one of the largest sheep owners in eastern Oregon. He started in the sheep business in the Wallowa Valley about 1884.
Petteys, Morrow County. A post office with the name Pettysville ​was closed in 1887. Postal records show that a new office with the name Petteys was opened November 9, 1900, with S. Pearl Jones postmaster. This office was in service until May 15, 1901. It was named for Amanuel C. Petteys, who came to Oregon about 1854 and for a time lived near Salem. He was interested in livestock and moved to the Willow Creek country probably before the '70s. The name of the old post office Pettysville represented a misspelling of the family name and produced some irritation. Petteys operated the stage station until the railroad came about 1888. See also under PETTYSVILLE.
PETTYSVILLE, Morrow County. Pettysville was an important stopping point for early-day travel. It was near the present site of Ione, perhaps a little to the east at the point where Rhea Creek flows into Willow Creek. A post office with the name Willow Forks was established in this locality on June 3, 1872, with Amanuel C. Petty postmaster. The name of the office seems to be descriptive of the juncture of the two streams at this point. The name Willow Forks was changed to Pettysville on December 24, 1878. The office was closed May 19, 1887, and the business turned over to Ione. The family says the name of the man was Amanuel C. Petteys. See under PETTEYS.
PEYTON, Jackson County. Peyton is a locality on upper Rogue River about midway between Trail and Prospect, named for a local family. The post office was established August 30, 1900, with Anna B. Jones first of four postmasters. The name of the office was changed to Leeds January 16, 1912, and the office may have been moved a couple of miles west and downstream at that time. Leeds had already been a post ofhce, operating from 1890 to 1906. Available records do not give a clear history of the movements of some of these old post offices.
PHANTOM SHIP, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This peculiar, spired island in Crater Lake bears an appropriately descriptive name.
PHELPS CREEK, Hood River County. Mrs. Lulu Crandall of The Dalles is authority for the statement that this stream was named for one Phelps, who conducted a small cooperage near Frankton, and who was with James Laughton and a man named Jenkins when the three were upset out of a rowboat into the Columbia River, in the early '90s. Laughton and Jenkins were drowned.
PHILLIPS, Washington County. Phillips post office was established June 20, 1895, with Charles Hanson first postmaster. The office was in operation until December 23, 1904, when it was closed because of the advance of rural free delivery. Phillips was on the west side of the Cornelius Pass road a few hundred feet north of the 1945 location of Rock Creek School. The office was named in compliment to Phillip Pezoldt, a prominent local resident.
PHILOMATH, Benton County, Philomath is a Greek word meaning a lover of learning, an astrologer or prognosticator. Philomath College was opened in 1867, founded by the United Brethren Church. About the time the college was started, a post office was applied for, and named for the college.
PHOCA Rock, Multnomah County. This rock, sometimes known as Lone Rock, is in the middle of the Columbia River north of Bridal Veil. It is conspicuous from Crown Point. It was named for the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina. Lewis and Clark passed this rock on
​November 2, 1805, and described it accurately. Wilkes, in U. S. Exploring Expedition, volume XXIII, Hydrography, refers to the rock as Hermit Islet.
PHOENIX, Jackson County. Phoenix was settled in the early '50s. Samuel Colver took a land claim there in 1851. In 1852 his brother, Hiram, settled adjoining him. In 1854 Samuel Colver laid out the town. Phoenix reached the height of its prosperity in 1864. Ten years later the town had greatly dwindled. For several months, in 1884, it was the terminus of the Oregon and California Railroad. The town is said to have been named by Sylvester M. Wait (Oregonian, January 3, 1892), after whom later was named Waitsburg, Washington. Wait built a flour mill at Phoenix in 1855. For many years this place was known as Gasburg on account of the loquacity of a woman who served meals when it was a stage station. The phoenix was a fabulous sacred bird of the Egyptians. There are many legends about the phoenix, which was described as a bird of the size and shape of an eagle, but with red and gold plumage. There was but one phoenix at a time, and it came to Egypt every 500 years from Arabia. The bird played a part in the mystic religion of Egypt, and the most popular legend about it is that it flew to Heliopolis every 500 years, and was burned on the altar of the temple. The next day there was a new phoenix on the altar. The compiler does not know why Wait named the southern Oregon town Phoenix, unless he had some experience with a fire there.
Phys POINT, Union County. This was named for John Phy, whose farm was nearby. It is about two miles west of Cove.
PICTURE GORGE, Grant County. This is an imposing canyon, through which flows John Day River a few miles northwest of Dayville. On its western walls are several Indian drawings or pictures, hence the name. The USGS has issued a splendid map of this gorge and its surroundings. See editorial page the Oregonian, December 10, 1925.
PICTURE ROCK Pass, Lake County. Between Silver Lake and Summer Lake the Fremont Highway goes through a pass at an elevation of about 4830 feet, and the gap is known as Picture Rock Pass. The name comes from some strange designs or pictures on the rocks about a hundred feet south of the highway. These peculiar marks, made by Indians, are strongly suggestive of a WPA painting project operated by the aborigines.
PIERCE CREEK, Linn County. This stream flows into Little Muddy Creek east of Harrisburg. It was named for James A. Pierce, a pioneer settler.
Pike, Yamhill County. Considering the large number of persons who emigrated to Oregon from Pike County, Missouri, it is not surprising that the name was used here, but it is remarkable that some effort was not made to name a county for the famous middle western soldier and explorer. Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born in 1779 in New Jersey. He entered the army before he was of age, and was a lieutenant when he was 20. He explored the Mississippi River, and later went to the Rocky Mountains in what is now Colorado. Pikes Peak bears his name. He was killed at York, Upper Canada, April 27, 1813, in an engagement with the British. He was then a brigadier-general. Pike, in Oregon, is a small community northwest of Yamhill.
Pike CREEK, Tillamook County. Pike Creek heads in the hills east of ​Bay City and flows south and west into Hathaway Slough, which joins Tillamook Bay just south of Kilchis Point. The stream flows through the homestead of Dan Pike, a pioneer settler and was named on that account. It is the next stream cast of Doughty Creek.
PIKES CAMP, Lincoln County. Pikes Camp is on the northeast or right bank of Siletz River about a mile upstream from the mouth of the river and the location of Kernville in 1945. It is near the old ferry landing and about opposite the former Kernville post office, which was on the southwest bank. The camp was named for a fisherman who camped there while he fished for the Kern cannery.
Pilot BUTTE, Deschutes County. Pilot Butte, which is at the east city limits of Bend, has been a prominent landmark for travelers for many years. Farewell Bend on Deschutes River was the objective of emigrant trains because it afforded a suitable place to cross the river and was a convenient camp ground. Pilot Butte was an excellent signal to this stopping place. Some early maps refer to it as Red Butte because of its characteristic color, but that name has not prevailed. For information about the importance of this locality to pioneer travelers see under the name BEND. There is an automobile road to the top of the butte from which an impressive panorama may be seen. Pilot Butte has an elevation of 4139 feet according to the United States Geological Survey. On September 30, 1928, Pilot Butte and Pilot Butte Park on its summit were given to the state of Oregon by F. R. Welles, Kempster B. Miller and Charles A. Brown, as a memorial to their former business associate, Terrence Hardington Foley. T. H. Foley was a prominent resident of Bend who died in 1925 as a result of an automobile accident.
Pilot KNOB, Curry County. Preston's Map of Oregon and Washington, 1856, shows a prominent peak about ten miles southeast of Port Orford which is lettered Pilot Knob. This was a well-known landmark for mariners, and while the name may have been used to some extent on land, people on shore generally called this point Bald Mountain. For additional information, see under BALD MOUNTAIN.
Pilot Rock, Jackson County. Pilot Rock is an outstanding landmark in the Siskiyou Mountains south of Ashland, and east of the Pacific Highway. It has been so known since pioneer days because it served as a guide for travelers crossing the pass between Oregon and California. It has an elevation according to the USGS of 5914 feet. This rock is mentioned in Wilkes' Narrative, volume V, page 236. Wilkes named it Emmons Peak after Lieutenant George F. Emmons, U. S. N., of his expedition. Emmons saw the rock on September 28, 1841. The name Emmons Peak did not come into use.
Pilot Rock, Umatilla County. Pilot Rock was named for a large bluff of basalt near the community. The post office was established in December, 1868, but the town was not platted until about 1876. Andrew Sturtevant was the first postmaster.
PILPIL BUTTE, Deschutes County. Pilpil Butte is in the northern part of Paulina Mountain. It bears the Chinook jargon word for red, because of its characteristic color.
PINE, Baker County. Pine post office was first established on June 27, 1878, with the name Pine Valley and with Reese W. Pindell postmaster. The office was on the Union County list and the compiler does not know its exact location. Andrew P. Greener became postmaster on April den Pilot shows a pored Pilot aine may her has been Caried as a guide ​3, 1879, and the office was then at the Greener farm about two and a half miles from where Pine is now situated. The name was changed to Pine June 1, 1892. The office was so named because it was in the Pine Creek Valley. There are many geographic features in Oregon named for pine trees. The timbered area of Oregon east of the Cascade Range is largely covered with species of pine. The pines have needle-like leaves and are distinguished from larches, spruces, hemlocks and firs by the length of the needles and the arrangement of the bundles. The only other tree which has its needles in bundles is the larch, but larch needles are short and have as many as thirty needles in a bundle. Pines do not shed all of their needles, and larches do, in the winter. Western white pine, sugar pine and white-bark pine all have five needles in a bundle. Western yellow pine has three needles in a bundle. Lodgepole pine has two needles in a bundle. The three pines of Oregon which have five needles in a bundle can be distinguished from each other by the cones and by the locality in which they occur. Western white pine, Pinus monticola, has a slender cone usually five or six inches in length and is made up of very thin scales. It is scattered through the Cascade Range. It is not considered a common tree and is found generally at altitudes above 2000 feet. Sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana is the largest and most magnificent of the Pacific Coast members of the white pine family. It attains a diameter of from four to seven feet. It has a slender cone generally more than a foot in length made up of thin scales. Sugar pine does not occur in Oregon much further north than Mount Jefferson. The white-bark pine, Pinus albicaulis, has a short cone about three inches in length and made up of thick scales. It occurs on both sides of the Cascade Range at high altitudes generally near the timber line. Western yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa, is the only three-needle pine in Oregon. It has dark bark in its youth and yellow bark when it becomes older. Its needles are long. It is the most common of all forest trees east of the Cascade Range and even west of the range it occurs occasionally in small groups scattered through the Willamette Valley. It is of great commercial importance. Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, is a two-needle pine and is very common east of the Cascade Range. West of the Cascade Range it is found mostly along the seacoast. Owing to the dark color of its bark it is frequently called black pine and is also known as bull pine and jack pine. The cones are small and have a tendency to remain attached to the tree, sometimes for many years. These cones may break open during a forest fire and scatter the seeds in all directions. In central Oregon and on the cast slopes of the Cascade Range there are in many places dense thickets of small lodgepole pine. This tree is not yet of great commercial importance but experiments are being made to develop new uses for its wood.
Pine, Linn County. Pine post office was situated atout ten miles east-southeast of Harrisburg near the Lane County line. It was named for the yellowpine trees growing in the foothills. The office was established August 19, 1853, with the name Lat Shaw's Mill, and with William H. Latshaw postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Pine on January 3, 1855, with Thomas M. Weger postmaster. When the name was changed it was noted that the old name was Latshaw's Mill and not with the peculiar arrangement shown above. Pine office continued in operation until October 7, 1887, when the business was ​turned over to Coburg. It was doubtless moved from time to time but was always in the same general neighborhood.
PINE CREEK, Baker County. Pine Creek heads on the northeast slopes of Elkhorn Ridge of the Blue Mountains and flows generally eastward and northeastward to join Powder River near Haines. This stream was named in the gold excitement of the '60s because of the prominent yellowpine trees near its banks. In 1862 John McLain laid out a town called Pine City on or near this stream with the intention of providing facilities for traveling miners. Before it was well established, Pine City was moved to and consolidated with Pocahontas. See under that heading. See also Hiatt's Thirty-one Years in Baker County, pages 34 and 35.
PINE CREEK, Umatilla County. This stream rises in the western slopes of the Blue Mountains and flows northward through Weston and thence into Walla Walla County, Washington. N. W. Durham says it is probably the Te-hoto-nim-me of Steptoe. (Spokane and the Inland Empire, page 222.)
PiNE GROVE, Umatilla County. It is not surprising that many geographic names in Oregon include references to the pine tree, generally by implication to the western yellowpine, Pinus ponderosa, or to use its trade name, Pondosa pine. Pine Grove in Umatilla County was a post office ten or a dozen miles south of Pilot Rock on one of the branches of Birch Creek. Pine Grove post ofhce was established January 20, 1911, with Maud Warner first postmaster. The office was discontinued August 9, 1934.
PINE Ridge, Klamath County. A descriptive name. The place was first known as Aspgrove, presumably for a grove of quaking aspen trees nearby.
PINEHURST, Jackson County. Pinehurst is a place on the Green Springs Highway in the east part of the county between Ashland and Klamath Falls. The name is a combination of the word pine with the old English word hurst, referring to a wooded eminence or just woods. The name is appropriate to the locality. Old maps show an early post office in this vicinity with the name Pioneer. This office was established March 26, 1878, with James Purvis postmaster. John Van Horn became postmaster December 29, 1880, and the office was closed December 19, 1882. The compiler does not know its exact location. The next post office to serve this area was called Shake. It was established in August, 1886, with George W. Bailey first postmaster. This office operated until November, 1911, when the name was changed to Pinehurst. Pinehurst ofhce is said to be about a mile southwest of the old locality Shake. The name Shake was applied to this locality in early days because it was a place where shakes were riven from sugarpine bolts. These shakes were used extensively in the Rogue River Valley for various types of buildings.
PINEY, Lane County. Piney post office was established July 6, 1852. with Benjamin Richardson postmaster. The office was discontinued November 18, 1852. The place was a little northeast of Elmira and was apparently named by someone interested in trees.
PINTO MOUNTAIN, Lane County. Pinto Mountain, elevation 6355 feet, is in the Cascade Range near the headwaters of South Fork Salt Creek. Dee Wright of Eugene told the compiler that the mountain ​
was named for a pinto pony that strayed away from his owner and ranged near the mountain.
PIONEER, Lincoln County. Pioneer is a post office near Yaquina River. The post office was for some years known as Morrison, but the name was changed in 1900 because of confusion with Morrison Street in Portland. Barney Morrison was the first postmaster. The name Pioneer was selected because of the operations in that section of the Pioneer Sandstone Company. Barney Morrison continued to act as postmaster at Pioneer after the name was changed.
PIONEER City, Lincoln County. The post office at Pioneer City, which was established July 2, 1868, with George Kellogg first postmaster, was one of the first in what is now Lincoln County. Newport office was established the same day, Newton was established July 12, 1868, and Little Elk, Toledo and Yaquina were established on July 14 of the same year. These six offices took care of the postal needs of that part of Oregon for several years. Pioneer City was appropriately named as far as Pioneer was concerned, though the place never became a city or even a small hamlet. It was about two and one quarter miles up Yaquina River from the place later known as Elk City and about three quarters of a mile downstream from the place later known as Morrison and still later Pioneer. Pioneer City and Pioneer were not in the same place, though they were not more than a mile apart. Pioneer Mountain and Pioneer Summit are west of these old post office locations, and the compiler has been told that the mountain was so named before the Pioneer City post office was established in 1868. Pioneer City post office was closed August 10, 1868, so it was in operation but little more than a month. It was in the southeast quarter of section 2, township 11 south, range 10 west.
PIRTLE, Linn County. Pirtle is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway south of Albany. It was named for Grant Pirtle, at one time proprietor of a hotel in Albany, and owner of land in the vicinity of the station. Pistol River, Curry County. James Mace lost a pistol in this stream in 1853 and it has been known as Pistol River since that time.
PITNER, Tillamook County. Pitner post office in the extreme southeast corner of the county was named in honor of the postmaster, Mrs. Sarah Paul, nee Pitner. The office was established in August, 1901, and was discontinued April 30, 1910. This office was on or very close to what is now the Salmon River Highway at a point two or three miles southwest of the locality now known as Boyer. However, in those days Boyer post office was a mile or so southwest of Pitner, in what is now Lincoln County. PitsuA BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte, southwest of Bend, is named with the word used by Klamath Indians to describe an eminence about two miles southwest of the old site of Klamath Agency. Its use near Bend is to perpetuate a pleasant Indian name. The compiler has been unable to learn the meaning of the name of the butte near the old Klamath Agency. In 1939 Fred M. White of Portland called attention to the fact that the Piute Indian name for the Columbia five-toed kangaroo rat is wapota pitsua. Inquiries to authorities about the name of the butte on the Klamath Indian Reservation have not been wholly successful. In 1941, Indians professed to know very little ​
about the word pitsua, although a few of them said they thought it referred to a rodent of some sort.
PITTSBURG, Columbia County. Pittsburg is one of Oregon's ghost towns. It is on Nehalem River at the mouth of East Fork and at the junction of Nehalem Highway and the highway east to Saint Helens. The place was named by Peter Brous, who made settlement there in 1879 and built a sawmill and a gristmill operated by waterpower. Brous had formerly lived in Pennsylvania and named the new settlement for the city in that state. The post office at Pittsburgh, Oregon, was established April 17, 1879, and Peter Brous was the first postmaster. The name was changed to Pittsburg April 26, 1892, and the office was discontinued November 30, 1908. There is now not much left at Pittsburg except a substantial highway bridge. Omar C. Spencer was kind enough to dredge up the facts given above. The place was within his field of activities when he was a small boy in the '80s. Pix, Baker County. Pix post office was apparently established to serve the Pyx mine. The word can be spelled either way but probably Pyx is the more modern form. Pix office was established August 27, 1890, with William Parker postmaster. It was discontinued June 11, 1895. There is no doubt as to the spelling of the post office name Pix, and the office is said to have been in the extreme west part of Baker County, It may actually have been over the line in Grant County but officials in Washington did not know it. The Pyx mine was close to the divide but all the records say it was in Grant County. It was in section 2, township 10 south, range 35 east. Whether the post office was actually at the mine or over the hill in Baker County the compiler does not know. The Pyx mine was in what was called the Greenhorn district. The word pyx has several meanings. One, of course, is ecclesiastical. There is also an important meaning associated with metallurgy. It refers to the box used at the Royal Mint in London, in which are deposited sample coins struck off in the mint. These are examined annually in the "trial of the pvx" by a committee of the Goldsmiths' Company under direction of the King's Remembrancer. This trial is well known to metallurgists and may have been the reason for naming the Pyx mine.
PLACEDOR GULCH, Grant County. Placedor Gulch drains into South Fork John Day River just south of the mouth of Murderers Creek. It is about a dozen miles south of Dayville and drains a small area east of the river. It is said to bear the name of a Mexican, Placedor Bravo, well known in that part of the state. Bravo came into central Oregon probably about 1890 and was much interested in horses and horseraces. He died at Mount Vernon Hot Springs about 1940.
PLACER, Josephine County. Placer was named for the placer mining in the vicinity. The place is on Grave Creek a few miles east of the Pacific Highway. The Placer post office was established August 10, 1894, with N. F. Inman first postmaster. The writer does not know the date the office was closed, but it was about 1924.
PLACIDIA BUTTE, Harney County. Placidia Butte, elevation 5513 feet, is at the west edge of the county, about ten miles west of Riley and a little to the south of the Central Oregon Highway. The name has long been a puzzle and its origin uncertain, but in the summer of 1946 Alphene Venator, pioneer resident of the Harney Valley, told the compiler the butte was named for a Mexican horse trader many years ago. ​
Is This man is said to have moved north from the Harney Valley into Grant County. For a good many years there lived in the John Day Valley a Mexican named Placedor Bravo, an experienced character with horses. He died at Mount Vernon Hot Springs about 1940. For additional information, see under PLACEDOR GULCH. While the evidence is certainly not conclusive, it seems probable that Placidia Butte was named for Placedor Bravo. The difference in spelling would be of little consequence to Senor Bravo.
PLAINVIEW, Linn County. This station is on the Springfield branch of the Southern Pacific Company north of Brownsville. The name is purely descriptive.
PLANK HILL, Marion County. Plank Hill is a point on Croisan Ridge about five miles southwest of Salem. It has an elevation of about 850 feet. It was named for E. C. Plank who owned a farm nearby.
PLANO, Baker County. A post office with the name Plano was established on the Baker County list July 28, 1897, with Frances Smith first postmaster. The office was discontinued October 12, 1899. Plano was in Burnt River Valley between Durkee and Weatherby. The reason for the name is not on record, but the compiler is of the opinion that the word Plano was intended to be in compliment to some local farm equipment. The Plano line of farm vehicles and harvesting machinery was well known in the '90s and for some years thereafter.
PLAZA GUARD STATION, Clackamas County. This station is near South Fork Salmon River. It was named by T. H. Sherrard of the Forest Service because of a natural plaza or clearing, which afforded a fine view of Mount Hood.
PLEASANT Hill, Lane County. Pleasant Hill is east of Goshen. In earlier days there was a nearby post office of the same name. The origin of the name is given in OHQ, volume V, page 135. Elijah Bristow and several companions made a trip into the valley of the Middle Fork Willamette River in 1846. Bristow was struck with the beauties of the locality now known as Pleasant Hill, and said: "What a pleasant hill. This is my claim." He finished his house in the fall of that year, and it is said to have been one of the first built in Lane County. The name Pleasant Hill was given to his claim by an act of the legislature passed December 27, 1847. Pleasant Hill post office was established April 9, 1850, with Elijah Bristow first postmaster.
PLEASANT HOME, Multnomah County. Pleasant Home, a locality on the headwaters of Johnson Creek about a mile east of Orient, had a post office in pioneer days. Pleasant Home office was established on the Clackamas County list on July 10, 1876, and was given a descriptive name. Orlando S. Murray was the first postmaster. The office was soon changed to the Multnomah County list, but the record does not show just when. This office operated until December 14, 1918, when it was closed out to Gresham. Wm. H. Stanley of Gresham says that Pleasant Home post office never was in Clackamas County, but the fact that it was less than a quarter of a mile from the county line may be the reason that postal officials placed the office on the Clackamas County list in error.
PLEASANT VALLEY, Baker County. Pleasant Valley post office was established September 28, 1868, with Jared Lockwood first and only post ​master. The office was in service for two months. A later office with the name Pleasant Valley was establilshed March 21, 1890, with Thomas B. Moore postmaster.
PLEASANT VALLEY, Jackson County. Pleasant Valley, which is on the extreme west edge of the county north of Rogue River, is drained by Evans Creek and by a tributary, Pleasant Creek. The valley and creek got their names in pioneer days as a result of the battle of Evans Creek in the Rogue River Indian War, fought on August 24, 1853, on which day Pleasant Armstrong of Yamhill County was killed. Armstrong was a prominent citizen and was acting as an aid to General Joseph Lane, in command of the white troops. See Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 219 and also page 380. The valley has always lived up to its name, although the title was not applied descriptively.
PLUM Hills, Klamath County. These hills are north of Klamath Falls. They have been so called since pioneer days on account of wild plums that grew there. Stock have grazed on these hills for so long that the plum trees have practically disappeared. See editorial in the Oregonian, July 1, 1927, about the wild Pacific plum, Prunus subcordata.
PLUM VALLEY, Polk County. Plum Valley is a little vale in the west part of the Eola Hills. It is just south of Bethel and east of McCoy, and it drains westward into Ash Swale. Its name came from the wild plums that grew in the vicinity, and according to John E. Smith in his booklet, Bethel, the name was probably selected by Amos Harvey. Plum Valley post office was established November 30, 1854, on the Absalom H. Frier claim, a little to the south of the valley and about on the south line of section 20. Frier was the first postmaster. In 1856 Plum Valley post office was moved into Plum Valley proper. It was moved several times later but never far from Bethel. It was discontinued August 13. 1863.
PLUSH, Lake County. The town of Plush was named for a local Indian celebrity who was a member of the Piute tribe. The name was suggested by Dr. H. Wright who was for a time postmaster at Lakeview. A letter of C. A. Moore, published in the Oregonian February 16, 1926, tells how the Indian received the name Plush. This was the result of a card game that he got into. The game was a frame-up. The Indian was dealt a flush by another member of the party, who held a better one. He could not pronounce the word "Aush" and called it "plush," and that was the name he subsequently went by.
PLYMPTON CREEK, Clatsop County. Plympton Creek is at Westport. It was named for Silas B. Plympton who took up a land claim nearby in 1861, and who was the first postmaster at Westport, 1863.
POCAHONTAS, Baker County. Pocahontas is a ghost town at the base of the Blue Mountains a few miles northwest of Baker. It was established in the mining days of the '60s, but so far the compiler has not had any success in getting the origin of the name or even much of value about the history of the place. Beyond the fact that it was named for the famous Indian princess of Virginia, little has transpired. Hiatt in his Thirty-one Years in Baker County, pages 34 and 35, says that a number of persons went up into the timber near the foot of the Blue Mountains and laid out a town called Pine City. It may be assumed from the text that this took place in 1862 and the place was on Pine Creek west of what was later Pocahontas. The community was laid out for the purpose of accommodating travel, which was forced to go close to the mountains to avoid
I! tuin t, ir DB ​spring waters. One John McLain had taken up a ranch at or near what was later Pocahontas and he persuaded the Pine City people to move to Pocahontas, which soon boasted a hotel, express office and blacksmith shop. Pocahontas was not primarily a mining town, but for the accommodation of travel through Baker Valley. One Morrison had a rival place a couple of miles to the south and Hiatt has some amusing comments about this rivalry. Pocahontas post office was established August 4, 1863, with Thomas McMurran postmaster. Available records about the closing date are inconclusive. In one place the date is given as June 24, 1864, and in another place the year is 1872. PoE VALLEY, Klamath County. This valley which is southeast of Olene, was named for James M. Poe, who lived there a few years at the time of the Modoc War. Later he moved to Chehalis, Washington, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1945 his Poe Valley homestead was owned by members of the Liskey family. The Poes were the parents of Mrs. William H. Horton, wife of a prominent and long-time stockman of the Poe Valley-Bonanza area. Point Adams, Clatsop County. This is on the Oregon side at the mouth of the Columbia River. The name was given by Captain Robert Gray on May 18, 1792, in honor of John Adams. ("Boit's Log of the Columbia" in Washington Historical Quarterly, volume XII, January, 1921, page 35.) Later in the same year Vancouver recognized the name, saying: "Point Adams is a low, narrow, sandy, spit of land, projecting northerly into the ocean, and lies from cape Disappointment, S. 44 E. about four miles distant." (Voyage of Discovery, 1798 edition, volume II, page 53.) Point Adams was first described by Captain Bruno Heceta on August 17, 1775, and was named by him Cabo Frondoso, or Leafy Cape, "from the great number of trees which covered it." See California Historical Society Quarterly, volume IX, page 235. Heceta was at the mouth of the Columbia River but he did not know it. See Greenhow's History of Oregon and California, page 430, et seq.
POINT TERRACE, Lane Counuty. Point Terrace was named by Mrs. Josephine R. Styles, the first postmaster. This was about 1890. The name is descriptive and refers to the three steps or beaches nearby. This was a popular Indian hunting ground in early days and a great deal of game was dried and smoked in this neighborhood. Poison CREEK, Harney County. This stream is on the northwest slopes of Steens Mountain and is tributary to Kiger Creek. It was so called in early days because a number of cattle were poisoned nearby by eating wild parsnips. Poison Creek, Harney County. This stream is east of Burns. Like many others in eastern Oregon it was named because cattle were poisoned nearby when they ate wild parsnips.
POKEGAMA, Klamath County. In the early part of the century there was excitement in Klamath County because of prospects of a railroad. This line was surveyed from Thrall, a station on the Southern Pacific near Klamath River, in California, northeastward to the southwest corner of Klamath County, Oregon. Construction started in November, 1901, and in May, 1903, the line was completed to Pokegama, the Oregon terminus, The Pokegama Lumber Company was responsible for the project, and the name of the line was the Klamath Lake Railroad, It was about 24 miles long. Pokegama post office was established by ​
change of name from Snow on September 2, 1899. The office was in operation until October 31, 1911. Snow post office was established in June, 1894, with Adelbert B. Smith postmaster. The writer does not know its location in respect of Pokegama. The lumber company got its name from the place in Pine County, Minnesota. Pokegama, Oregon, ceased to exist may years ago.
POLALLIE CREEK, Hood River County. Polallie is a Chinook jargon word meaning sandy or powdery. Polallie Creek carries glacial silt from Mount Hood. It is a tributary of East Fork Hood River and is crossed by Mount Hood Loop Highway. George Gibbs says that polallie was un. doubtedly from the French poudre, and was not originally a Chehalis or Chinook word.
POLE BRIDGE CREEK, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Soldiers from Fort Klamath built a bridge over this stream in the '60s, using small lodgepole pine trees, and the name arose on that account.
POLE GULCH, Baker County. Pole Gulch is the correct name of a drain in townships 12 and 13 south, range 36 east, not Sawmill Creek. See USBGN decision.
POLK, Polk County. The name Polk has been used for two different post ofhces in Polk County, both named in compliment to the county. An office called Polk was established March 9, 1885, with Lycurgus Hill first and only postmaster. This office was closed December 7, 1885. Lycurgus Hill lived in the locality called Bridgeport, and since Bridgeport post office had been abandoned in 1874, it is possible that Polk office was organized to fill the local need. However, the record of this Polk postoffice is far from clear. Members of the Hill family are of the opinion that the office never functioned, and some color is lent to the statement by the fact that the compiler has not been able to find the office on any contemporary maps. There have been a number of cases in Oregon postal history where post offices have been established, only to have local sponsors lose interest in the prospects. The other Polk office was about three miles northeast of Dallas. The name Polk for this locality was in use in the '80s as a station on the Oregonian Railway narrow gage line, and confusion between the two places may have been the reason that Hill's post office did not actively furnish service. Polk railroad station northeast of Dallas did not get a post office until April 12, 1899, when Peter R. Graber was appointed postmaster. This office was closed February 15, 1902. The locality is still called Polk Station, though both post office and railroad service are things of the past as far as the locality is concerned.
POLK COUNTY. Polk District, or County was created by the provisional legislature December 22, 1845. It was named for James Knox Polk, then president of the United States. It comprised all that part of the original Yamhill District south of the south line of that district, which had been reestablished by an act of December 19. 1845, and the California line. Information about the establishment of Polk County will be found in the article on Oregon counties by Frederick V. Holman, in OHQ, volume XI, page 28. In his notes on Polk County Mr. Holman calls attention to the fact that he was unable to find the act of the legislature establishing the south boundary of the county. However, the act was printed in the Oregon Spectator, February 10, 1848. This ​
of Oregat congresne fancied fact. act was passed on December 9, 1847, and was approved December 23, 1847.
POLY TOP BUTTE, Deschutes and Lake counties. This butte southeast of Paulina Mountains has several tops, hence the name.
POMPADOUR BLUFF, Jackson County. This bluff is a peculiar, basaltic rock formation in the valley east of Ashland. It resembles, in a general way, the style of haircut made famous by the Marquise de Pompadour and by Jim Corbett. It was probably named about the time Corbett was the world's champion.
POMPEII, Clackamas County. Pompeii post office came as the result of the activities of Oliver C. Yocum, for many years a guide at Mount Hood. He started a community near the present site of Government Camp and chose the name Pompeii because of the volcanic soil in the vicinity. The office was established October 15, 1902, but available records do not give the closing date. It probably was never in service.
PONDOSA, Union County. Pondosa is a lumber town not far from Medical Springs. It was named with the word Pondosa, the trade name for lumber from the western yellowpine tree, Pinus ponderosa. The post office was established September 28, 1927, with Holger M. Larsen first postmaster, to serve the Grande Ronde Pine Company, millers of western yellowpine. The office was still in service in the summer of 1947.
PONY BUTTE, Jefferson County. Pony Butte is a landmark in the eastern part of the county in the Ashwood country. Phil Brogan of Bend, who was reared in that part of Oregon, says the point was named because of the many range horses that congregated there in earlier days. That the butte was named because of some fancied resemblance to a pony or to a pony's head does not seem to be a fact.
POOLES SLOUGH, Lincoln County. According to information received from Andrew L. Porter of Newport in 1945, Pooles Slough was named for a homesteader who settled on the west bank, near the mouth. He was an oysterman at times.
POPCORN SCHOOL, Polk County. Popcorn School in the Eola Hills about five miles northwest of Salem has borne its unusual name for a great many years. The only explanation that the writer has been able to get about the name is to the effect that in early days a group of rebellious children locked their teacher in the schoolhouse. Fortunately he had some popcorn with him and this he proceeded to pop. The youngsters opened the building to share the treat and thus liberated the resourceful pedagogue. How the teacher happened to have the popping corn and why he did not climb out a window have not been explained to the satisfaction of the writer. However, there are so many strange stories about geographical names that this one seems quite credible. Poplar. Wheeler County. Poplar post office was established April 10, 1894, with Zachariah J. Martin first postmaster, and was discontinued September 22. 1899. A map of 1897 shows the office on Haystack Creek about a mile north of and upstream from John Day River. The office is said to have been named for some poplar trees on a nearby ranch.
PORT ORFORD, Curry County. On April 24, 1792, Captain George Vancouver sighted what we now know as Cape Blanco, and named it Cape Orford in honor of George, Earl of Orford, his "much respected friend." For history of the name Cape Blanco, see under that heading. Cape Blanco is about seven miles north of Port Orford. McArthur's ​
chart of the Pacific Coast, issued by the Coast Survey in 1851, shows the name Ewing Harbor attached to what is now called Port Orford. He apparently named the harbor for his ship, the Ewing, which was used in the survey in 1850. The name Ewing did not prevail, and the place has been known since the early '50s as Port Orford because of its proximity to the cape named by Vancouver. Tebenkoff's chart shows the name Indian Bay. George, third Earl of Orford (1730-1791) was the grandson of Sir Robert Walpole, first Earl of Orford and was the nephew of the fourth Earl of Orford, the famous Horace Walpole. Port Orford has given its name to a valuable lumber, Port Orford cedar, botanically known as Lawson cypress, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana. It is considered one of the most beautiful cedars in cultivation. Port Orford post office was established March 27, 1855, with Reginald H. Smith first postmaster.
PORTERVILLE, Lake County. Porterville was a homesteaderspost office situated a few miles southwest of Silver Lake town, in the north part of section 7, township 29 south, range 13 east. This is on the Buck Creek drainage. The post office was established February 3, 1898, with James C. Porter first and only postmaster, and was discontinued June 15, 1899, with papers to Silver Lake. The office was named for the Porter family, several members of which had homesteads in the vicinity.
PORTLAND, Multnomah County. Portland was named for Portland, Maine, in 1845, by Francis W. Pettygrove. Whether the name should be Portland or Boston was decided by Pettygrove and A. L. Lovejoy by the toss of a copper coin. Pettygrove was born at Calais, Maine, in 1812, and came to Oregon by sea in 1843 with a stock of merchandise. He built a warehouse at Champoeg, had a store in a log house at the southwest corner of Front and Washington streets, Portland, and a store called the Red House in Oregon City. There is uncertainty about the exact date that Portland was established. William Johnson and his Indian wife had a cabin as early as 1842 near what is now Southwest Macadam Avenue and Curry Street, but Johnson apparently had no notion of starting a town and his house was some distance south of the locality that became Portland in 1845. Etienne Lucier may have settled in what was later East Portland as early as 1829, but this was not in the original Portland townsite. A. L. Lovejoy and William Overton landed at the site of Portland in November, 1843, on the way from Fort Vancouver to Oregon City. That winter they returned and took a land claim of 640 acres. Lovejoy was the first proprietor, and Overton, his hired man. Overton took a share of land for his services, and in 1844 sold it to Pettygrove for fifty dollars. The subsequent history of Overton is unknown. In the winter of 1814, the first building was erected at the foot of Washington Street. In 1845, Lovejoy and Pettvgrove laid off sixteen blocks of the townsite and named the place Portland by the process mentioned above. Captain John Couch of Newburyport, Massachusetts, had been in the Columbia River trade and soon recognized the strategic importance of the locality of Portland. He made settlement in the place in 184546, and became an important addition to the community. In the fall of 1845, Lovejoy sold his interest to Benjamin Stark and moved to Oregon City. Daniel H. Lownsdale located on what later was called the King claim, and built a tannery. In September, 1848, Lownsdale bought out Pettygrove, then in sole possession of the 640 acres, for $5000 in tanned ​
leather. The sale included a wharf at the foot of Washington Street, which was built in 1846. In 1851 Pettygrove became one of the founders of Port Townsend, Washington, where he died October 5, 1887. Lovejoy was born in Massachusetts in 1808 and came to Oregon first in 1842, went to Bents Fort on the Arkansas with Dr. Marcus Whitman and came to Oregon again in 1843. He died in Portland September 10, 1882. For references to Pettygrove and Lovejoy, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume II, pages 266 and 319. For references to Captain Couch, ibid., volume 1, page 301. For synopsis of first hundred years of Portland history by the compiler, see the Oregon Sunday Journal, August 15, 1943. Portland post office was established November 8, 1849, with Thomas Smith first postmaster. At that time Astoria and Oregon City already had post offices and the Salem office was established the same day.
PORTOLA, Lane County. The plat for Portola townsite was filed in January, 1912, to provide for a community at the mouth of Noti Creek, where that stream flows into Long Tom River. The name Portola had been much in the news. during the preceding few years of the Portola Festival held at San Francisco in October, 1909. This was in honor of Don Gaspar de Portola, commander of the expedition sent from Mexico to found the first European settlement in what is now the state of California. Portola reached San Diego about July 1, 1769, and continued northward to search for the famous Monterey Bay, which theretofore had been reached only by sea. Portola did not recognize Monterey, went far beyond it and on November 1, 1769, discovered San Francisco Bay. It is believed that the celebration of 1909 inspired the selection of the name Portola for the Lane County townsite. Portola post office was established March 19, 1912, with Herbert G. Suttle postmaster. The name Portola for the new community did not prove satisfactory. Mail, freight and express were missent to Portland, in error. In addition, there was a Portola station in California on the recently completed Western Pacific Railroad, and this caused confusion. Residents of Portola, Oregon, petitioned to have a new name, and Noti was selected because of Noti Creek nearby. The name of the post office was changed to Noti on March 29, 1913. For information about the name Noti see under that heading. Post, Crook County. Post, southeast of Prineville, was named for the first postmaster, Walter H. Post. The office was established June 6, 1889. Post OFFICE Bar, Multnomah County. This is a bar in the Willamette River, about a mile above the mouth. W. H. H. Morgan of Sauvie Island told the compiler that it was named because the former Sauvie Island post office was once on the island, opposite the bar. This office was established with the name Mouth of Willamette, June 30, 1851, with Ellis Walker postmaster. It was listed in Clark County, Washington, in error, and never actually was in that county. The name was changed to Sauvies Island March 5, 1852, and was moved to the Washington County, Oregon, list May 19, 1853, with Benjamin Howell postmaster.
POSTAGE STAMP BUTTE, Wasco County. Postage Stamp Butte is at the extreme west end of Tygh Ridge, about two miles west of The Dalles-California Highway, and has an elevation of 2902 feet. There is a Forest Service lookout on the summit. The name was applied in 1925 by James Frankland, during observations for Forest Service triangulation. ​
When seen from a distance, an arrangement of ground colors on the slopes of the butte simulated a letter with a postage stamp stuck in one corner. Potato Hill, Linn County. This hill, elevation about 2000 feet, is five miles east of Mill City. It was named in 1863 by Thomas J. Henness on account of its shape. See Salem Capital Journal, June 18, 1927, page 1. This hill is locally known as Tater Hill.
POWDER RIVER, Baker County. The name Powder River is probably first recorded by Peter Skene Ogden, in his journals, but he does not give any circumstances or history of its origin. See his journals in the OHQ, volume XI, pages 361 and 362. The river was probably named by Donald McKenzie. Dr. William C. McKay, born at Astoria in 1824, grandson of Alexander McKay, a partner of John Jacob Astor, says that the name Powder River came from the Chinook jargon words polallie illahe, meaning a sandy or powdery ground used to describe the soil along the stream. The first white people to visit the vicinity of Powder River were the Astorians in 1811. Lewis and Clark show Powder River on their map as Port-pel-lah River.
POWELL BUTTE, Crook Couty. Powell Butte is the name of the post office near the northwest foot of Powell Buttes. It was named, of course, on account of the buttes, but the writer has not been able to ascertain why the singular form was used rather than the plural. Powell Butte post office was established March 12, 1909, with Moses Niswonger first postmaster.
POWELL BUTTES, Crook County, Powell Buttes form a well-known landmark between Bend and Prineville. These buttes are much dissected and there are a number of summits, the highest of which has an elevation of about 5100 feet. They were named for some member of the family of Jacob Powell of Linn County, probably for Daniel or John Powell. Several of the Powells crossed the Cascade Range into central Oregon in early days to range stock. PoweLL CREEK, Josephine County. Powell Creek was named for John L. Powell who settled on a donation land claim near the stream in 1855.
POWELL Hills, Linn County. Powell Hills are northwest of Brownsville and have a maximum elevation of 516 feet. They were named for Silas Powell, a nearby resident. Silas Powell was a member of the family of Linn County's famous preacher, Joab Powell.
POWELL VALLEY, Multnomah County. Powell Valley was named for three pioneer settlers, James Powell and Jackson Powell, of 1852, and Dr. J. P. Powell, of 1853. They were not related. See the Oregonian, July 19, 1899, page 9; November 5, 7, 1909. Powell Valley is east of Gresham. A post office with the name Powell's Valley was established February 13, 1873, with William H. Bond first postmaster. Theodore K. Williams was appointed postmaster December 16, 1874, and ran the office for nearly twenty years. On April 5, 1894, Albion B. Elliott was appointed postmaster and the name of the office was changed to Powell Valley. It was closed to Gresham February 28, 1903. For most of its life the office was near Powell Valley School No. 26. Powers, Coos County. Powers was named for A. H. Powers in 1914. Powers was then superintendent of the Smith-Powers Logging Company, Powers post office was established July 24, 1915, with Gustaveous A. h the per 5, ze not rem Ja ​
W ne le ther Oman MK Brown first postmaster. Albert H. Powers was born of American parents in Ontario, Canada, November 6, 1862, and followed the logging and lumber business all his life, in several places. He was with the SmithPowers Logging Company in Coos County from 1907 to 1922, and later with other organizations. He died at Indio, California, January 2, 1930, as the result of an automobile accident. Powers was an ardent sports enthusiast. For obituary, see the Oregonian, January 5, 1930. PowWATKA RIDGE, Wallowa County. J. H. Horner of Enterprise told the compiler that the name Powwatka is the modern spelling of the Indian name Paw-wa-ka, meaning high, cleared ground, from where a view could be had. The form Powatka has been discarded by the USBGN. Powwatka post office was near the north end of Powwatka Ridge. It was established August 15, 1900, with Amanda F. Harris first of four postmasters. The office was discontinued November 30, 1920.
PRAHL, Clackamas County. This is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway at the south end of the bridge over the Willamette River at Wilsonville. It was named for Fred Prahl, roadmaster for the railway, who had charge of the construction of the bridge. He died in 1908.
PRAIRIE CHANNEL, Clatsop County. This is the south channel of the Columbia River east of Tongue Point. It has been called Prairie Channel since pioneer days because of the prairie-like islands on either side. Wilkes, in U. S. Exploring Expedition, volume XXIII, Hydrography and accompanying atlas, refers to this channel as Dicks Run, but gives no explanation of the origin of that name. The name Dicks Run has not persisted.
PRAIRIE City, Grant County. Prairie City is purely a descriptive name and quite accurately describes this community. The name is said to have been applied about 1870 by miners. Prairie City post office was established August 8, 1870, with Jules Le Bret first postmaster.
PRAIRIE CREEK, Wallowa County. Prairie Creek and Prairie Basin are east and southeast of Joseph. These features were named in early days by Robert M. Downey, a pioneer settler of the Wallowa Valley who came from Missouri. He applied the names because of the fine stands of bunchgrass on the nearby prairies. Prairie Creek post office was established in January, 1876, with Downey the first postmaster. The office was closed in July, 1893. Prairie Creek was the second post office in what is now Wallowa County. Wallowa, established April 10, 1873, was the first. When first established the Prairie Creek office was in section 11, township 3 south, range 45 east, about two miles east of Wallowa Lake.
PRATER CREEK, Harney County. Prater Creek was named for Tom Prater, an early settler. It is about six miles east of Burns.
PRATTVILLE, Wasco County. Prattville post office is listed on the Wasco County list with Mrs. Mary J. Mackie postmaster, and operating from November, 1879, to September, 1880. The place was near the locality later called Wamic. The Pratt family settled there in the '70s and even after Wamic post office was established in 1884, the name Prattville was continued for some years.
PRATUM, Marion County. Pratum is a Latin word meaning meadow. The name is said to have been applied to the place by a group of the Mennonite Church established in the community. The railroad was built through this locality about 1880, and it is said a Mr. Larson opened the first store and called the place Enger, for a friend. This ​
name was confused with Eugene, hence the change to Pratum. Postal authorities inform the compiler that Pratum post office was established with the name Switzerland on February 28, 1887, and with John Green first postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Enger on August 21, 1897, and to Pratum October 1, 1898. There is a community named Switzerland nearby, and the office may have been moved in addition to having its name changed.
PREACHERS PEAK, Hood River and Multnomah counties. This name, sometimes misprinted Preachers Rock, refers to a point in the summit of the Cascade Range at the extreme southeast corner of Multnomah County. On its eastern slope is a shelf or bench called Devils Pulpit. There is a legend about these two names, but the compiler has been unable to find it.
PRESCOTT, Columbia County. Prescott was named about 1905 for owners of the sawmill. Prescott post office was established May 21, 1907, with Anna Barker first postmaster.
PRESTON, Lane County, Government records show that Preston post office was established October 11, 1853, and discontinued March 30, 1855. Henry Small was postmaster. The compiler has been unable to get the location of the place.
PREUSS, Coos County. Preuss post office was established April 17, 1917, and was at the Beaver Hill coal mines of the Southern Pacific Company. The mines are now closed and the post office has been discontinued. It was named for Rosa Preuss, a school teacher, who helped to have the post office established.
PREVOST, Baker County. This station on the railroad along Snake River was named for Jean Baptiste Prevost, a member of the Astoria overland party under Wilson Price Hunt. Prevost was drowned in Snake River in December, 1811. See Irving's Astoria, first edition, volume II, page 52.
PRICE, Crook County. Price post office was established November 16, 1886, with Mrs. Elmira Logan first postmaster. With one short intermission the office was in operation until July 11, 1902. The office was named for T. B. Price, one of the signers of the petition. It was in Camp Creek area, in section 15, township 19 south, range 20 east, about 47 miles southeast of Prineville. Although the office was established on November 16, Mrs. Logan's commission was not actually dated until December 9, 1886. The office was first in the living room of the log home of the Samuel Allen Logan family. Later the office was moved to other homesteads, but never very far from Camp Creek.
PRICHARD, Baker County. Prichard post office was named for a local resident. It was situated about fifteen miles airline east-northeast of Baker, in the Lower Powder Valley, about four miles north of Prichard Flat. Modern maps are lettered Middle Bridge at this point. Prichard post office was established May 24, 1872, with Royal A. Pierce first postmaster. The office was later on the Union County list, but it was when Union County included that part of what is now Baker County. Prichard post office was closed February 23, 1876. Postal records use the spelling Prichard for this office, but the name appears as Pritchard in other places. The writer does not know which style was used by the family in question.
PRILL LAKE, Linn County. This is a small mountain lake near the ​
499 2. W 11 1. Die C 61 summit of the Cascade Range, about eight miles south of Mount Jefferson. The lake was discovered by Dr. A. G. Prill of Scio, and about 1912 was named by representatives of the State Board of Fish and Game Commissioners, who stocked the lake with fish that year. Dr. Prill, long an enthusiastic amateur naturalist, conveyed his extensive bird and egg collection to the University of Oregon in 1945. See news story in Sunday Journal, September 23, 1945.
PRINCETON, Harney County. Archie McGowan wrote the compiler in August, 1927, as follows: "Princeton originated as a small rural post office in about 1912. C. B. Smith, a Bostonian and professional musician, settled on a homestead there about three years prior to the birth of the post office, and named the place for Princeton, Massachusetts, which was a town of his childhood." Postal authorities inform the compiler that Princeton post office was established October 15, 1910, with David Williams first postmaster. The compiler has been unable to reconcile the discrepancy in dates.
PRINEVILLE, Crook County. Prineville was named after the first merchant of the place, Barney Prine. His stock consisted largely of a barrel of first rate whisky in the front room of his establishment and some blacksmithing equipment in the back room. The prevailing opinion around Prineville is to the effect that most of the business was done in the front room. For article about Barney Prine by Fred Lockley, see Oregon Journal, March 31, 1927, editorial page. Prineville post office was established with the name Prine on April 13, 1871, and with William Heisler first postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Prineville on December 23, 1872.
PRINGLE CREEK, Marion County. This stream rises in the hills south of Salem, and flows through the southern part of the town. Virgil K. Pringle, who arrived at Salem on December 25, 1846, took up a donation land claim near the stream, which was accordingly named for him. The Pringles left Missouri on April 15, 1846, and Octavius M. Pringle, son of Virgil K. Pringle, wrote an account of the trip under the heading Experiences of an Emigrant Boy of 1846. Octavius M. Pringle subsequently moved to central Oregon. See under PRINGLE FALLS.
PRINGLE Falls, Deschutes County. Pringle Falls on Deschutes River were named for O. M. Pringle who, in 1902, bought from the government 160 acres of land near the site of the falls, under the Timber and Stone Act. Pringle came into central Oregon about 1874, from Salem, and for some years lived near Prineville. The locality of Pringle Falls is also known as the Fish Trap. Indians guddled salmon at this point, lying on the bank and grasping the fish in the gills as they swam up through the shallow channels.
PROGRESS, Washington County. When Progress was named, optimism was fairly singing in the air. Progress post office was established August 28, 1889, with Joseph Hingley postmaster. The office was closed July 11, 1904, but Progress continued as a county crossroads, about three miles southeast of Beaverton. It is at the crossing of the Scholls Ferry Road and the Beaverton-Aurora Highway.
PROMISE, Wallowa County. John C. Phillips and W. Mann settled near the present site of Promise about 1891 and took up homesteads. Mann called the place "Promised Land" and "Land of Promise," and ​
when the post office was established, December 22, 1896, it was called Promise on that account. Thomas C. Miller was first postmaster.
PROSPECT, Jackson County. This place was once called Deskins. The post office was established with the name Deskins on July 5, 1882, and with Harvey P. Deskins first postmaster. The name was changed to Prospect on November 9, 1889, because local settlers were optimistic about the future of the community.
PROSPER, Coos County. Prosper post office was established August 8, 1893, with Adam Pershbaker postmaster. The name was apparently selected because of hopes that the locality would be prosperous. The office was discontinued in June, 1928.
PROUTY GLACIER, Deschutes County. Prouty Glacier was named for Harley H. Prouty who was born in Vermont June 26, 1857, of distinguished New England family. He was engaged for a time in the lumbering business after he came to Oregon. Later he retired from active business and devoted much time to mountaineering, and was president of the Mazamas. He died September 11, 1916, and it was his wish that his remains be buried in the Cascade Range. As a result of this a party of Mazamas took his ashes to Obsidian Cliff, near the Three Sisters, and placed them in a cairn. Nearby is placed a bronze tablet bearing a suitable inscription. Prouty may have been the first man to climb the North Sister and one of the spires or pinnacles at the top of the mountain is known as Prouty Pinnacle. A short biography appears in the Mazama of 1916, and information about the bronze plate is in Mazama for 1917.
PROVIDENCE CREEK, Douglas County. Providence Creek flows into Umpqua River west of Reedsport. The name perpetuates a settlement called Providence, established in the early '50s, but gone long ago. The compiler has been unable to get the history of the place, by whom it was settled and why it was named. In June, 1944, Mrs. Alice B. Maloney told the compiler that she had found an interview with C. C. Mann in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Mann was a member of the Samuel Roberts party visiting Umpqua River in July, 1850. He stressed the fact that he was a graduate of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. It is possible this is the genesis of the name, but the evidence is of course rather tenuous. Provolt, Jackson County. This post office was named for a pioneer family of the community. The office was established April 29, 1895, with Mary E. Provolt postmaster. It was then in Josephine County. Proxy Point, Lane County. Proxy Point is just west of the Three Sisters. It was named by USGS surveyors during the time when the triangulation net was being extended along the Cascade Range. This point and Substitute Point were both selected for possible stations, where but one was to be occupied.
PRYOR, Lane County. Pryor, a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company, was named for a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Nathaniel Pryor.
PUDDING RIVER, Clackamas and Marion counties. This stream rises in the Waldo Hills, east of Salem, and joins Molalla River just before that stream flows into the Willamette. Little Pudding River drains an area to the west of Pudding River, and joins that stream just west of Mount Angel. Pudding River is a name that originated in the days of ​
the fur trade. W. H. Rees, in an address in OPA Transactions, 1879, page 23, gives the story of the name. The substance is that about 1821-22 Joseph Gervais and Etienne Lucier and their families were camped on the stream, which was called Hons-U-cha-chac, and in a period of severe weather had the good fortune to shoot some elk. The squaws immediately made a favorite French dish known as a blood pudding, which went a long way toward overcoming the discomfort of rain and snow. While this feast was being enjoyed, Gervais and Lucier christened the stream Riviere au Boudin, or Pudding River. See also Ten Years in Oregon, of Dr. Elijah White, page 70, by Miss A. J. Allen. Rees is doubtless right in his account of the origin of the name, but wrong about the date, for Alexander Henry mentions Pudding River in his diary on January 23, 1814. The river was probably named in 1812-13. See under GERVAIS. Pudding River appears on the Wilkes map of 1841. Another form of the Indian name was Anchiyoke River, which was used in the act of July 5, 1843, creating Champooick District. Early writings show different spellings. See Handbook of American Indians under the heading "Ahantchuyuk."
PUEBLO MOUNTAIN, Harney County. Pueblo Mountain is in the extreme south end of the county, south of Steens Mountain. It is named with the Spanish word for city or village. The name was applied in the early '60s by prospectors and miners from Nevada, and a news item in the Humboldt Register, Unionville, Nevada, December 5, 1863, copied from the Virginia City Union, attributes the discovery of the "Puebla" district to Major M. D. Harmon of Carson City. The form Puebla is the wrong gender for the Spanish word, and has been supplanted by Pueblo. In May, 1946, James F. Abel, then at the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, sent the compiler a transcript of the item about Harmon, which will be found in OHQ, June, 1946, page 210. Mr. Abel concludes: "Puebla Mining District was in existence as early, at least, as the summer of 1863. It may have been established in 1862 but that is not probable. The district was believed to be in Nevada and is shown on Milleson's Map of the Reese River and Humboldt Silver Mines dated 1864. In reality the Territorial line ran south of or through it and all or most of it was in Oregon. Mentions of Puebla Mining District are numerous in 1864. Pueblo Mountain, Butte, Valley and City are shown with considerable accuracy on Lieutenant Colonel R. S. Williamson's map published in 1866."
PUGET Bar, Clatsop County. Puget Bar lies in the Columbia River east of Tenasillahe Island and west of Puget Island. Broughton discovered Puget Island on October 26, 1792, and named it for Lieutenant Peter Puget, and the name Puget has by custom become attached to the bar. Puget Island is in Washington. Tenasillahe Island is in Oregon. Lieutenant Peter Puget was a member of the Vancouver expedition and it was for him that Puget Sound in Washington was named. Not a great deal is known about Peter Puget, though diligent search has been made, particularly by Professor Edmond S. Meany of the University of Washington. He was lieutenant on Vancouver's sloop Discovery at the time Vancouver visited the Pacific Northwest. What is known about Puget is printed in Meany's Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound. See also British Columbia Coast Names, by John T. Walbran. Pulpit Rock, Wasco County. Pulpit Rock is a peculiar formation of ​stone within the city limits of The Dalles. It is a pillar about 20 feet high, cleft at the top in such a way as to make it a natural pulpit, with a seat attached. Missionaries of the Methodist mission in The Dalles used this pulpit when they preached to the Indians. On the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the mission, a bronze tablet was unveiled and Pulpit Rock was dedicated in the presence of about five hundred persons. For information about the mission and Pulpit Rock, see Lulu D. Crandall's article in the Oregonian, October 24, 1927, editorial page.
PUMPKIN CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream is east of Imnaha and was named because Ike Bare camped on its banks while hunting, and cooked some pumpkins, of which he was fond.
PURSEL, Jackson County. Pursel post office and community were named in compliment to the postmaster, C. C. Pursel. The office, which was in the Applegate Valley about ten miles north of Watkins, operated from February, 1898, until January, 1904, and was then closed out to Buncom.
PYLE CANYON, Union County. This canyon, south of Union, was named for James M. Pyle, a pioneer settler of that part of Oregon, and one of the first members of the legislature from Baker County as it then existed.
PYRAMID, Columbia County. This station on the south bank of the Columbia River west of Rainier was named for a peculiar pyramidal rock standing above the railroad track.