# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/L

​LA BUTTE, Marion County. This hill, elevation 427 feet, is between Butteville and Champoeg. It was named in pioneer days by the FrenchCanadian settlers on French Prairie. Butteville was named for the hill.
LACHMUND, Marion County. This railroad station east of Salem was named for Louis Lachmund, a prominent resident of Salem, who owned a farm nearby.
LACOMB, Linn County. J. E. Turnidge, a pioneer settler in this community, liked the name Tacoma and tried to have postal authorities adopt it, but they did not do so on account of duplication. W. J. Turnidge, a son, finally compromised the matter by suggesting the name Lacomb, which was chosen. This was in 1889.
Lacy, Clackamas County. In May, 1948, Isaac V. Trullinger wrote ​Valley. For of the from 217 N. E. Skidmore Street, Portland, that the old Lacy post office was named for a local family. Mr. Trullinger is a pioneer of Clackamas County and should know the facts. Lacy post office was established in March, 1892, with John R. Lewis first and only postmaster. It ran four or five years but the compiler does not know the exact date it was discontinued. Mr. Trullinger says that the office was in the north part of the county on a mail route that served such places as Eagle Creek, Viola, Clarkes and other offices. Ladd CANYON, Union County. This canyon was named for John R. Ladd who ran a hotel at the foot of the hill where the immigrant road came into the Grande Ronde Valley. For information about Mr. and Mrs. Ladd and their activities in the days of the eastern Oregon and the Idaho gold rush, see Lockley's article on editorial page of the Sunday Journal, January 13, 1946. W. W. Curtis, who was familiar with eastern Oregon history, wrote the compiler in 1927 that in early days pioneer wagons were let down the slopes of Ladd Hill, near the canyon, with log drags attached to the wheels. In early days there were hundreds of pine logs at the bottom of the hill.
LADD GLACIER, Hood River County. Ladd Glacier was named for William Mead Ladd of Portland, who was at an early day interested in Cloud Cap Inn. It is on the north slope of Mount Hood, west of Barrett Spur, and it is the source of Ladd Creek, which flows into West Fork Hood River. Mr. Ladd was a frequent visitor on Mount Hood and did much to make it a recreation center.
LAFAYETTE, Yamhill County. Lafayette was founded in 1847 by Joel Perkins, and named after Lafayette, Indiana. It was the county seat of Yamhill County until 1889, when that designation was transferred to McMinnville. The post office was established March 14, 1851, with Hardin D. Martin first postmaster.
LAFOLLETTE BUTTE, Deschutes County. Jerome B. LaFollette made his camp at this butte in early days and let his horses run at large nearby. Later he was killed in central Oregon when he fell off a load of hay. The butte is near Lower Bridge. LA GRANDE, Union County. It is said that at one time an effort was made to call this place Brownsville for one Ben Brown, who settled there in 1861. A meeting was held for a discussion of the matter, and instead, the name La Grande was adopted, doubtless suggested by the name of Grande Ronde Valley and its impressive scenery. La Grande post office was established May 28, 1863, with Benjamin P. Patterson first postmaster.
LAIDLAW BUTTE, Deschutes County. Laidlaw Butte is about a mile west of Tumalo. It was named in compliment to W. A. Laidlaw, one of the promoters of the town now called Tumalo, but originally called Laidlaw. See under TUMALO.
LAKE, Coos County. Lake post office was named for the Tenmile lakes. The office was established February 8, 1892, with Jane E. Fox first postmaster, and was discontinued October 12, 1903, with all mail to Templeton, which was about five miles eastward. Lake post office is shown on the post route map of 1900 as being on the peninsula between Tenmile Lake and North Tenmile Lake, but the scale of the map is small and this location may not be exact. In any event it was not far from the community later called Lakeside. ​
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LAKE, Lake County. Lake post office was formerly near Christmas Lake, about four miles from its present location. Christmas Lake as a name for the office was not acceptable to the authorities. A name of one word was wanted, so Christmas was dropped. Since the office was moved, the name Lake is not entirely suitable. The office was established in 1906.
LAKE ABERT, Lake County. Lake Abert is one of the large lakes of Oregon with a normal area of about 60 square miles. It is fed principally by the outlets of Chewaucan Marsh and by Crooked Creek. The water is highly impregnated with sodium carbonates and other salts. The elevation of high water is about 4250 feet, and the lowest part of the bed is about 4244 feet, according to surveys of the Oregon State Highway Commission. John Work and his brigade of 1832-33 reached the north end of this lake on October 16, 1832, and called it Salt Lake. See California Historical Society Quarterly, September, 1943, page 204. Work does not say so, but his diary implies that this was not a new discovery and that the trappers had been there before. Arrowsmith's map of North America, corrected to 1832-33, shows this Salt Lake with reasonable accuracy. The lake was visited on December 20, 1843, by then Captain John C. Fremont, and named for his chief, Colonel J. J. Abert of the U. S. Topographical Engineers. The lake was reported entirely dry in 1924, but has contained water since that year. Very complete descriptions of the lake and its surroundings including the Abert Rim, the imposing fault scarp on the eastern shore, are in USGS Water-Supply Papers 220 and 363. Lake CHETLO, Lane County. Lake Chetlo is northwest of Waldo Lake. Chetlo is a Chinook jargon word meaning oyster. It was applied to this lake because of its shape.
LAKE COUNTY. Lake County was created October 24, 1874, by the state legislature, and received its name because of the number of large lakes within or partly within its borders, including the Klamath lakes, Lake Abert, Summer Lake, Goose Lake, Silver Lake and the lakes of the Warner Valley. The territory comprising Lake County was taken from Wasco and Jackson counties. Lake County in 1940 had a land area of 8270 square miles, according to the Bureau of the Census. Klamath County was formed from the west part of Lake County in 1882, and the Klamath lakes are not now in Lake County. In 1876 there was a lively squabble about the selection of a county seat for Lake County. For details, see under BULLARD CREEK.
LAKE EWAUNA, Klamath County. This is an enlargement or elbow in the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake. The connection to the north from Upper Klamath Lake is Link River. The outlet of Lake Ewauna is Klamath River. The name of the lake is from the Klamath Indian luauna, a condensed form of Yulalona, the name of a place below the falls of Link River.
LAKE Kiwa, Lane County. Lake Kiwa is north of Waldo Lake. The name is from the Chinook jargon word meaning crooked, and was applied to this lake because it was elbow shaped. The word is said to have come originally from the Wasco Indian language.
LAKE LABISH, Marion County. This is a marshy area east of Brooks and Chemawa, now almost completely drained and in cultivation. Lake Labish ditch, which flows into Little Pudding River, is practically all that is left of the original lake. The lake was named by early settlers on ​
French Prairie for la biche, the female deer, although French-Canadians frequently used the word to mean elk. In the evening of November 12, 1890, a Southern Pacific train, bound for California, plunged through the Lake Labish trestle. Five persons were killed and many injured.
LAKE LYTLE, Tillamook County. This is a seashore lake about five miles north of the entrance to Tillamook Bay. It has an intermittent outlet. There was once a post office nearby of the same name. These features were named for E. E. Lytle, a prominent Oregon railroad builder, who, among other things, constructed the Pacific Railway and Navigation Company line from Hillsboro to Tillamook, now owned by the Southern Pacific Company.
LAKE MARR, Lane County. This small pond is about a mile from the Pacific Ocean and five miles north of the Siuslaw River. It was named for Ezra E. Marr, who at one time owned a ranch adjoining the lake. In 1925 it was reported that he was a lighthouse keeper in the state of Washington..
LAKE OF THE WOODs, Klamath County. This is a descriptive name, given because of the dense stand of timber nearby. The lake is about three and a half miles long on the east slope of the Cascade Range, partly fed by a stream rising southeast of Mount McLoughlin. Its elevation is about 4950 feet, and the Dead Indian road between Ashland and Pelican Bay skirts its southern end. In a letter to Will G. Steel, dated October 28, 1925, Captain Oliver C. Applegate of Klamath Falls says that he named Lake of the Woods in 1870 when he was building a road by the lake. He built a cabin at the south end of the lake in that year. A post office called Lake of the Woods was established to serve the area on May 17, 1930, with Fred E. Wahl postmaster. This office was closed August 15, 1931. It was near the north end of the lake. Another office was established July 19, 1941, with the style Lake ( Woods, but the compiler does not know its exact location.
LAKE TIMPANOGAS, Douglas County. This lake, so named on the map of the Diamond Lake quadrangle, is the principal source of Middle Fork Willamette River. The compiler has been informed that the name was applied to the lake in the Cascade Range by J. G. Staack, formerly topographic engineer for the U. S. Geological Survey and later chief topographic engineer. The name was used in 1913-14 when Mr. Staack was mapping the area. It is reported that he found the name while reading in the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., apparently in one of the Hall J. Kelley publications. Kelley published a Geographical Sketch of Oregon in Boston in 1830, and in this book it is stated that the Multnomah River, now known as the Willamette, had one of its sources in Lake Timpanogos. This is the name used by Mr. Staack, with slightly different spelling. Timpanogos was an early name for Great Salt Lake, derived from the name of a stream. Fremont says the word means Rock River. See his Report, Washington, 1845, page 273.
LAKECREEK, Jackson County. Lakecreek post office takes its name from Lake Creek, an important stream that flows into Little Butte Creek. Lake Creek post office was established December 10, 1886, with Joseph T. Delk first of a long list of postmasters. In the '90s the Post Office Department had an attack of efficiency, and consolidated the names of a great number of ofhces made up of two words, though for some reason names like New York, San Francisco and Niagara Falls were overlooked. In ​
any event, the name of the office in Jackson County was changed to Lakecreek on April 24, 1894, and that has been the official style for over half a century, though the USGS map of the Medford quadrangle gives the form Lake Creek. If there be an inconsistency here, Oregonians will just have to worry along.
LAKEPORT, Curry County. Lakeport was the name of a locality in the northwest part of the county, so called because it was established on Floras Lake about three miles southeast of Langlois. It was hoped that some form of ocean transportation might become available, but there was no such development. Lakeport post office was established June 22, 1910, with Emil Burg first postmaster. The post office was closed June 30, 1915. In June, 1946, Louis L. Knapp of Port Orford told the compiler that the project at Lakeport included a plan to cut a channel from the lake to the ocean to accommodate ocean vessels of sorts. This scheme turned out to be impracticable. The locality was sometimes called Pacific City, but that name could not be used for a post office because of duplication with an office in Tillamook County.
LAKESIDE, Coos County. Lakeside is situated near the shores of Tenmile and North Tenmile lakes, and was named on that account.
LAKEVIEW, Lake County. Lakeview is said to have been named at a citizens' meeting held in 1876. John A. Moon suggested the name. A post office was established late in 1876. Goose Lake was larger in those days and the water was nearer the town, hence the selection. Lakeview is one of the highest towns in Oregon. The bench mark in the county courthouse has an elevation of 4800 feet. M. W. Bullard was one of the first settlers, arriving in 1869, and in the first county seat election, offered 20 acres of land should his place be chosen. This choice was made at an election in 1876, and Bullard gave land for the courthouse. He sold 300 acres to Moon, who filed the plat for the town on May 26, 1877. In May, 1900, every business house in town but two was burned, and by October reconstruction was nearly complete. For story of the county seat fight of 1876, see under BULLARD CREEK.
LAMBERSON BUTTE, Hood River County. This is a well-known point east of Mount Hood, with an elevation of about 6600 feet. It was named for Lewis H. Lamberson of Portland, an early day member of Mazamas. He spent several summers at Cloud Cap Inn, and members of the Langille family named the butte for him because he made a trip to its top. This was about 1895.
LAMONTA, Jefferson County. Harold Baldwin of Prineville informed the compiler in 1927 that this place was named by Miss Kate Helfrich, the name referring to Grizzly Mountain nearby. History of Central Oregon, page 734, says the townsite was platted in April, 1905, by John C. Rush. While the intent of the name is obvious, the words la monta are not part of any language with which the compiler is familiar. Lamonta post office was established September 7, 1898, with Miss Helfrich first postmaster. The office was closed in April, 1918. LA MU, Harney County. A post office with the odd name La Mu was established in Harney County November 6, 1889, and discontinued March 19, 1890. Elizabeth Newman operated the office for this short period, and when it was closed, what little business there was was turned over to Harney. It was in Crane Creek Gap, near what was later the site of Crane. ​
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LAMPA CREEK, Coos County. Lampa Creek is tributary to Coquille River a few miles east of Bandon. The name has been spelled several ways. It was originally called Lamper or Lampa Creek, for an old settler. The name of this settler is given as Seth Lampa in Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, page 395. The stream was later called Lampy Creek by a local property owner, and the style Lamprey was used on some government maps. Local usage finally crystallized on Lampa, and that style has been employed for a good many years. A post office called Lampa was established near this stream on May 9, 1905, with James L. Bean first and only postmaster. The office was closed to Bandon on October 15, 1918. Highway signs use the style Lampa.
LANCASTER, Malheur County. This station was named for Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by D. M. Brogan, who was born in the Pennsylvania town. Lancaster is between Vale and Brogan.
LANDAX, Lane County. The name Landax was first used by the Southern Pacific Company for a siding, but the compiler has been unable to determine why the selection was made. When the post office was established nearby in December, 1914, the name was used for the office. Wilbur H. Hyland was the first postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Signal on June 16, 1927, and this office was discontinued in November, 1938. The writer does not know if Landax and Signal were in exactly the same place.
LANDRITH BRIDGE, Coos County. This bridge is over South Fork Coos River east of the town of Coos Bay. In May, 1943, Mrs. S. B. Cathcart, formerly Dora Landrith, of Coos Bay, wrote the compiler that the correct spelling of this pioneer family name is Landrith and not Landreth. The bridge was named for a member of the family who owned land nearby. Lane County. Lane County was created January 28, 1851, by the territorial legislature. It has a land area of 4594 square miles. It was named for Joseph Lane, who came to Oregon in 1849, as first territorial governor. In 1851 and 1853 he led the campaigns against the Rogue River Indians. In 1859 he was elected United States Senator. He supported the contentions of the seceding states in 1860-61, and when his term as senator expired in 1861, he retired to private life. In 1860 he was nominee for vice-president with Breckenridge. His death occurred April 19, 1881, at Roseburg. Joseph Lane was born in North Carolina December 14, 1801. Prior to coming to Oregon, he had distinguished himself in the Mexican War, and had been a member of the Indiana legislature. His attitude on secession wholly changed his political standing in Oregon. For references to Lane, see OGN, 1928 edition, pages 193-194. For history of early boundaries of Lane County, by F. V. Holman, see
OHQ, volume XI, page 33.
LANE CREEK, Jackson County. Lane Creek is a short stream that flows into Willow Creek from the west about three miles west of Central Point. Walling, in History of Southern Oregon, page 377, says the stream was named for an old man named Lane, who was murdered on its banks in very early days. There was active gold mining along Lane Creek in the early '50s. The community of Willow Springs, one of the first settlements in Jackson County, was situated near the junction of Lane and Willow creeks.
LANE MOUNTAIN, Douglas County. This niountain, about 12 miles ​
of Maine, was named for Thomay, on a prominent east of Roseburg, was named in honor of General Joseph Lane, who was an early settler in the Umpqua Valley. For data concerning him, see under LANE COUNTY.
LANG CANYON, Gilliam County. Lang Canyon drains into the Columbia River from the south at a point about five miles west of Arling. ton. It is crossed by the Columbia River Highway on a prominent concrete viaduct. The canyon was named for Thomas Stackpole Lang, 1826-1896, a native of Maine, who came to Oregon in 1875 and for a time engaged in the sheep business in the vicinity of Heppner. He loaded wool on the Columbia River boats by means of a chute or tram in the canyon that now bears his name. Thomas Lang held a number of prominent positions in Maine, both in business and in politics. The latter years of his life were spent at The Dalles and for four years he was receiver of the U. S. Land Office at that place. For biography see Illustrated History of Central Oregon, page 261. See also under ROCK VILLE.
LANGDON LAKE, Umatilla County. This lake is near the summit of the Blue Mountains and is skirted by the highway between Weston and Elgin. It is an artificial lake made by damming one of the sources of Lookingglass Creek. The elevation of the lake is about 4875 feet. It was named for John W. Langdon of Walla Walla, who furnished a substantial part of the money necessary for surveying the ground and building the dam. Langdon did this from public spirit, to provide a camp ground.
LANGELL VALLEY, Klamath County. Langell Valley is a natural geographic feature, and a post office bears the same name. Both were named for Arthur Langell, an early settler, who took part in the Modoc War. He was afterward killed in an altercation with a neighbor named Swingle. The post office was established about 1871 and has been moved about to several locations. It is now near the Oregon-California boundary line.
LANGILLE Crags, Hood River County. These crags were named for the Langille family, early settlers in the Hood River Valley and for many years associated with the development of transportation and hotel facilities on Mount Hood. William Langille was a pioneer guide on the mountain.
LANGLOIS, Curry County. This post office is near Floras Creek. It was named for the Langlois family which has for many years been prominent in Curry County. William V. Langlois was born on the Island of Guernsey, English Channel, and came to Curry County in 1854. His wife was Mary A. King. A number of their children have been prominent in Curry County affairs. For additional information about the Langlois family, see editorial page, Oregon Journal, June 28, July 1, 1927.
LAPINE, Deschutes County. La Pine was named by Alfred A. Aya. The name was suggested by the abundance of pine trees in the neighborhood. When the post office was established the postal authorities consolidated the two parts of the name into Lapine. The use of the original form of name is not infrequent. If the form La Pine is supposed to indicate a French origin, it is of course incorrect, as the French word would be Le Pin. Lapine post office was established in September, 1910, by change of name from Rosland. ​
LAPOVER LAKE, Wallowa County. Lapover Lake, which is in section 27, township 3 south, range 43 east, is named for the Lapover Cabin on Lostine River. The cabin was named because an addition to the original structure lapped over the main part of the building.
LARAUT, Douglas County. Postal records show that Laraut postoffice was established June 16, 1890, with Narcisse LaRaut postmaster, and was closed March 19, 1891, with all papers to Wilbur. The LaRaut home was about eight or ten miles west of Wilbur and near the Umpqua River. In February, 1946, Kenneth F. Barneburg of Wilbur dug up some history of the office, which was apparently never in actual operation. Mr. Barneburg located Narcisse LaRaut, Jr., then living in Salem, who reported that the elder LaRaut received a supply of stamps and other equipment but for some reason the office was not operated.
LARCH, Yamhill County. This office named for the forest tree was established at the Summit House station on the Trask toll road seventeen miles west of Yamhill. Miss Clara Rhude was the only postmaster the place ever had. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Rhude, who operated the Summit House. In addition to post office duties Miss Rhude helped cook and in general house keeping and in making a dozen beds for travelers and residents. It is reported that the post office was established to provide a legal but fictitious and temporary address for persons proving up on homesteads. The Summit House was built in 1889 by Martin T. Record and was in use for many years after the post office was closed. See McMinnville Telephone-Register, September 5, 1946, page 1, for news story and picture. Postal records show that Larch post office was established September 9, 1891, and was closed February 10, 1894, with papers to Byersville. It is more than probable that the name Larch was used because of the presence of the noble fir rather than of any of the true larches. ​LARCH MOUNTAIN, Multnomah County. Larch trees probably do not grow on Larch Mountain. Forest experts assert that the tree grows only in that part of the state east of the Cascade Range. The tree on Larch Mountain known by lumbermen as the larch is really the noble fir, Abies nobilis, and is not related to the larch in any way. The name Larch Mountain is, however, well established for an important and beautiful geographic feature, and there it will doubtless remain. Larch Mountain has an elevation of 4058 feet.
LARISON Rock, Lane County. This rock and the creek nearby were named for George Larison, a resident of the valley of Middle Fork Willamette River. He was a son-in-law of B. J. Pengra, a pioneer of Oregon. The spelling Lairson is wrong.
LARWOOD, Linn County. Larwood post office was in operation from July 25, 1893, until August 12, 1903, and was named for the postmaster, William T. Larwood. This office was about ten miles east of Crabtree and in the foothills of the Cascade Range.
LAST CHANCE CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream fows into Minam River in township 4 south, range 42 east. It was named by George Miller in the fall of 1890. Miller was a sheep man and the last chance he had to make camp before getting out of the mountains was on this creek.
LATHAM, Lane County. Latham is a station on the Southern Pacific Company railroad a little more than a mile south of Cottage Grove. It
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HATI is more than probable that it was named for Senator Milton S. Latham of California. Latham post office was established September 16, 1878, with James J. Comstock first postmaster. The office was closed February 14, 1888. Comstock, who was an associate of Ben Holladay, was interested in the lumber business both at Latham and at Comstock, a station a little to the southwest in Douglas County. Holladay named several stations for public characters and it seems apparent that Latham station was named for Senator Latham, either by Holladay of by Comstock or both of them.
LATOURELL Falls, Multnomah County. Latourell Falls is the name of a beautiful feature adjacent to the Columbia River Highway, and also the post office name of the early community. The railroad station name is Latourell. Joseph Latourell was a prominent settler in the locality and it was named for him. The name Latourell frequently appears in print with a final "e," which is wrong. The falls are on property formerly owned by Guy W. Talbot of Portland, who had them accurately measured and found their height to be 249 feet. Latourell Prairie, on the bluffs above the Columbia River east of Latourell Falls received its name from the same source. For information about Joseph Latourell and the dedication of the falls to the state, see OHQ, volume XIX, page 78. Early in 1929 Mr. and Mrs. Talbot gave the state of Oregon about 220 acres of land adjoining the Columbia River Highway and Latourell Falls. This property is known as Guy W. Talbot State Park. In 1934 the heirs of George W. Joseph also gave property for a park on the upper part of the stream and this is known as the George Joseph State Park. Rooster Rock was the name of the first post office in this vicinity. It was established in May, 1876, with John Gilstrap postmaster, and was named for the natural feature nearby. Joseph Latourell became postmaster in Aug. ust, 1876, and the name was changed to Latourell Falls in August, 1887. The compiler does not know if the office was moved when the name was changed.
LAURANCE, Marion County. On July 7, 1898, Ellsworth Benjamin Fletcher was appointed postmaster at Laurance by Charles Emory Smith, then postmaster general. The post office was established in Mr. Fletcher's home at the North Howell crossroads. M. Louetta Carwood was appointed postmaster November 23, 1900, and the office was discontinued December 22, 1902, with papers to Gervais.
LAUREL, Washington County. Laurel was named early in 1879 at a meeting held at a school about a quarter of a mile east of the present site of the community. C. W. (Cooney) Williams suggested the name because there were so many laurel trees in the vicinity. The post office was established March 14, 1879, with Alfred Mulloy postmaster. The office was at his home, about a mile south of the present site of Laurel. It was moved to the present location about 1890. For additional information about the community, see Hillsboro Argus, November 26, 1931.
LAUREL Hill, Clackamas County. Laurel Hill lies between Zigzag River and Camp Creek and is traversed by the Mount Hood Loop Highway over a fine grade. It was one of the terrors of the emigrants who traveled the Barlow Road. Wagons had to be let down the slopes of this hill with ropes. The name Laurel Hill was applied in the earliest pioneer days. For comments on this name and Zigzag River, see under Barlow
CREEK and Zigzag River. It is probable that the pioneers named L ​aurel
Hill for the rhododendrons that grew thereon rather than true laurels.
LAVA, Deschutes County, Lava was the name once applied to a post office near the Deschutes River south of Bend in what was then Crook County. The name was derived from Lava Butte and its remarkable lava flows, which were a little to the northeast. The locality was from time to time served by offices with other names. Crater post office was established February 18, 1888, with David A. Findley first postmaster. This office, which was discontinued May 21, 1890, is shown on a map of 1889 as being just a little north of the Vandevert ranch. It was obviously named for Lava Butte and the nearby lava flows. A post office named Carlisle was established at the Vandevert ranch on May 10, 1893, with William P. Vandevert postmaster. Vandevert family tradition says that Mrs. Vandevert, who was from Kentucky, was an admirer of John G. Carlisle of that state who became secretary of the treasury in 1893. She named the office in compliment to Carlisle. This office was closed April 6, 1895. It was planned to reestablish the office with a new name Lava, and this was done on June 11, 1895, with Sarah J. Potter postmaster. However, this order was rescinded and Lava post office was not actively established until April 8, 1896, when David W. Aldridge was appointed postmaster. Lava office was on the Aldridge ranch a few miles north of the Vandevert place. On December 29, 1899, Mrs. Sadie Vandevert was appointed postiaster of Lava and the office was moved to the W. P. Vandevert ranch. The office operated until November, 1908.
LAVA BUTTE, Deschutes County. Lava Butte is a conspicuous lapilli cone with a deep crater in its summit. From the south base of this butte a stream of basaltic lava was poured out, which flowed to the northwest and dammed Deschutes River which resulted in Benham Falls. For detailed information about Lava Butte and its flow, see USGS Bulletin 252, by I. C. Russell, page 110. The butte is composed of cinders and scoriaceous fragments and volcanic bombs. The name Lava described the flow at the base of the butte rather than the butte itself. Russell gives the opinion that in 1903 the flow was more than 150 years old. There was once a post office called Lava not far from the butte, but it has been discontinued.
LAVA LAKE, Deschutes County. This is the source of Deschutes River, and takes its name from the surrounding lava flows. Lava Lake ordinarily has no surface outlet, but during high water flows through an open channel to Little Lava Lake nearby, from which flows Deschutes River. The name Big Lava Lake is wrong.
LAVA RIVER CAVE, Deschutes County. Lava River Cave is really a lava tunnel about two miles long, caused by the outflow of the molten lava after the top had hardened. It is near Lava Butte. It is open at one place for a distance of about 400 feet, and is 30 to 40 feet deep and 50 feet wide. In this section the roof has fallen in. The floor of the cave is covered with fine sand, apparently deposited by a stream. Land along the course of the Lava River has been given by The Shevlin-Hixon Company to the state for a park adjacent to The Dalles-California Highway. The lava flow forming the river came at an earlier date than the outflow from the base of Lava Butte. For additional information see editorial page of the Oregonian, December 9, 1925, and USGS Bulletin 252.
LAVERTY LAKE, Wallowa County. Laverty Lake is in the Wallowa ​
Mountains in township 3 south, range 43 east. It was named for Frank Laverty by J. H. Jackson who stocked the lake with fish in 1914. This information came from J. H. Horner and R. L. Forsythe of Enterprise. Laverty lived at Lostine for a number of years.
LAWEN, Harney County. This place, according to one writer, was named after Henry Lauen, who settled in the neighborhood about 1887. No explanation is given as to the difference in spelling. Another correspondent informs the compiler that the place was named because of the green lawn-like appearance of the neighboring shore of Malheur Lake. This version of the story says that the local applicant for the post office misspelled Lawn into Lawen. It seems to the writer that the first version is the more probable.
LAWRENTZ, Klamath County. Lawrentz post office was established January 31, 1894, and was discontinued April 17, 1895. It was named for Martha A. Lawrentz, the first and only postmaster. In January, 1947, Mrs. Fred G. Brown wrote that Lawrentz post office was situated where Pelican Bay Lodge resort was later established. It was at the site of Rocky Point post office, which is called Harriman at the time this paragraph is being written. Mrs. Brown adds an interesting paragraph to the effect that Lawrentz post office may have been discontinued because of a letter sent by Mrs. Lawrentz, the postmaster, to officials in Washington in reply to an inquiry about an alleged irregularity. She told her superiors "If you will attend to your affairs in Washington, we shall run the post office here." Mrs. Brown adds that the mail was carried on horseback from Klamath Falls to Lawrentz.
LAWSON CREEK, Curry County. This stream, which heads near Fairview Mountain, was named for a pioneer prospector.
LAWSON CREEK, Lane County. Lawson Creek is tributary to Siuslaw River east of Cushman. In December, 1942, Earl H. Hill wrote the compiler that the stream was named for John Lawson, a homesteader who lived near its mouth. He had a large family and has been dead many years.
LAWTON, Grant County. Lawton was a mining camp in the northeast part of the county in the Blue Mountains. This camp was a couple of miles down stream from Granite. The place was named for Major General Henry Ware Lawton, who was born in Ohio in 1843. General Lawton had a distinguished career in the United States army. He was killed in the battle of San Mateo, Philippine Islands, on December 19, 1899. Lawton post office was established on the Grant County list on May 14, 1900, with Frank G. Hull first of three postmasters. The office was discontinued to Granite, June 15, 1905. The country was ringing with the praises of General Lawton at the time the post office was petitioned for.
LAYNG CREEK, Lane County. Layng Creek is southeast of Cottage Grove. It was named for George Layng, a nearby resident.
LAYTON POINT, Harney County. This is the correct name of the point on the east side of Harney Valley, not Laton. It was named for a pioneer resident.
LAZARUS ISLAND, Tillamook County. Lazarus Island, in the Nehalem River opposite Wheeler, was named for one Lazarus, a homesteader who tried to develop the land but had little success.
LEABURG, Lane County. Leaburgh post office was established January ​
29, 1877, with Leander Cruzan as first postmaster. The name of the office was adapted from Cruzan's first name. Later the spelling was changed to Leaburg, but the compiler cannot tell when. The name was changed to Deerhorn on May 25, 1907, and that style was used until the office was closed in September, 1913. It seems probable that the change to Deerhorn also included a change of location, because a new Leaburg office was established September 20, 1907.
LEANDER, Linn County. This station is just east of Albany on the Oregon Electric Railway. C. H, Stewart of Albany told the compiler in 1927 that it was named for Leander C. Burkhart, a pioneer of 1846. The station is on the Burkhart donation land claim.
LEAP, Wallowa County. Leap is a place north of Enterprise in section 8, township 1 north, range 44 east. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise it was first planned to call this community Fairview, but postal authorities would not accept that name because of duplication. Mrs. F. W. Heskett suggested that the office be named Leap because it was leap year. That name was accepted, and the office was established at the Heskett house in April, 1892. Ben Weathers carried the mail in from Wallowa to Leap on horseback. Leap has not been a post office for some years prior to 1944.
LEBANON, Linn County. Lebanon was first called Kees Precinct for Morgan and Jacob Kees, who came there in 1848. Jeremiah Ralston had the site surveyed and recorded in 1851 and adopted the name Lebanon after Mount Lebanon in Syria. The first post office in the vicinity, Santyam, was established March 14, 1851, with Russel T. Hill postmaster. The name was changed to Washington Butte July 30, 1852, with John W. Bell as the new postmaster. At the time the change was made, the old name, was put down as Santiam and not Santyam. Leland H. Wakefield became postmaster on March 29, 1855. Later the post office name was changed to Lebanon to agree with the townsite. Early post office lists show that a Lebanon post office was established on June 5, 1851, with Jno. S. Hunt postmaster. This place was about twelve miles east of Salem, in Marion County, and had nothing to do with Lebanon in Linn County. The Marion County office Lebanon was discontinued in June, 1858. LE CONTE CRATER, Deschutes and Lane counties. This crater is on the summit of the Cascade Range south of the South Sister. Dr. E. T. Hodge of the University of Oregon named it for Professor Joseph Le Conte, of the University of California, famous Pacific Coast scientist. Le Conte Crater is just southwest of Rock Mesa and has an elevation of 6574 feet.
LEE, Coos County. Lee post office was established in 1888. William P. Mast was the first postmaster and was a native of North Carolina. He named the office for the great Confederate leader General Robert E. Lee. Lee was not a post office in 1929.
LEEDS, Jackson County. Leeds post office, about ten miles up Rogue River from Trail, was named for W. H. Leeds, a newspaper publisher of Ashland and onetime state printer for Oregon, by A. J. Florey, for many years postmaster at Eagle Point. Florey was postmaster at Eagle Point in April, 1890, when Leeds post office was established with Frank M. Manning first postmaster. For information about W. H. Leeds, see Turnbull's History of Oregon Newspapers, page 260. ​
LEEDS ISLAND, Douglas County. Leeds Island is in the Umpqua River northwest of Reedsport, and was named for Captain Josiah B. Leeds, a pioneer of Gardiner. Captain Leeds was born in New Jersey December 1, 1829, and went to sea with his father when he was eight years old. He sailed into San Francisco Bay in June, 1851, as mate of the schooner Frances Helen. He was made master of the schooner and sailed her in the coastwise trade. He crossed the bar into Umpqua River May 10, 1853. He gave up seafaring and settled in Gardiner in 1865. He operated a boat on Umpqua River, and went into the sawmill business with G. S. Hinsdale and Edward Breen. This enterprise later became the Gardiner Mill Company. He sold his interest in 1882 and after four years in the stock business, sold out in 1886 and moved to San Francisco with his family. He died there in 1889. For additional data, see Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 532.
LEE'S CAMP, Tillamook County. About 1939 Rex Lee bought approximately sixteen acres of the Reeher property on Wilson River near the mouth of North Fork and the place was later developed into a tourist and sportsmen's camp with the name Lee's Wilson River Camp. In 1947 it was reported that H. M. Slauson was associated in the establishment, which is about twenty-five miles upstream from Tillamook on the Wilson River Highway and not far from the summit of the Coast Range. The post office was established in 1947 with the name Lee's Camp and with Mrs. Slauson postmaster. The post office is very nearly in the same location as the much earlier office called Wilson.
LEHMAN, Umatilla County. Lehman, which is the site of Lehman Springs, was named for a pioneer settler, James Lehman, probably about 1873. The springs were discovered by Dr. John Teal, an old time physician. At the time of this writing Lehman post office is open only during the summer.
LELAND, Josephine County. Leland is an historic name in southern Oregon, now used for a railroad station and for a post office about four miles west of the original location, which was known in early days as Twogood's, Leland, Fort Leland and the Grave Creek House. The old location is just north of where the Pacific Highway crosses Grave Creek north of Grants Pass. Miss Martha Leland Crowley, a member of the emigration of 1846, died on what is called Grave Creek and was buried there under a prominent oak tree. For the history of this event, see under
GRAVE CREEK. See also Grants Pass Courier, January 23, 24, 26, 1934. In January, 1854, the legislature passed an act to change the name of Grave Creek to Leland Creek in honor of Miss Crowley, but the public never accepted the name. About 1852 Bates and Twogood operated a ranch on Grave Creek and packed into the mines. Preston's map of 1856 shows Twogood's place approximately in the southeast corner of section 3, township 34 south, range 6 west, although the real point may have been in sections 2 or 11. About 1853 McDonough Harkness bought out Bates, and continued with James H. Twogood, operating the packing business and keeping the travel. The place was called the Grave Creek House, and also Leland Creek House. Leland post office was established March 28, 1855, with Harkness postmaster. He was killed by Indians near lower Rogue River April 27, 1856, and apparently Twogood took his place as postmaster at Leland. About 1860 Twogood sold out to the Harkness family. During the Rogue River Indian War of 1855-56 a mili ​tary post called Fort Leland was established at this point, where Twogood and Harkness had already built a stockade for the protection of local settlers. In the early '80s the railroad was built about four miles west of the old locality of Leland. A station named Leland was established on the railroad and it has been in service for more than half a century.
LEMISH BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte, west of Crane Prairie, is named with the Klamath Indian word for thunder, or the mythical genii of the Thunder, five in number, and their parents, Old Thunders.
LEMITI MEADOW, Clackamas County. Lemiti Meadow is near the summit of the Cascade Range north of Olallie Butte. It drains into Clackamas River through Lemiti Creek. This name presents the curious but not infrequent application of a descriptive geographic name that does not describe the feature to which it is attached, but something entirely different. Lemiti is the Chinook jargon word for mountain, and is a corruption of the French la montagne. The compiler has been told that Ephriam Henness, pioneer resident in the valley of North Santiam River and one of the first forest rangers in the north Cascade Range, established and named Lemiti Ranger Station. The word lemiti, or mountain, was later applied to a nearby point, Lemiti Butte, and also to Lemiti Meadow and Lemiti Creek by someone who did not understand its exact significance.
LEMOLO Falls, Douglas County. These falls are on North Umpqua River below Kelsay Valley. They were named by the Forest Service. Lemolo is a Chinook jargon word meaning wild or untamed. It is from the French-Canadian le moron, a corruption of marron, a runaway negro. The spelling Lemolo has been approved by the USBGN.
LEMON ISLAND, Multnomah County. Lemon Island is a low body of land west of Government Island in the Columbia River. It is occasionally spelled Lemmon Island. Investigations by George S. Shepherd, attorney at law, Portland, Oregon, indicated that this island once belonged to Peter Lemon who was unable to sign his name and used a cross on legal documents. His name was variously spelled Lemmons and Lemons, but later use is invariably Lemon, and deeds given by Lemon to correct title to the island were apparently made for the purpose of eliminating the uncertainty caused by the spelling Lemmons, Lemons, etc. As a result of Shepherd's investigation it may be assumed that Lemon spelled his name as indicated herein.
LENA, Morrow County. The postmaster at Lena in 1926 wrote the compiler that this post office was named by J. S. Vinson and C. E. Hinton. local residents. It was understood that the name was selected because it had a pleasing sound. This is all the information the writer has been able to get. Lena post office was established June 11, 1873, with Hinton postmaster.
LENEVE, Coos County. Leneve post office was established about 1917. The name Conlogue was suggested to postal authorities but it was considered too difficult. Leneve is the name of a pioneer family of Coos County. Leneve was not a post office in 1935.
LENOX, Washington County. David T. Lenox, a pioneer of 1843, was one of the most prominent early settlers in Washington County. His land claim was about three miles east of the present community of North Plains. Lenox post office, named in compliment to this pioneer, ​
was established in March, 1895, with Peter Jossy postmaster. This office was about a mile south of what is now Helvetia and about a half a mile north of Germantown road. It was a little south of the center of section 10, township 1 north, range 2 west. The office operated until August 4, 1903.
LENT CANYON, Wallowa County. Lent Canyon empties into Cottonwood Creek in the northeast part of the county in township 5 north, range 46 east. It bears the name of one Joe Lent, who squatted on a claim in the canyon and built a cabin near the canyon mouth.
LENTS, Multnomah County. Oliver P. Lent settled where the town of Lents stands in 1866, on a tract of 190 acres. He was born near Marietta, Ohio, August 31, 1830; died at Mount Tabor, Portland, April 22, 1899. His wife, Martha A. Buckley, was born at Parkersburg, Virginia, March 19, 1833; died April 5, 1905. Soon after arriving in Oregon, about 1852, Lent settled on the site of Sycamore, east of Lents. During many years he engaged in the sawmill business. He was a prominent and resourceful man, and served as school director, road supervisor and justice of the peace.
LENZ, Klamath County. Lenz, a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company, was named for a nearby settler.
LEONA, Douglas County. The town of Leona was named for a young girl, Leona Perkins. This was about 1900. In earlier years the place was called Hudson, and a post office with that name was in operation from June, 1889, until October, 1890. Leonard M. Perkins was the first postmaster. When it was planned to revive this office, it was found that the old name, Hudson, could not be used because of duplication. Leona post office was established February 14, 1901, with Thomas E. Bledsoe first postmaster. Miss Leona Perkins was the granddaughter of Newt Mulvaney, a prominent local resident.
LESLIE CANYON, Malheur County. The Rev. Melville T. Wire, in the Oregonian, December 5, 1926, section 5, page 5, gives the story of the name of this feature. The canyon originally drained into Owyhee River from the east not far from the old post office called Watson. The canyon now drains into Owyhee Reservoir. It bears the name of a cattleman, one Leslie, who was killed there by lightning about 1880. For illustrated story about Mazama expedition to Leslie Canyon, see magazine section, Sunday Oregonian, August 17, 1947. Lewis, Wallowa County. Postal authorities inform the compiler that this post office was established September 11, 1913, with Alta E. Lewis first postmaster. She was the wife of Frank Lewis, and the post office was apparently named for the family. J. H. Horner of Enterprise told the compiler that the name of the office was suggested by a neighbor, Herbert L. Dunbar.
LEWIS AND CLARK River, Clatsop County. Lewis and Clark mentioned this stream as Netul River. This was on December 7, 1805. Their winter quarters for 1805-06 were on this river, and were called by them Fort Clatsop. Since that time the Indian name has been abandoned, and the form Lewis and Clark River is universally accepted. It was named in honor of the explorers. The earliest use of the modern name that has come to the compiler's attention is in Lee and Frost, Ten Years in Oregon, 1844, page 15. Silas B. Smith, the authority on Clatsop County history, says that the name Netul referred to a point on the bank of the Dunbar. ​
river rather than to the stream itself. It seems not to have been the custom of many Oregon tribes to name streams, but places along streams. The Klamath Indians were an exception to this rule. The site of Fort Clatsop was acquired by the Oregon Historical Society in 1901. It comprises three acres of land, two miles from Youngs Bay, on Lewis and Clark River. For description of the place, see the Oregonian, June 27, 1885, page 3.
LEWIS GLACIER, Deschutes County. This small glacier is on the southeast slope of South Sister and was named for Meriwether Lewis by Professor Edwin T. Hodge of the University of Oregon in 1924. The most comprehensive information about Meriwether Lewis is to be found in Elliott Coues History of the Expedition of Lewis and Clark, volume I. Lewis was born August 18, 1774, near Charlottesville, Virginia, of distinguished family. At the age of 20 he enlisted in the militia to suppress the Whisky Insurrection, and three years later had reached the rank of captain. In 1801 he became private secretary to President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson accepted, in 1803, Lewis' offer to become a member of the expedition to explore the West. On April 30, 1803, the treaty concluding the Louisiana purchase was signed at Paris, and in the summer of that year the party under the joint command of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out for the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was successful, and the leaders were in Washington again in February, 1807. Lewis was rewarded by being made governor of Louisiana. His death occurred October ll, 1809, in the exact center of what is now Lewis County, Tennessee, this county having been created in his honor. The manner of his end is a mystery. There is some belief that he committed suicide during a fit of mental derangement, but the weight of evidence seems to indicate that he was murdered for his money. Coues discusses this at some length. For other information about Lewis and the expedition see Thwaites, Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
LEWISBURG, Benton County. Haman C. Lewis, a pioneer of 1845, settled near this place on a donation land claim, and the station bears his name. Lewis was a member of the Oregon constitutional convention.
LEWISBURG, Marion County. Lewisburg post office was named for a family of pioneer settlers, information about which will be found in Down's History of the Silverton Country, page 92. Daniel P. Lewis came to Oregon in 1851 and settled near Drift Creek in the Waldo Hills. Lewisburg post office was established in April, 1889, with Samuel Lewis first of seven postmasters. The office was closed in April, 1904. The office was probably moved around, but was generally about eight miles southsoutheast of Silverton. In later years the locality was called Victor Point but the writer has not been able to learn why.
LEWISVILLE, Polk County. John T. Ford of Dallas wrote the compiler on October 3, 1927, that Lewisville was named for David R. Lewis, a pioneer of 1845. The community is on the Lewis donation land claim. David R. Lewis certificate was numbered 2995.
LEXINGTON, Morrow County. The town of Lexington was named by William Penland, a prominent and successful pioneer resident of that part of Morrow County. He was a native of Lexington, Kentucky, and when he founded the new town he called it for his birthplace. Lexington post office was established November 11, 1885, with Nathaniel A. Yeats first postmaster. ​
Libby, Coos County. Libby is a place in the Coalbank Slough area two or three miles south of Coos Bay, named for a well-known Indian woman, Libby, who was kind to white settlers. The locality was once called Eastport and was the location of coal mining activity. Libby post office was established June 11, 1890, with Enoch Gore postmaster. This office was closed July 5, 1892, but the locality still goes by the name Libby. The historic name Eastport could not be used for the post office in 1890 because of possible confusion with East Portland, then an incorporated community with its own post office.
LIBERAL, Clackamas County. Liberal is a community about four miles north of Molalla. It is said to be named for Liberal, Missouri. The late Dee Wright told the compiler that Liberal, Missouri, was named because of liberal credit terms by a pioneer storekeeper in the community. However reference works say that the Missouri town was named because of the liberal views of the citizens. Harrison Wright, a pioneer of 1844, settled near the present site of Liberal, Oregon, and was instrumental in securing a pioneer post office with the name Molalla, established April 9, 1850, with Wright first postmaster. This office was not at the present site of Molalla, but was moved to that place in the '70s. Liberal post office was established March 25, 1893, with Katie Willett postmaster. The office was discontinued April 30, 1918.
LIBERTY, Benton County. Gill's map of Oregon, 1874, shows a place called Liberty to the northeast of Corvallis and about a mile south of what is now Wells. The post office was established in April, 1856, with James Gingles first postmaster. The office was finally discontinued in May, 1867. The compiler does not know the reason for the name unless it was a patriotic one.
LIBERTY, Marion County. Liberty is a well-known community situated about four miles south of Salem on the old highway south to Albany. It is about a mile west of the new Pacific Highway East. It is the center of a very productive fruit section. Liberty post office was established January 24, 1895, with J. R. Willard postmaster. The office was closed March 19, 1901, and the community is now served through the Salem office. The community took its name from Liberty School, which was probably established prior to 1875. H. R. Crawford of Salem wrote the compiler in November, 1945, that Liberty School apparently was named because it was on the Liberty road running south from Salem, and the road got its name because it was an extension from Liberty Street in Salem itself.
LIBERTY, Wheeler County. Liberty post office was on West Branch Bridge Creek about twelve miles southwest of Mitchell on the old road to Prineville, now the Ochoco Highway. It was near the foot of the hill where the road started up grade over the Ochoco Mountains. Liberty post office was established January 2, 1889, with James M. Mansfield postmaster. The office was closed July 24, 1894. Liberty was named for Liberty Ann Ross, mother of Mrs. Mansfield.
LICK CREEK, Wallowa County. Lick Creek was named in early days by hunters and stockmen because of the alkali and salt licks which attracted elk and deer. Lick Creek flows into Little Sheep Creek in township 4 south, range 46 east.
LIGHTNING, Wallowa County. In April, 1907, Lightning post office was established with Eva P. Johnston postmaster. The office operated ​
Pihe creek ad had a bither this whis la until July, 1909. Lightning post office was near the mouth of Lightning Creek where that stream flows into the Imnaha River about twenty miles north of and downstream from Imnaha, and was named for the creek.
LIGHTNING CREEK, Wallowa County. Lightning Creek was so named because of the frequent storms in the neighborhood. The stream flows into Little Sheep Creek east of Enterprise.
LIGHTNING CREEK, Wallowa County. This is an important tributary to Imnaha River, into which it flows in township 3 north, range 49 east. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise, it was named because of an incident connected with Abe Tharp who later homesteaded on the creek. Tharp and James Wilson once had great difficulty working their way down the creek and when they met Jack Johnson on the Imnaha, they told him they had had a "lightning" time making the trip because it was so rough. Johnson told Horner this was the origin of the name.
LILLY LAKE, Wallowa County. This lake in township 4 south, range 43 east, was named for Samuel W. Lilly, a resident of Wallowa Valley. The name was applied by J. H. Jackson, who stocked the lake with fish about 1914.
LILYGLEN, Jackson County. Lilyglen is a locality on the Dead Indian road northeast of Ashland, at the Lindsay ranch, owned by Charles and William Lindsay. The name was suggested by Mrs. Lindsay, mother of the two ranchers, on account of the wild mountain lilies that grew in the surrounding meadows. Lilyglen post office was established August 13, 1904, with William Lindsay postmaster. The office was closed May 31, 1909, but the locality is still called Lilyglen. It is in the east part of township 38 south, range 3 east.
LIME, Baker County. This post office received its name because lime is manufactured nearby. There are large deposits of limestone in the neighborhood.
LINCOLN, Jackson County. Lincoln is a community on the Green Springs Highway a little west of Pinehurst. A story about this lumbering town in Medford Mail-Tribune, September 29, 1929, says that it was named for Lincoln, New Hampshire, by the Henry family, which owned the Oregon mill and formerly operated in New England.
LINCOLN, Polk County. This community, which is on the west bank of Willamette River north of Salem, is said to have been named for Abraham Lincoln. The post office was established May 31, 1867, with Daniel J. Cooper postmaster. There had previously been an office at or near this location, called Valfontis. See under that heading. For story about Lincoln community, see Salem Capital Journal, June 17, 1941. Lincoln post office was discontinued about 1901 and patrons have been served by a rural route from Salem.
LINCOLN BEACH, Lincoln County. Lincoln Beach is a summer resort area about three miles north of Depoe Bay on the Oregon City Highway. It was so named because it was in Lincoln County. The post office was established May 22, 1933, with George W. Betts postmaster.
LINCOLN COUNTY. Lincoln County was created February 20, 1893, by the state legislature and was named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. The county has a land area of 1006 square miles.
LINDSEY CREEK, Hood River County. This stream is reported to ​
welmen time a firemanascades in 1856 and have been named for one John Lindsey, who took up a claim near the creek afterwards known as Lindsey Creek. Lindsey is said to have taken part in the battle at Cascades in 1856 and was wounded therein. He was at one time a fireman on one of the river steamers. The stream is now well known by the name of Lindsey Creek.
LINK RIVER, Klamath County. This short stream links Upper Klamath Lake with Lake Ewauna, and is named on that account. It is within the limits of the city of Klamath Falls, formerly known as Linkville. The Klamath Indian name for this stream was Yulalona, which meant to move back and forth, referring to the fact that during strong south winds the waters of Link River were blown back above the falls, leaving the bed of the stream, including the falls, partly dry. The name Yulalona was also used to refer to the settlement of Linkville near the falls. A condensed form of the name was luauna, which white people have adopted in the name Lake Ewauna. The Indian name for the falls in Link River was Tiwishkeni, literally rush of falling waters place. See under DUWEE CANYON, and also under LAKE EWAUNA. The name Link River has been adopted by the USBGN.
LINN COUNTY. Linn County was created December 28, 1847, by the provisional legislature. It was named for Senator L. F. Linn of Missouri, who nearly a decade before had been urging the American occupation of Oregon. Linn County was the first county to be taken from the original Champooick District and comprised all of Oregon between the Willamette River and the Rocky Mountains, and between Santiam River and North Santiam River and the northern boundary of California. It was subsequently much reduced in size, but is still a large county, with a land area of 2294 square miles. Lewis Fields Linn was born near the site of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, November 5, 1795. He was the author of the donation land law, which gave free land to settlers in the West, and which was the forerunner of the homestead law. He was elected United States senator for Missouri in 1833, and served until his death. His work in the Senate was highly important to western settlement and acquisition of Oregon. His activity in the Senate, in support of his bill to occupy Oregon and granting land to actual settlers, was his last of importance, for he died October 3, 1843. Calhoun, McDuffie and Dayton led the fight against the Linn bill. They contended the bill would make a breach of faith with Great Britain, and cause international complications. The donation land act, based on Linn's idea, passed Congress September 27, 1850. For history of his work for Oregon, see the Oregonian, April 8, 1901, page 6; May 8, 1887; OHQ, volume XIX, pages 283-305, by Lester Burrell Shippee. Senator Linn was a surgeon and lived at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. His nephew, Lt.-Commanding William Pope McArthur, U. S. N., made the first survey of the Pacific Coast for the U. S. Coast Survey, 1849-50. His grand-nephew, Lewis Linn McArthur (184397) came to Oregon in 1864 to practice law, and was at one time a member of the supreme court of the state.
LINNEMANN, Multnomah County. This station is two miles west of Gresham. It was named for Mr. and Mrs. John G. D. Linnemann, pioneers of 1852, who owned land nearby. Linnemann died in 1892, and Mrs. Linnemann November 15, 1926, at the age of 98. For information about the family see the Oregonian, November 17, 1926, page 4. The name is persistently misspelled. A. C. Giese, in a letter in the Oregonian, ​
September 22, 1927, calls attention to the fact that the platted name of the community is Cedarville, part of the Giese donation land claim. Apparently the railroad company and the Giese family were unable to agree on a name for the station.
LINNEY CREEK, Clackamas County. This stream flows into Salmon River from the south, east of Linney Butte. The two features were named for an engineer connected with the Mount Hood Railway and Power Company project.
LINNTON, Multnomah County. Peter H. Burnett and M. M. McCarver, pioneers of 1843, laid out the town of Linnton soon after their arrival in Oregon. They named it for Senator Lewis Fields Linn of Missouri. See under LINN COUNTY. Burnett said of his town: "I have no doubt that this place will be the great commercial town of the territory." Burnett was afterwards first governor of the state of California. Linnton is now within the city of Portland.
LINSLAW, Lane County. In 1917 a petition was sent to Washington for a post office, and in due season it was established and named Linslaw. Local residents are at a loss to explain the name, and say they had nothing to do with its selection. The writer has a theory that the postal authorities had the name Siuslaw on file and the handwriting was not clear, with the result that the name Linslaw was applied to the office. This confusion could occur very easily. Linslaw is near the Siuslaw River.
LINT SLOUGH, Lincoln County. Lint Creek flows into Lint Slough and Lint Slough empties into Alsea Bay at Waldport. These streams were named for one Lint Starr, reported to have been the first white man to claim land in the vicinity of the creek. The name Indian Slough is no longer applicable by decision of USBGN.
LINVILLE, Lincoln County. Linville post office was named for the first postmaster, Robert W. Linville. The office was near Drift Creek a few miles east of Bayview. It was established May 26, 1896, and continued in operation until April 15, 1915. Recent government maps do not show the place.
LITTLE APPLEGATE River, Jackson County. This is the correct name of an important tributary of Applegate River, not North Fork Applegate River. See decision of the USBGN, which agrees with local use. For origin of the name, see APPLEGATE RIVER.
LITTLE BROTHER, Lane County. Little Brother is a small butte northwest of the North Sister. It was so named because of its position in respect of the Three Sisters.
LITTLE DESCHUTES RIVER, Klamath and Deschutes counties. This stream heads on the east slopes of the Cascade Range north of Mount Thielsen. It joins Deschutes River between Lapine and Bend. For several years federal authorities called the stream East Fork, but it was locally known as Little River. In 1926, at the suggestion of the writer, the USBGN officially named the stream Little Deschutes River, and this name has come into general use.
LITTLE EAGLE CREEK, Baker County. This stream joins Eagle Creek on the range line between ranges 44 and 45 east. The name Little Fork is incorrect. See decision of USBGN.
LITTLE LUCKIAMUTE RIVER, Polk County. This stream rises in the Coast Range southwest of Dallas. It joins Luckiamute River south of Independence. In the interest of simplicity government mapping agen VES ​369 The of r. Ap agre: Imoc here their In of ce no 11:01 Slam no cies have dropped the word "Big" from the main branch. Luckiamute is an Indian word the meaning of which is unknown. Stories to the effect that it is based on an incident having to do with a deaf mute may be dismissed as fiction.
LITTLE NESTUCCA RIVER, Polk, Tillamook and Yamhill counties. As far as the writer knows, there is no translation into English of this Indian name. S. H. Rock, postmaster at Oretown, is authority for the statement that the real name of Little Nestucca River as given by the Indians was Nestachee. This probably referred to the lower part of the stream or to a point on its banks. See under NESTUCCA RIVER. Little Nestucca River flows into Nestucca Bay.
LITTLE NORTH SANTIAM River, Marion County. This is the correct name of the main tributary of North Santiam River, which it joins at Mehama. Little North Fork is incorrect, and has been ruled against by the USBGN.
LITTLE SANTIAM RIVER, Marion County. This stream is a by-pass from the main Santiam River into Willamette River, and is about two miles long.
LITTLE Wocus Bay, Klamath County. This bay is at the south end of Klamath Marsh. Wocus is the English form of the name given by the Klamath Indians for the seed of the yellow pond lily, Nuphar advena. This plant grows in immense numbers in the marshes of Klamath County. The seeds were roasted by the Indians and ground for food.
LIVE OAK MOUNTAIN, Douglas County. Live Oak Mountain was applied to a prominent geographic feature, elevation 3429 feet, near the head of Olalla Creek, and in the extreme northwest corner of section 26, township 30 south, range 8 west. The history of the name is unknown to the writer, but it was obviously applied because of a patch of canyon live oak trees on its slopes. Live oaks are not numerous in Oregon, although they constitute a prominent part of scattered forests in California. This live oak is known botanically as Quercus chrysolepis Liebman. Live oaks are sufficiently scarce in Oregon that a good sized grove is immediately conspicuous. Information about this patch of live oaks was secured from the supervisor of the Siskiyou National Forest and from District Assistant Elwin Frye. Mr. Frye visited this grove some years ago.
LIVERPOOL, Linn County. Liverpool post office was in operation in Linn County from August 6, 1877, to February 19, 1879, with Frank Sutter postmaster. The only reference to the place that the compiler can find is in the Historical Atlas Map of Marion & Linn Counties, 1878, page 55, in the biography of Thomas Alford, where it is stated that the village of Liverpool was on his property about four miles northeast of Harrisburg. See under MUDDY STATION. The locality is now known as Alford.
LLANO, Malheur County. Llano is a Spanish word meaning flat or plain. A post office was established with this name on June 5, 1888. It was closed to Vale September 18, 1894. Francis O'Neill was the only postmaster. The compiler has not been able to get the exact location of Llano post office, but it was probably at or near the location of a later post office Fangollano in the central part of the county. Fangollano is a Spanish name meaning mud flat. Llao RocK, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This is a great bluff on the northwest rim of Crater Lake. Its top is 8046 feet ​
above sea level, and 1869 feet above lake level. A bay at its foot is called Llao Bay. These two features were named by Will G. Steel on August 15, 1885, for a Klamath Indian deity supposed to be associated with the lake. The rock was once called Mount Jackson for Colonel James Jackson, U. S. A., veteran of Indian wars and a well-known resident of Portland for many years. He was at one time in command at Fort Klamath.
LLEWELLYN, Lane County. Llewellyn was about eleven miles west of Eugene on the old Crow stage road, where it crossed Coyote Creek. The post office was established February 18, 1886, with Mrs. Lilias Llewellyn Perkins first of three postmasters. The office was discontinued September 17, 1904, due to the extension of rural free delivery. The name was of course taken from Mrs. Perkins' middle name. Henry Clay Perkins, her husband, was a prominent pioneer farmer and nurseryman, who had a place on Coyote Creek.
LOBSTER CREEK, Curry County. This stream is tributary to Rogue River a few miles above Wedderburn. It was doubtless named for the native crawfish or crayfish, as there are no real lobsters in Oregon waters, although there are many on land. The name was applied in very early days. Glisan, in Journal of Army Life, mentions the name several times when he was stationed at Fort Orford in 1855-56 and indicates that the expression Lobster Creek was already established and well known. There is another Lobster Creek in Lincoln, Benton and Lane counties, apparently named for the crawfish, but the compiler does not know the circumstances. A post office called Lobster was established on the Benton County list in March, 1883. It was in operation until July, 1896. Old maps show the place in Lobster Creek valley about a mile east of the west boundary of Benton County.
LOCKIT, Wasco County. Lockit is a station on the Oregon Trunk Railway named with the Chinook jargon word for four, since it was the fourth station from the north end of the line up Deschutes River. Lockit BUTTE, Deschutes County. Lockit Butte, in the north part of Paulina Mountains, is named with the Chinook jargon word for four, it being the fourth butte of a series named all at the same time by the Forest Service.
LOCODA, Columbia County. Locoda is a station on Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway northeast of Clatskanie. It was formerly called Bradbury. The name Locoda was made by taking letters from the corporate title of the Lower Columbia Co-operative Dairy Ass'n and telescoping them into one word. Locust GROVE, Douglas County. A pioneer post office with the name Locust Grove was established on the Umpqua County list on February 9, 1858, with Richard Smith first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued September 10, 1863. Locust Grove, which was obviously given a descriptive name, was in one of the parts of Umpqua County that was annexed to Douglas County. Locust Grove was on the route of travel about six miles south of Yoncalla on the road to Oakland, but the compiler does not know its exact location. Old maps show it near what is now known as Rice Hill.
LOG CABIN, Klamath County. Log Cabin post office was short lived. It was situated at the Log Cabin service station and lunch rooms on The Dalles-California Highway about five and a half miles south of the north boundary of Klamath County. The post office operated from June 13, ​
until December 31,0e H. Davis was pes. The last tim M. veorge H. Davis was postmaster. The mi 1930, until December 31, 1930, when it was closed and the business transferred to Crescent. George H. Davis was postmaster. The main structure was of rustic construction, hence the name. The last time the compiler saw this establishment, the name had been changed to The Timbers.
LOG CREEK, Wallowa County. Log Creek was named for an accumulation of old logs lying across the trail along the stream. Log Creek flows into Imnaha River in township 2 north, range 48 east.
LOGAN, Clackamas County. Logan community and post office were named for Major-General John A. Logan of Civil War and political fame. The post office was established June 13, 1884, with Lafayette Hunniston, first postmaster. This office was on the flat or table land west of Clackamas River and east of Clear Creek. The locality is well known although the post office was closed October 12, 1903, doubtless as the result of the extension of rural delivery. General John A. Logan was Republican candidate for vice-president in 1884 when the post office was established. His name had been frequently in the news which may have been the reason that the post office was named for him.
LOGAN BUTTE, Crook County. Logan Butte is a well-known landmark in the south part of township 18 south, range 20 east. Some of the butte may overlap into the township adjoining on the south. In February, 1948, Fisher C. Logan of Bend wrote that the butte was named for his uncle, Thomas Logan, who acquired nearby property in the early '70s. An interesting feature of this area is the extensive deposit of bones of extinct animals.
LOGDELL, Grant County. Logdell post office was established August 7, 1916, with Ella Sproul first postmaster. The locality is southwest of Canyon City, and was once served by an office called Homer. The history of the name Logdell is not as clear as it might be, but it is said that the word Logdale was included on a list submitted to postal authorities. The spelling Logdell was officially adopted, but whether due to poor writing on the original list the compiler does not know. In any event it was intended to be a name descriptive of logging activity in the vicinity and either Logdell or Logdale is apposite.
LOGIE TRAIL ROAD, Multnomah County. James Logie was one of the earliest settlers on Sauvie Island. He was a Hudson's Bay Company employee, and was sent to the island about 1840 to take charge of butter making in one of the company's dairies. He worked on the old Indian trail over the hills into the Tualatin Valley, and made a better route out of it. It was named for him on that account. James Logie was born in the Orkney Islands. He died March 24, 1854, and his widow, Isabella, also from the Orkneys, married Jonathan Moar. See letter by George B. Roberts in Oregon Historical Society files.
LOGSDEN, Lincoln County. Mrs. Hazel Schaffer, postmaster at Logsden in April, 1927, informed the writer that this place was named for an old Indian of the community, a Mr. Logsden. This is an unusual Indian name and may be a corruption of some other form. Logsden was a very old resident on the Siletz Indian Reservation. The post office was established in June, 1914, with the name Orton, in compliment to a local family. The name of the office was changed to Logsden in June, 1921,
LOLAH BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte is northeast of Crane Prairie and the compiler is told that the name is from the Chinook jargon. If that is the case, the name is probably a form of lo-lo, meaning 4. The name of the office was changed to Lugano. ​
round, whole or complete. The accent is on the second syllable. This word is not the same as lolo, meaning to pack, or carry, which has the accent on the first syllable. There is a Lolo Butte not far from Lolah Butte. Lolo BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte southwest of Bend was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for pack or carry, apparently because supplies had to be carried to it. Lolo Pass, Clackamas and Hood River counties. Lolo Pass lies at the summit of the Cascade Range about two miles south of Bull Run Lake. From the west it is reached by way of Clear Fork Sandy River. Its elevation is about 3400 feet. It was named by Thomas H. Sherrard of the Forest Service for Lolo Pass in the Bitterroot Range in Idaho-Montana. John E. Rees, in his pamphlet Idaho, says that Lolo Pass in the Bitterroot Range received its name from a hunter and trapper named Lawrence who was buried on the banks of a stream on the Montana side. The Indians called the creek Lolo Creek because that was the best they could do with his name. They pronounced the name Loulou Creek. This stream heads northeast of the pass. It was called Travelers Rest Creek by Lewis and Clark. The attention of the compiler has been called to the fact that the Chinook jargon word for carrying and back-packing is lolo, and it is said that the pass in the Bitterroot Range was named from this source. Pioneers familiar with the Lolo Pass do not seem to have considered this to be the origin of the name. Gannett has yet another theory about lolo, and says that it is Nez Perce for muddy water.
LOMA, Harney County. Loma is a Spanish word meaning rising ground, or slope, frequently used for a locality from which there is a good view. Loma post office in Harney County was about eight miles north of the place called Narrows, in what was known as Sunset Valley, At one time there were thirty-five or forty homesteaders in Sunset Valley, who later moved from the area. Loma post office was established January 20, 1911, with Nathaniel Henney postmaster. The office was closed to Burns November 27, 1912. Henney had made a previous effort to get postal service. An office named Henney, with Henney as the postmaster, was established June 4, 1908, but was never put in active service. The order was rescinded as of January 31, 1909. The Loma post office was in the Henney home, just about south of the east end of Wright Point, near the center of the Henney homestead. This homestead claim was at the southeast corner of the intersection of the road east to Lawen and the road south to Narrows.
LOMA Vista, Lake County. The name Loma Vista was made up of Spanish words meaning rising ground where a view was to be had. It is the same sort of a name as Viewpoint. Loma Vista post office was established in the Fort Rock Valley on September 6, 1913, and was closed May 31, 1918.
LONDON PEAK, Josephine County. Up to recent times this peak seems to have had no name, but in 1939 Mrs. Helen Paul of Wolf Creek requested that it be named London Peak in honor of Jack London, the writer. Mrs. Paul is authority for the statement that Jack London spent several months in the vicinity when he was writing Valley of the Moon, and the peak was one of his favorites. London Peak is about a mile and a half southwest of the town of Wolf Creek and a mile west of Pacific Highway and has an elevation of about 300 feet. The USBGN adopted Mrs. Paul's suggestion. ​
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LONELY, Lake County. Lonely post office with a descriptive name was established in the Warner Valley June 11, 1891, with Coelia Lemberger first and only postmaster. The office was closed June 10, 1895. The best available information is to the effect that Lonely was at or near the place later called Adel. Adel office was established in April, 1896, with Erastus C. Sessions first postmaster. Mrs. Lemberger was postmaster at Adel from December, 1896, to August, 1901. In July, 1947, Mrs. Orvilla Stein, daughter of Mrs. Lemberger, wrote from Lakeview that she had never heard of Lonely post office, and there was a doubt in her mind that the office ever was in actual operation. In any event little is known about the place called Lonely with its appropriate name.
LONEROCK, Gilliam County. Lonerock has been so called for many years. The place gets its name from a rock about 100 feet high and some 60 feet in diameter. It is a prominent landmark not far from the central part of the community. The post office was established in November, 1875. Lonerock Creek takes its name from the same source. The town of Lonerock was founded by R. G. Robinson and Albert Henshaw in 1881 and was platted in 1882 by Robinson. The name used by the platters was Lone Rock, but the post office is Lonerock.
LONESOMEHURST, Harney County. Lonesomehurst post office was established January 16, 1917, and discontinued February 28, 1918. Henry K. Hardisty was the only postmaster. In the summer of 1946 Archie McGowan of Burns interviewed Mrs. Hardisty, widow of the postmaster, and among other things she reported as follows: "This post office was in our ranch home on Trout Creek about twenty miles south of Silvies post office, on the main road at that time. The mail was picked up at Silvies. I sent in several suggested names and they were rejected. In reading the 'funny' pages in the paper I found the name Lonesomehurst, which I submitted." Mrs. Hardisty appears to have had a keen sense of humor, and her selection of a name was certainly appropriate.
LONG, Malheur County. This station was named because of the length of the siding. It is on the Union Pacific Railroad between Riverside and Juntura.
LONG CREEK, Grant County. Long Creek is an important stream in Grant County and is said to have been so called because it is the longest creek in that part of the state, but an inspection of the map indicates that this is probably not founded on fact. The name of the community Long Creek was suggested to postal authorities because it was near the stream.
LONG TOM, Lane County. Long Tom post office was established September 3, 1853, with Augustus L. Humphrey first postmaster. It was out of service for about six months in 1884, but was reestablished. The name was changed to Madison on September 19, 1904. The office was west of Eugene in the general vicinity of Elmira or Veneta, but it doubtless moved around to suit the convenience of the various postmasters. It was never very far from Long Tom River. The change to Madison was doubtless in compliment to Madison Canaday, a local resident, and for many years postmaster at Long Tom office. For information about the history of the name see under LONG Tom RIVER.
LONG Tom River, Benton and Lane counties. Geo. H. Himes said this stream bears an imitation of an Indian tribal name, Lung-tum-ler. While on his way to Umpqua River in 1834, John Work called it Sam Uri sler ​
Tomeleaf River. On his return trip, Work used the name Lamitambuff on July 1, 1834. David Douglas used the form Longtabuff River. Wilkes spelled it Lumtumbuff in 1841. See OHQ for September 1923, page 264.
LOOKINGGLASS, Douglas County. Lookingglass Valley was visited in 1846, according to local stories, by Hoy Flournoy, and he is said to have named the valley because of the beautiful appearance of the green grass in the valley, which reflected the light almost as well as a mirror.
LOOKINGGLASS CREEK, Umatilla and Union counties. This stream flows into Grande Ronde River from the west. It bears the name of Lookingglass, a chief of the Nez Perce, who was so called by the whites because he carried with him a small looking-glass. His Indian name was Apash-wa-hay-ikt. For information about him see The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, by Hazard Stevens.
LOOKOUT CREEK, Baker County. This stream is in township 14 south, range 351%, and 36 east. It was at one time known as Sheep Creek, but the USBGN was prevailed upon to rename it Lookout Creek because there were already too many Sheep creeks in that part of the state.
LOOKOUT CREEK, Wallowa County. Lookout Creek flows into Snake River in the southeast part of township 3 north, range 50 east. The stream was named because of the difficulty in operating pack trains on the ridge above. Packers had to be on the lookout to see that their horses did not roll off the trail. It is said that the name was given by James and Nate Tryon.
LOOKOUT RocK, Curry County. This is a well-known and peculiar landmark on the Oregon coast about four miles south of Humbug Mountain. It is just west of the Oregon Coast Highway, and rises almost vertically several hundred feet above the ocean. This descriptive name was given in the '50s, probably during the mining excitement. George Davidson in the Coast Pilot, 1889, page 373, says the Indian name for the rock was Nog-gi-sa, but gives no explanation.
LOON LAKE, Douglas County. Walling, in History of Southern Oregon, page 439, says that in 1852 S. S. Williams, Joseph Peters and Job Hatheld, while on an exploring expedition from Scottsburg, found this lake. In the center was a floating log with a loon's nest containing two eggs. Two loons were observed at some distance in the water. The eggs were packed in moss and taken to Wilbur Academy. In view of these facts the lake was named Loon Lake. Gabrielson and Jewett in Birds of Oregon, page 64, et seq., describe three loons that are found in Oregon.
LOONEY BUTTE, Marion County. Looney Butte is a few miles north of Jefferson and is skirted on its east slope by the Pacific Highway East. It has an elevation of 630 feet. It was named for Jesse Looney, who came to Oregon in 1843. He was one of the leaders of the migration that year. He died March 25, 1869, aged eighty-eight years. His home was near Looney Butte, where his descendants still reside. His wife, Ruby Crawford Bond, died there May 7, 1900, aged ninety-two years. For biography of Jesse Looney, see the Oregonian, March 27, 1869, page 2. For information about the Looney family, see the Oregonian, August 1, 1926, section I, page 11.
LORANE, Lane County. This post office was established May 27, 1887, with William N. Crow postmaster. In February, 1947, Mrs. L. H. Johnson of Eugene, a niece of Crow, wrote that postal authorities asked Crow to submit several names for the proposed office. The name Loraine was ​
H suggested by Mrs. Crow because it was the name of a favorite niece. Officials accepted this suggestion but changed the spelling to Lorane as a matter of simplicity and also because there were already several Loraines in the country.
LORD FLAT, Wallowa County. This flat is near Snake River. It is sometimes known as Buckaroo Flat. It was named for James Lord, who hunted and ranged stock there.
LORELLA, Klamath County. Lorella was first known as Haynesville, and the post office was established August 3, 1887, with Joseph K. Haynes, postmaster. It is said that the place was confused with Haines, Baker County, and as a result the name was changed to Lorella on December 13, 1894. Captain 0. C. Applegate of Klamath Falls told the compiler that this was in honor of Mrs. Lorella Wisner, a local resident. Lost CREEK, Lane County. This stream flows north into Middle Fork Willamette River near Dexter and it drains a north-south valley several miles long. In earlier days the vale was generally called Lost Valley, and the valley may have been named before the creek. Walling in Illustrated History of Lane County says that Elijah Bristow named the valley, but the exact reason is uncertain. It is probable that the name was applied because the valley was quite secluded. Lost Lake, Hood River County. This lake is said to have been originally known as Blue Lake, and it is stated that the Walk Up Trail from The Dalles to Sandy River passed by it. This does not agree with information printed in Mazama for December, 1920, which is to the effect that the lake was discovered by Joe and John Diver. Acting on information gathered from these two men by E. L. Smith of Hood River, a party of twelve was organized in 1880 for the purpose of locating the lake. It is of course possible that the Diver brothers called it Blue Lake. The searching party started to look for the lake on August 18, 1880. Dr. T. L. Eliot wrote an account of this search which appeared in the Oregonian on August 27, 1880. The party found the lake and christened it Lost Lake. Owing to the smoke and some misunderstanding of routes the party did not find the search any too easy, and the old story: "Indian not lost-wigwam lost," furnished the basis for the name. Dr. Eliot made several efforts to learn the Indian name of this lake but was unsuccessful. Lost PRAIRIE, Wallowa County. Lost Prairie is an area not well defined, lying southeast of Grande Ronde River, north of Courtney Creek and west of East Bear Creek. It is not exactly a prairie, but a series of benches separated by canyons. The locality was named by A. C. Smith in the late '70s. He and a party of settlers were following a band of renegade Indians who had run off with some stock. Smith and his party got to a place where the trail ran out on them, and they named the locality Lost Prairie. There was a post office called Lost Prairie, established about 1887. R. H. Bacon was postmaster. The postal map of 1900 shows this office a little south of the Oregon-Washington state line and close to Grande Ronde River. It was in the south part of section 19, township 6 north, range 44 east. Lost River, Klamath County. This stream rises in California and flows into Oregon. It formerly debouched into Tule Lake, but it is now controlled for irrigation, and as a result Tule Lake is being dried up and reclaimed for farm land. During its course through Langell Valley Lost River disappears for several miles, hence its name. The ​
famous natural stone bridge, by which the Applegate party crossed Lost River on July 6, 1846, may be seen near Merrill. The rocks were submerged when seen by the compiler, and seemed more like a series of stepping stones than a natural bridge. See Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume I, page 548, and OHQ, volume XXII, page 24. A dam of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation has been built at the natural bridge and the stones are covered. Lost River was discovered by Fremont early in May, 1846, and named McCrady River for a boyhood friend, but that name did not prevail. There was a pioneer post office called Lost River on or near this stream, probably at the Horton ranch above Olene. It was in service from February, 1875, to April, 1876, with W. H. Horton postmaster. Lost VALLEY, Wheeler County. The compiler has not been able to get definite information about the origin of the name Lost Valley other than it is supposed that the valley was named because some soldiers lost their way in it during the early Indian wars in eastern Oregon. Many years ago the Oregonian contained the following news item: "Lost Valley, Gilliam County, is looking forward with unmitigated delight to a grand ball next Friday night at which time William D. Johnson, of Lost Valley, will be united in marriage to Miss Edith Waddle, of Thirtymile. Tickets to the ball, including the wedding supper and horse feed, are going freely at $1.50 per couple." This social affair apparently took place before Wheeler County was established in 1899.
LOSTINE, Wallowa County. Lostine is a town on Lostine River in the Wallowa Valley. Local authorities wrote the compiler in 1927 that the place was named by a pioneer settler for Lostine, Kansas. The meaning of the name Lostine is unknown to the compiler. Lostine was a place in Lowell Township, Cherokee County, Kansas. The census of 1870 gives it as a post office for farmers. The post office was discontinued before 1880 and the name does not appear in modern gazetteers. Lostine, Oregon, is an important trading center and does not seem to be headed for the fate that met Lostine, Kansas. The post office at Lostine, Oregon, was established August 6, 1878, with W. R. Laughlin first postmaster.
LOSTINE RIVER, Wallowa County. This stream has been called South Fork and also Middle Fork Wallowa River, but local use is in favor of Lostine River, and the USBGN has adopted that name. See under LOSTINE.
LOTTA CRATER, Deschutes County. This crater is on the northwest slope of Black Crater. It was named for John Lotta, who discovered Lost Creek Canyon. See Mount Multnomah, page 112,
LOUSE CREEK, Josephine County. This creek north of Grants Pass was originally so called because of an Indian camp on its banks that was infested with vermin. Sporadic efforts have been made to change the name to something more romantic, such as Grouse Creek, but there does not appear to be much steam behind such movements.
LOUSIGNONT LAKE, Washington County. Lousignont Lake, now almost entirely drained, is about five miles northwest of Forest Grove. It bears the name of a pioneer family of the county. Lousignont Creek northwest of Timber was named for the same family.
LOVELY, Wallowa County. Lovely post office was established May 10, 1902, with Sarah A. Lovely postmaster. It was situated about three miles northeast of Minam and operated until June, 1907. The place was named for Walter Lovely who homesteaded there. ​
Low GAP CREEK, Josephine County. This stream is in the extreme southeast corner of the county. It was named because it heads in a low pass between Lake and Whisky peaks. The name Whisky Creek is incorrect.
LOWELL, Lane County. Amos D. Hyland, who came from Lowell, Maine, in the fifties, established the community and helped secure a post office, of which he was once postmaster. He named the place for his former home. He was a successful stock-raiser, and, the writer is informed, was an energetic and hard-working man. He brought up a family of fourteen children! The first post office for this locality was called Cannon. It was established August 9, 1880, with C. E. Byers postmaster. The name was changed to Lowell February 19, 1883.
LOWELL CREEK, Lane County. This stream flows into Christy Creek northeast of Oakridge. According to Mrs. Lina A. Flock of Oakridge, the creek was named for E. D. Lowell, who at one time pastured his stock in the neighborhood.
LOWER BRIDGE, Deschutes County. This name is purely descriptive and originated at the time when the bridge was down stream from Tetherow bridge, which was the other important bridge in the upper Deschutes country. There was a post office of the same name not far from the bridge. This bridge is six miles west of Terrebonne, and near its western end is the well-known diatomite deposit.
LOWER KLAMATH LAKE, Klamath County. This is the correct name of the smaller of the two Klamath lakes, not Little Klamath Lake. Lower Klamath Lake is on the boundary between Oregon and California, and part of it is in California. Its outlet is Klamath Strait, which connects it with Klamath River. Klamath Strait formerly flowed either way, depending on the stage of water in Lower Klamath Lake, but this characteristic has apparently been interfered with by the construction of a railroad embankment. For information about the origin of the name, see under
KLAMATH COUNTY. The Klamath Indian name for Lower Klamath Lake is Aka-ushkni E-ush, the latter word meaning lake. Attempts at reclamation have caused much variation in the size of Lower Klamath Lake in recent years. Lower LAND CREEK, Coos County. This creek, together with Upper Land Creek nearby, was named for T. C. Land, a pioneer settler on South Fork Coquille River.
LOWERSODA, Linn County. A post office with the name Lower Soda was established in the vicinity of what is now Cascadia on August 27, 1892, with John Atkinson postmaster. The office was discontinued May 21, 1894, but was reestablished in about two weeks with the name Lowersoda and with Atkinson continuing as postmaster. The office was finally closed April 21, 1899, and the business transferred to Cascadia office which had been established on May 12, 1898. Lowersoda which was very close to Cascadia was at the old roadhouse of William R. Finley. According to William R. Mealey, of Foster, who wrote in September, 1946, this old roadhouse was built in the late '60s or early '70s. The soda springs at Cascadia were at one time known as Lower Soda springs in contradistinction to the Upper Soda springs about ten or twelve miles further east.
LUCKIAMUTE, Polk County. The Luckiamute River has given its name to two places in the Willamette Valley, a post office and a railroad ​
station, neither of which survived the march of time. The meaning of the name, which is of Indian origin, is unknown. A post office with the name Lackemute was established March 14, 1851, and was therefore one of the earliest in the county. Harrison Linville was the first postmaster. The compiler has been unable to find this place on a map, but it is apparent from the list of postmasters that the office was close to the Luckiamute River, probably a little west of the present Pacific Highway West, and in the extreme south part of the county. It also seems apparent that the office was moved to suit the postmasters. It was finally closed on November 23, 1874. In later years there was a railroad station Luckiamute on the Oregonian Railway narrow gage line a little north of the Luckiamute River and about four miles northeast of Pedee. This place did not have a post office, and time has done much to obliterate the community.
LUCKIAMUTE RIVER, Benton and Polk counties. This is an Indian tribal name, the meaning of which is unknown. Bancroft says the Lakmiut tribe was of the Kalapooian nation. The name Luckiamute is an old one, and has nothing to do with a deaf mute who is said to have operated a ferry on the stream. This derivation is purely fanciful. The southern stream is the main fork and is officially known as Luckiamute River, not Big Luckiamute River. The northern branch is officially called Little Luckiamute River.
LUCKY CREEK, Curry County. Lucky Creek is in the Siskiyou Mountains, at the extreme east edge of the county and southeast of Mount Billingslea. It flows into Tincup Creek. The creek was used from which to backfire in stopping the Chetco 30,000-acre fire in 1938. The fire was held at this creek, which became known as Lucky Creek by the firefighters.
LUCKY QUEEN, Josephine County. The Lucky Queen mine is one of the best known in southwest Oregon and bears a name redolent of high hopes. The property is in the north part of Josephine County, just southeast of Sexton Mountain. This mine is described briefly in Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 463. Little or no work has been done at this mine for many years. Lucky Queen post office was established December 13, 1876, with David H. Sexton postmaster. The office was closed July 24, 1896, and local commercial activity is at a standstill.
LUCKYBOY, Lane County. Luckyboy post office was established February 16, 1901, with George A. Dyson first postmaster, to serve the Lucky Boy mine four or five miles norih of Blue River community. The mine was of course named in a spirit of optimism. The office was closed November 26, 1906, with papers to Blue River.
LUDA, Coos County. Luda post office was named for Luda Krantz, the daughter of the postmaster, David C. Krantz. The office was on East Fork Coquille River a few miles upstream from Gravelford. The locality was on the main road between Myrtle Point and Brewster Valley. Luda post office was established June 3, 1901, with Krantz first and only postmaster. The office was closed August 28, 1902.
LUMRUM BUTTE, Deschutes County. Lumrum is a Chinook jargon word meaning whisky or rum, although the form lum is more generally used. The name has been applied to a butte northeast of Crane Prairie by the Forest Service, possibly because of some incident connected with the making or using of whisky in the vicinity.
LUPER, Lane County. Luper is a station on the Southern Pacific line north of Eugene. Rhea Luper, state engineer, wrote the compiler on July ​1, 1927, as follows: "This station was located on property owned by my father, James N. Luper, and his brother Lewis (Bud) Luper. My father when 19, and his brother about 21, bought this property about 1869 or 1870. When the railroad came through, my father had a spur constructed and built a warehouse, and this was at one time quite a wheat shipping point. The warehouse burned and was never rebuilt. The spur track was taken up, but it is still a whistling post. Incidentally, this is the place on which I was born."
Lurley, Douglas County. In February, 1947, Charles V. Stanton of the Roseburg News-Register started a systematic program to harvest information about old Douglas County post offices, with some very commendable results. The following paragraph from the issue for February 14, 1947, slightly condensed, refers to Lurley post office: Lurley post office was on the Buckhorn road about twelve miles east of Roseburg. It was established by the late James J. Webb, father of Percy Webb, Roseburg, the latter having served for a number of years as sheriff of Douglas County. The office was named for Blanche Lurley Webb, a granddaughter of the postmaster and daughter of Percy Webb. She died at Lurley when she was but seven years of age. The site was later occupied by the Justin Eifert home. According to official records the post office was established December 18, 1897, with James J. Webb first and only postmaster. It was discontinued February 28, 1901, with mail to Roseburg.
Luse, Malheur County. This place was named for F. N. Luse, formerly a dispatcher on the Oregon Short Line Railroad. The station is between Ontario and Vale.
Lyle Gap, Jefferson County. The Dalles-California Highway traverses Lyle Gap at a point about thirteen miles northeast of Madras, where it goes through the ridge just west of Hay Creek. The gap was named for Alfred R. Lyle, a prominent settler on Hay Creek, in Wasco County as it was in 1877. Lyle went to central Oregon from Polk County to take charge of the cattle ranch of his brother-in-law, Edmund F. Veazie, who died in mysterious circumstances in John Day River in 1877. Lyle prospered in the business, added to the holdings, and became a prominent citizen of Crook County, which was established in 1882. He represented the county in the state legislature and died in 1906.
Lyman, Wallowa County. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise the post office at Lyman in the north part of Wallowa County was named for Harry Lyman Murdock, the first postmaster. The office was established in May, 1910, and operated until the following May. Lyman was in section 21, township 5 north, range 43 east, about three miles northeast of Powwatka. Local settlers who wrote the petition for the office selected Murdock's middle name.
Lyons, Linn County. Lyons was named for the family that established the community. They were early settlers. Lyons is in the valley of North Santiam River.
Lytle Creek, Crook County. Lytle Creek is in the northwestern corner of the county. It was named for a pioneer settler, Andrew Lytle.