# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/K

​KALEETAN BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte near Devils Lake is named with the Chinook jargon word for arrow.
KAMELA, Union County. The compiler has been furnished with several explanations as to how this community got its name, and there is much discrepancy in the various stories that are told. Several early residents of northeastern Oregon say that the word was made up by combining the initials of civil engineers during railroad construction but this is not agreed to by other equally reliable pioneers who say that the word is Cayuse Indian for a tree. Kamela was, during the stagecoach period, known as Summit station. This was unsatisfactory to the railroad company and J. C. Mayo of Stayton informed the compiler in 1927 that Dr. W. C. McKay was asked to furnish a number of names of Indian origin which could be used at various points on the line. From this list Kamela was selected. Mr. Mayo said it meant black pine, although as far as the compiler knows there are not many of these trees in the neighborhood. The official interpreter at Umatilla Agency said in 1927 that Kamela was a Nez Perce word meaning tamarack, and this ought to settle the matter. Miss L. C. McKay, daughter of Dr. McKay, was certain that the word means summit. There was at one time a station on the railroad known as Mikecha, which was made up from the names of civil engineers, and the writer is of the opinion that this name has been confused with Kamela by those who think that Kamela was a compiled name. Mikecha was at or near the station now known as Gibbon.
KANE CREEK, Jackson County. According to Walling, in History of Southern Oregon, page 377, the stream near Gold Hill was named for a Doctor Kane who settled nearby in 1853. It was at one time known as T'Vault Creek for W. G. TÄVault, Oregon's pioneer editor, who lived at Dardanelles, near what is now Gold Hill.
KANSAS CITY, Washington County. Kansas City is the name of a crossroads community about six miles north-northwest of Forest Grove. It is said that the name was applied because some settlers from Kansas City, Missouri, established themselves there. The writer has not been able to find the name Kansas City on the Washington County post office list and apparently the locality never had a post office called Kansas City.
KAPKA BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte near Tumalo Mountain was named with the Klamath Indian word for lodgepole pine.
KARLSON ISLAND, Clatsop County. Karlson Island is in the south part of Columbia River near Knappa. It has been variously known as Carlson, Carlsen and Karlson. Arthur Dempsie of Astoria informed the compiler that the United States issued a patent on the land on the island in December, 1892, running to the name of Karl Karlson. The property was apparently a homestead. The transaction is filed in Clatsop County Transfer Records, volume 26, page 84, Government certificate 2576. In 1941 Mrs. Karlson was still alive and vigorous. The USBGN has adopted the spelling Karlson, although some of the younger members of the family spell the name Carlson.
KASKELA, Wasco County. This is a railway station on the east side of Deschutes River in the south part of the county. The name was suggested by Malcolm A. Moody. Kaskela was the first Warm Springs Indian chief after the establishment of the agency.
KATSUK BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte, west of Sparks ​
Lake in the Cascade Range, was named with the Chinook jargon word for middle, presumably because of its location.
KAWAK BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte in Paulina Mountains was named with the Chinook jargon word meaning to fly. The name was selected arbitrarily by the Forest Service.
KEASEY, Columbia County. Keasey was named for a local settler, Eden W. Keasey, who was instrumental in securing the post office. This office was established on August 5, 1890, with Keasey the first postmaster. In 1924 the writer was informed that Keasey had moved from the community some years before.
KEATING, Baker County. "Uncle Tom" Keating, a jovial British sailor, was one of the first settlers in this community, and owned much of the adjacent land, although he lost most of it in subsequent financial reverses. The office was established about 1880.
KEEN, Wasco County. A post office with the name Keen was established April 14, 1911, with Owen Jones postmaster. The office was closed March 31, 1912. The compiler has tried unsuccessfully to get the significance of the name. Judge Fred W. Wilson has informed the compiler that Owen Jones, who was later murdered, lived near the intersection of the Tygh Ridge road and the old road leading from The Dalles southeast to Sherars Bridge.
KEENE CREEK, Jackson County. This stream was named for Granville Keene, who was killed nearby by Rogue River Indians about September 1, 1855. The spellings Keen, Kean and Keane are incorrect.
KEIZER BOTTOM, Marion County. Keizer Bottom is on the east bank of Willamette River north of Salem. It was named for J. B. and T. D. Keizer, pioneers of Oregon, who took up donation land claims nearby in early days. Thomas D. Keizer (Kaizur) was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, in 1793. In 1828 he moved to Giles County, Tennessee; in 1833 to Van Buren County, Arkansas. He died in 1871. He was an active leader of the 1843 party. He was a member of the legislative committee of 1844, of the provisional government.
KELLEHER, Douglas County. Kelleher post office, a few miles west of Yoncalla was named for William J. Kelleher, a native of County Cork, Ireland, who was an early settler in Douglas County, Oregon. He acquired a number of holdings, including a sawmill at a place he named for himself. The post office was established April 5, 1904, with William H. Sykes first postmaster. Kelleher sold to an eastern lumbering concern, headed by one Skelley, and the name of the office was changed to Skelley, probably late in 1904. The office was discontinued October 31, 1910.
KELLEY POINT, Multnomah County. On January 6, 1926, the
USBGN, at the request of several citizens of Portland, bestowed the name Kelley Point on the projection of land between the Columbia River and the Willamette River. This projection is the north point of Pearcy Island, and up to 1926 had no name. It once was the site of a small lighthouse. This action on the part of the Board was taken in honor of Hall ). Kelley, a prominent character in the early exploration of Oregon. About 1817, Kelley, who was a Boston school teacher, began to work on behalf of the development of the Oregon country. He was an enthusiastic eccentric and as early as 1820 began to publish pamphlets on Oregon. He addressed memorials to Congress on Oregon, worked up schemes for colonizing the country, talked Oregon and wrote Oregon, in one Skemaster. Kewas establish a sa ​season and out, until he succeeded in drawing the attention of "many persons in public and private life." In 1830 he issued A Geographical Sketch of Oregon, which contained 80 pages and a map. Space does not permit a full discussion of Kelley and his difficulty in reaching Oregon, which he did in 1834. Five years before, in 1829, he drew up a plan for a city in Oregon on the peninsula between the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Real estate men note with interest the prescience of this gentleman one hundred years ago. He even got out a "prospectus." He left Oregon in 1835 and died in Massachusetts in 1874, still writing about Oregon at the age of 85 years. It is appropriate to attach Hall J. Kelley's name to the point where he predicted there would be a great city. The development of Portland is ample vindication of Kelley's judgment and nationally known docks and shipyards are within a few miles of the spot he chose for his metropolis. For information about Kelley's proposal to name mountain peaks in Oregon after various presidents, see under Cascade Range. For information about Kelley and his influence on N. J. Wyeth, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume I, page 199. Broughton visited the mouth of the Willamette River on October 29, 1792, and named the southeastern point Belle Vue Point. However it seems apparent that at that time there was a different arrangement of channels and islands in this vicinity from that which exists today. Federal mapping agencies have applied the name Belle Vue Point to a locality on the east shore of Sauvie Island just northwest of the mouth of Willamette River. See under Belle Vue Point for additional information.
Kellogg, Douglas County. S. D. Evans of Roseburg wrote the compiler in July, 1927, as follows: "The above name was given to a place kept by two brothers, Lyman and Barney Kellogg, on the Umpqua River, where freighters hauling from Scottsburg to the mines in southern Oregon found accommodations. A post office was established in early days and may be there yet, but I think it was discontinued a few years ago." This post office is no longer in operation. For additional information about Kellogg see the Oregonian, June 21, 1927, editorial page.
Kellogg Creek, Clackamas County. This stream flows into Willamette River at Milwaukie. It was named for Joseph Kellogg, a pioneer of 1848. The widened part of the stream at Milwaukie is known as Kellogg Lake.
Kelly Butte, Lane County. Kelly Butte, near Springfield, was named for John Kelly, a native of County Wexford, Ireland, who came to Oregon from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about 1843, in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. He returned to the United States and took part in the Mexican War, and came to Oregon again with the U. S. Mounted Rifles in 1849 as wagonmaster. He traded in stock between Oregon and California, and finally took a donation land claim near Roseburg. Later he became engaged in milling and other enterprises near Springfield. He married Elizabeth Parker. He was one time collector of customs in Portland, also register of the land office at Roseburg.
Kelly Butte, Multnomah County. Kelly Butte bears the name of Clinton Kelly, a Methodist preacher, who was born in Kentucky, June 15, 1808, and came to Oregon in 1848. He took up a donation land claim east of the Willamette River, in what is now the east part of Portland. He platted Kelly's Addition to Portland. See the Oregonian, January 6, 1872, page 3. He died at Portland June 19, 1875. See OPA Transactions, 1887. His biography appears in the Oregonian, June 21, 1875, ​
page 3. See also editorial in Portland Telegram, June 22, 1926. Kelly Butte is just north of Powell Valley Road and has an elevation of 577 feet.
KELLY CREEK, Multnomah County. Kelly Creek, which rises southeast of Gresham and flows northward to join Beaver Creek, bears an old family name, sometimes incorrectly spelled Kelley. Kelly Creek was named for Gilmore Kelly, who had a donation land claim through which the stream flowed. Gilmore Kelly was the brother of Clinton Kelly, one of Oregon's well known pioneers.
KELSAY VALLEY, Douglas County. This valley is along North Umpqua River north of Diamond Lake. It was named for an early day stockman. "Ves" Kelsay, who ran sheep in that part of the Cascade Range, according to information furnished the compiler by George H. Kelly of Portland. Kelso, Clackamas County. Kelso is a cross-roads community on the Mount Hood Loop Highway about three miles northwest of Sandy. According to information furnished by William H. Stanley of Gresham, in July, 1947, the place was named for Kelso, Washington. Mr. Stanley got this information from Joel Jarl, the only postmaster the Clackamas County office ever had. In the '90s Jarl built a little store on his mother's property at this location. The first name proposed for the place was Martinville, but this was rejected by postal officials. The next name to be selected was High Forest for the local High Forest School which had been named for the tall fir trees of the vicinity. This name was also rejected, probably because it was in two words. Jarlson was then suggested, with another veto. T. G. Jonsrud suggested Kelso in compliment to Kelso, Washington, and with the help of a Captain Smith of Orient, Kelso post office was established May 31, 1894. The office was closed May 26, 1904, due to the extension of rural delivery.
KENNEDY, Harney County. Kennedy post office was west of Harney Lake and in the westward half of the county, several miles northeast of the 00 ranchhouse. It was in service from March 10, 1906, to September 15, 1908, with Julius E. Chandler postmaster. It was closed out to Narrows. The office bore the family name of Mrs. Chandler, nee Kennedy. Mrs. Chandler's mother, Mrs. Kennedy, was living with the Chandlers at the time the office was established, and the name was doubtless applied on that account.
KENO, Klamath County. This place has had several names, and their history is confusing. Post office records are not as complete as they might be. A post office called Whittles Ferry was established at or near what is now Keno on September 22, 1876, with Robert Marple first postmaster. Apparently the ferry was operated by Robert Whittle and the office was named for him. There was some objection to the name of the office, possibly because it was in two words. Captain 0. C. Applegate told the writer that he suggested the name Klamath River, but postal officials also objected to this, for some undisclosed reason. Captain Applegate then suggested the name Plevna, a word then prominent in the news from the Russo-Turkish War. Accordingly the name Whittles Ferry was changed to Plevna on January 9, 1878, but later the office was moved northeast a couple of miles to Juniper Ridge, along with the name. This incensed local patrons and they secured a new office in August, 1887, and named it Keno for Captain D. J. Ferree's dog. Nellie Doten, postmaster ​
CAME 337 Kells of 577 southan old Was which Fone Emp e H. mas 2 at Keno in January, 1926, informed the writer that her father surveyed and platted the townsite, and called it Doten. This name was objected to for a post office because of the similarity to Dayton. According to her version, the name Keno was then adopted for the office on account of Captain Ferree's bird-dog. Keno, the dog, was named after the popular card game of earlier days.
KENT, Sherman County. J. E. Norton, postmaster at Kent in 1926, wrote the compiler that a petition was circulated in January, 1887, for a post office where the community of Kent is now situated. In order to select a name a number of persons wrote their preferences on slips of paper, which were subsequently stirred in a hat. The name, Kent, was drawn and was the one suggested by R. C. Bennett, M. H. Bennett was the first postmaster. The only reason R. C. Bennett gave for the selection of the word Kent was that it was "nice and short."
KENT STATION, Douglas County. Kent Station was a military establishment of sorts during the Indian disturbances of 1855-56. It was at the L. D. Kent place on Tenmile Prairie, and was for the protection of the settlers beween Roseburg and Coos Bay. Captain W. W. Chapman stationed thirty men there. See Victor's Early Indian Wars of Oregon, pages 368-69.
KENTON, Multnomah County. This post office is now a branch of the Portland main post office. Kenton community was established by Geo. F. Heusner. Heusner platted this addition to the city of Portland for an industrial section in 1905. He originally intended to name the addition Kenwood, but found he could not do this because there had been an addition to the city dedicated with that name. He then selected the name Kenton. He told the writer that the name had no particular significance.
KENTUCK SLOUGH, Coos County, Kentuck Slough is fed by Kentuck Creek, and flows into Coos Bay from the east. It was named for George W. Thomas, a native of Kentucky, who settled on the slough in pioneer days. He was generally called Kentuck. About 1860 he had a contract to furnish elk meat to Charles Merchant for the North Bend mill. See Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, page 358.
KERBY, Josephine County. Kerby is a very old community in Oregon, and was established in the days of gold mining in the southwest part of the state. It was named for James Kerby or Kerbey, who was not consistent in the way he spelled his last name. The name of the community has had even more variations. Josephine County was established by an act passed January 22, 1856, and it was provided that the county seat was to be selected at the next county election. Among the poling places was listed Kirbey's Ranch. Kerby and Samuel Hicks were in the general mercantile and supply business, and according to James T. Chinnock of Grants Pass, in a letter in the Grants Pass Courier, December 21, 1928, probably founded a town for the county seat race. The election was held in June, 1857, and Kerbyville was selected. In 1857-58 Dr. D. S. Holton got a large interest in the town of Kerbyville. He was probably responsible for an act of the legislature December 18, 1856, changing the name from Kirbeyville to Napoleon. This was either because of the association of the name of the county and the Empress Josephine, or because Holton was an admirer of Napoleon III. The new name was not popular, and an effort was made to get a bill through the next legislature to adopt the to ent 121 ​
ja said that in pibot table on hining camp, buning the principal load was so hi he presente do away before morn pool hellember si one of Aubu for with old name. In the fall of 1860 the house passed a bill to change the name from Napoleon to Kirbeyville, but on October 10 Holton succeeded in getting the bill referred to the senate judiciary committee, where it is still embalmed. The county commissioners used the name Napoleon for a short time, but seem to have dropped it in favor of Kerbyville about April, 1860. A list of county seats in the Oregon Statesman, Febuary 11, 1861, includes Kerbyville, and that is the name that was used for a good many years, despite the fact that the legislature declined to restore it. Later still the name was changed to Kerby in the interest of simplicity, and Kerby it now is. The name of the first post office has had a much simpler history. Kerby office was established in September, 1856, with James Kerbey postmaster. It is still operating with the original name. It is said that in the mining days one of the founders of the original town brought in a pool table on his pack train from Crescent City. The table was intended for another mining camp, but on arrival near the site of the present town of Kerby, the mule packing the principal part of the table strayed away one night, loaded, and the weight of his load was so great that he died before morning. The packer concluded that the location was as good a place for a pool hall as any, and after burying the mule, set up shop on the spot. On December 4, 1937, the Grants Pass Courier printed an interview with B. Kerbey Short of Auburn, Washington, in which Short said he was a grandson of the man for whom Kerby was named and that the family spelling was Kerbey. It seems improbable that the name of the community will be changed.
KERNAN POINT, Wallowa County. Kernan Point is in the northeast part of the county, in township 2 north, range 50 east. It was named for John Kernan, due to the circumstance that he and one Nate Tryon killed a deer nearby. He ranged sheep in the vicinity of the point. Kernan and Wilkes Jennings were drowned in Snake River on March 4, 1894, while attempting to cross in an Indian boat or canoe.
KERNVILLE, Lincoln County. In April, 1943, Miss Grace Kern of Portland wrote the compiler about the beginnings of this community. Kernville was named by the late Daniel Kern of Portland, who with his brother, John H. Kern, operated a salmon cannery on Siletz River not far from its mouth. The business was known as Kern Brothers Packing Company and was started in 1896. The locality was isolated and could be reached only by water. The cannery was sold in 1898 to Mat P. Kiernan and J. W. Cook of Portland. Later it passed to the hands of Sam Elmore of Astoria. Kernville is now on the Oregon Coast Highway, a great change from 1896. The cannery was on the north bank of Siletz River about two miles up stream from the Oregon Coast Highway bridge and the location of Kernville in 1945. The sawmill, post office and original community of Kernville were on the southwest bank about a mile up stream from the present site of Kernville. See also story by Ben Maxwell in Sunday Oregon Journal, magazine section, November 4, 1945. Kernville post office was established July 6, 1896, with John H. Kern first postmaster. Matthew P. Kiernan became postmaster August 7, 1899. The office has been out of service at times.
KERR NOTCH, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This is the lowest part of the rim above Crater Lake and is about 500 feet from the surface of the water. It was named for Mark B. Kerr, USGS engineer in charge of the party that surveyed the lake in 1886. He pronounced his ​
name as though spelled Kar. Kerr Valley is just southeast of Kerr Notch.
KERRY, Columbia County. Kerry is at the junction of what was the Columbia and Nehalem River Railroad and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. It was named for A. S. Kerry, who started the community in 1912, when he was interested in the development of the first named railroad, extending it into his extensive timber holdings in the Nehalem Valley. Kerry was for many years a prominent business man of Portland and Seattle. He died at Seattle on April 27, 1939. The Columbia and Nehalem River Railroad has been dismantled, and Kerry is no longer a railroad station, but it is a community on the Columbia River Highway.
KETCHKETCH BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte is southwest of Crane Prairie. The name comes from the Klamath Indian word ketchkitchli, meaning rough. A derivative of the same word is ketchkatch, the rough-furred little gray fox. The Forest Service applied the name because of its distinctive sound and with the desire of perpetuating Indian words.
KETTLE CREEK, Jackson County. Kettle Creek is in the north part of the county and fows south to join Sugarpine Creek on the north line of township 32 south, range 1 east. In May, 1946, Howard L. Ash of Trail, an old-timer in that part of Oregon, wrote the compiler that the stream was named because Andy Pool and Sam Gray found a kettle on its banks in 1905. They were on a hunting trip. This old iron kettle held a few lumps of what appeared to be coal, and the hunters turned prospectors. They searched the stream and also the rock point just to the west, but found no coal. This rock point is now called Kettle Rock. Later what appeared to be coal was found a few miles to the northwest, but the compiler has been told that it is just a black rock. See under
COALMINE CREEK.
KETTLE CREEK, Wallowa County. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise this stream was named in 1883 because a broken camp kettle lay in the creek. A packhorse belonging to Enoch G. Vaughan and David M. Dennis bucked his pack off and jammed the kettle beyond use. The kettle lay in the water for many years. The creek flows into Imnaha River in section 10, township 2 north, range 48 east.
KIGER CREEK, Harney County. The name of this stream is frequently misspelled Kieger and Keiger. It was named for the Kiger family, well-known pioneers near Malheur Lake. For information about the Kiger family, see under KIGER ISLAND, also OHQ, volume
XXXII, page 125, and Lockley article on editorial page of the Oregon Journal, June 25, 1927.
KIGER ISLAND, Benton County. Kiger Island is southeast of Corvallis between the main channel of the Willamette River and the Booneville Channel. It was named for Reuben C. Kiger, a pioneer resident of Benton County. He was born in 1828 and died in 1907. In 1874 the Kiger family moved to Harney County and settled near Steens Mountain, but Kiger moved back to western Oregon in 1878 because of Indian troubles. Kiger Creek in Harney County was named by his wife Minerva J. (Morgan) Kiger, better known as Dolly Kiger. She also named McCoy Creek and Cucamonga Creek in the Steens Mountain country. She was born July 28, 1850, and was married to Reuben C. Kiger on November 18, 1866. She died at Corvallis on January 8, 1928. quently missprown pioneers meder Kiger Ist ​
KILBRIDE, Grant County. Kilbride was a post office near Middle Fork John Day River about six or eight miles northwest of and down. stream from Galena. The office was 'established March 22, 1901, with Margaret Hamilton first of four postmasters. It was discontinued May 31, 1908, with mail to Susanville. Margaret Hamilton was Mrs. Robert Hamilton. Mrs. Hamilton named the office for Kilbride, Scotland, which was at or near the place of her birth. Kilchis POINT, Tillamook County. Kilchis Point is on the east shore of Tillamook Bay, and Kilchis River is close by. These features were named for Kilchis, a chief of the Indians of the Tillamook Bay region. He was friendly to the whites. Kilchis post office was established about 1872 with W. D. Stillwell first postmaster. The office was closed about 1890, because the community of Bay City had been established nearby, with a post office, and there was no longer a need for an office at Kilchis. The locality of Kilchis Point was called Jawbone in pioneer days, it is said, because a sawmill enterprise was built on "jawbone" when no cash was available.
KILLAM CREEK, Tillamook County. Killam Creek is a pleasing stream that finds its way into Tillamook River southeast of the town of Tillamook. It bears the name of Leonard Killam who took up a claim in 1879, his land bordering on the stream. Various other spellings such as Kilham, Killum and Killiam are wrong according to county authorities.
KILLAMACUE CREEK, Baker County. This stream drains Killamacue Lake and flows into Rock Creek. Old maps show a variety of spellings, but the USBGN has adopted this as best representing the pronunciation of the name. The compiler has been unable to learn the meaning of the name. KillGAVER, Multnomah County. Killgaver post office was in operation from August 5, 1886, to October 9, 1899, with John Howard the only postmaster. This office was in the Howard home on the Section Line road in the vicinity of what is now Southeast 112th Avenue. In July, 1947, the compiler was informed that the Howards were either born in Ireland or were of Irish descent and named the Oregon post office for a place in the Emerald Isle. Modern atlases do not show such a place in Ireland, but Killgaver may have been used as an Irish place name in the early '80s. Kilts, Jefferson County. Kilts post office was named for Jesse Kilts, an early resident of the place and once postmaster. The office has been discontinued at times. While Kilts is the post office name, the local residents call the locality Donnybrook. An earlier name was Axhandle, but Donnybrook was adopted as the result of a gathering in Calf Gulch at which there was considerable disorder and some blood was shed. An editorial in the Bend Bulletin, April 20, 1943, says that Kilts was a homesteader and relatively a newcomer. The editorial contains the following paragraph: "But old timers have long resented a community name which honors a newcomer, a member of the homesteading fraternity whom elderly stockmen referred to as 'scissorbills.' To Dan Crowley, one of the few old time survivors of the olden days, Kilts is still Donnybrook. And if you stop in Ashwood on your way east to the Horse Heaven mines to ask about the country beyond Ash butte and the Red Jacket mine, folks of the Trout Creek village will tell you that the community up on the highlands is known as Donnybrook. Only ​
postal inspectors are told that the region is known as Kilts." Another editorial in the Bend Bulletin, September 18, 1937, says that Kilts post office was originally on the John Day side of the divide, but when Dan Crowley became postmaster he had the office moved to the locality of Donnybrook in the Deschutes drainage,
KIMBALL Hill, Curry County. Kimball Hill is near the south bank of Rogue River about seven miles east of the Pacific Ocean. It was named for Ira Kimball who, with his wife, located on the small river bottom near the western base of the hill. Kimball Creek nearby received its name from the same source.
KIMBERLY, Grant County. The name of this post office was suggested by Elizabeth C. Murphy. She chose the name because the Kimberly family was well known thereabouts.
KIME, Malheur County. Kime station was named for William Kime, a former resident of the vicinity. It is just west of Harper.
KINCHELOE POINT, Tillamook County. This is the south point at the entrance of Tillamook Bay. It bears the name of Sub-Assistant Julius Kincheloe, of the U, S. Coast Survey, who was drowned at the mouth of the bay on May 20, 1867. An account of this tragedy appears on page 11 of the Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey for 1867. Kincheloe joined the Coast Survey in 1854, and from the remarks of the superintendent, appears to have been an efficient and experienced officer, and was held in high esteem by his associates. At the time of his death Kincheloe was attempting to complete a line of soundings across the bar, and when his boat was capsized, five of his crew of six, were drowned with him. Miss Lucy E. Doughty of Bay City, an early resident of the community, wrote the compiler that Mrs. Kincheloe was on the shore at the time of the accident and saw her husband swept into the sea. Later, she completed her husband's report, copied all the necessary notes and sent them to Washington with an account of the tragedy.
KINDRED, Clatsop County. A post office named Kindred was established on the Clatsop County list May 19, 1894, with Mabel N. Ford postmaster. The National Archives says that the office was discontinued August 14, 1894. It seems apparent that the establishment was never in actual operation as a post office. The office was doubtless named for Bartholomew C. Kindred, who lived at what was known as New Astoria or Kindred Park on the Kindred donation claim near, what is at present known as Flavel. The ofhce may have been intended to serve the community now known as Hammond, which is on the original Kindred property. Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew C. Kindred came to Oregon in 1844.
KING, Marion County. King post office was in the west part of township 8 south, range 1 east, probably near Drift Creek. A map of 1911 shows it near the south line of section 17. This office was established August 21, 1890, with William H. King first of four postmasters. With one intermission the office operated until September, 1903, when it was closed to Jefferson. This move seems strange to the compiler as there were other operating offices much nearer than Jefferson. It is apparent that the ofhce was named for the first postmaster.
KING CREEK, Coos County. King Creek is a tributary of Middle Fork Coquille River. It was named for a Dr. King, who settled nearby in pioneer days.
KING MOUNTAIN, Harney County. King Mountain is about 20 ​
miles north of Harney. It was named for E. H. King, who established a mountain sawmill nearby about 1880. He came to Oregon from Red Bluff, California. The name Trout as applied to this mountain is an error, and is caused because the point is near the head of Trout Creek. The name King Mountain is now generally accepted by the public.
KING SLOUGH, Lincoln County. King Slough is a fairly large inlet on the south side of Yaquina Bay. In the '80s one Jack King had a homestead near the head of this slough and the feature took his name. King also ran a small camp in the locality. In earlier days the inlet was called Hinton Slough, but that name did not persist.
KINGMAN, Malheur County. Named for A. G. Kingman, resident of the vicinity and founder of the community. The place is on the Union Pacific Railroad near the mouth of Owyhee River. Kings LANDING, Coos County. Kings Landing was the name of a locality about nine miles south of Coos Bay, on the west side of Isthmus Slough, at or about the same place that in recent years has been called Delmar. It was named for one King, who lived there. Kings Landing was the transfer point where passengers and goods were set ashore at the head of navigation from Coos Bay. At Kings Landing a narrow gage railroad took off and extended south to Coaledo, at which point there was a transfer back to boats again. There was no post office with the name Kings Landing
KINGS VALLEY, Benton County. Kings Valley was named for Nahum King, the first settler, who was an Oregon pioneer of 1845. The flour mill, which is still operating in Kings Valley, was built by Rowland Chambers in 1853. Kings Valley post office was established on April 13, 1855, with Chambers first postmaster.
KINGSLEY, Wasco County. Judge Fred W. Wilson informed the compiler in 1927 that Kingsley was named by his mother, Mrs. E. M. Wilson, about 1878 when she was postmaster at The Dalles. A delegation from Kingsley called on Mrs. Wilson at The Dalles post office with a petition for a new post office to serve a part of the county south of Dufur. The petition suggested a commonplace name. Mrs. Wilson had been reading Charles Kingsley's Westward Ho! and the book lay in her lap. She immediately suggested the name of the great English clergyman and writer for the new office and the suggestion was accepted on the spot. The town plat was filed on May 16. 1893. Kingsley was not a post office in April, 1927.
KINGSTON, Linn County. This is a station near the North Santiam River, not far from Stayton. It is said to have been named for Samuel King. who lived there many years before the railroad was built.
KINTON, Washington County. Kinton is a place on the Scholls Ferry Road south of Cooper Mountain. It was named for Peter Kindt, who took up a donation land claim nearby in pioneer days. For information about Kindt and Kinton, see the Hillsboro Argus, January 21, 1932.
KINZEL CREEK, Clackamas County. This stream, which flows into Salmon River south of Rhododendron, is near a mining prospect owned by Tom Kinzel, and was named on that account. Kinzel was a prospector and packer in this part of the Cascade Range. The small lake or pond drained by Kinzel Creek is known as Kinzel Lake. Kinzua, Wheeler County. Kinzua lumber town and post office was established in 1928. The place was named by the Kinzua Pine Mills ​
Company for Kinzua, Warren County, Pennsylvania, a community on Allegheny River. At the time, it was said that Kinzua meant a place of many fishes. On October 16, 1930, the postmaster at Kinzua, Pennsylvania, told the compiler that highway signs in that community said Kinzua was an Indian name meaning waters of many and big fish. However, an inquiry to an old Indian in the vicinity brought the information that he believed that the word actually meant that there were always fish for the spear rather than for other methods of catching.
KIRBY CREEK, Baker County. Kirby Creek, in Eagle Valley, was originally called Little Eagle Creek, because it was a separate channel of Eagle Creek. This caused confusion with another Little Eagle Creek, tributary to the main stream, about eight miles further north. Local residents recommended that the creek in Eagle Valley be called Kirby, for a local resident, which was done by the USBGN.
KIRK, Klamath County. Kirk is the name of the Indian family upon whose allotment the community is situated. The name was first chosen by the Southern Pacific Company for a station name at a point that was for several years the end of the line north of Klamath Falls. The post office was established in 1920, with the name Kirkford; why the additional syllable no one seems to know, although it is true there is a ford in Williamson River nearby. The scheme of different names for station and for post office has always been unsatisfactory, and it was so in this case, and in 1925 the postal authorities changed the office name to Kirk to agree with the station name.
KIRKLAND SPRING, Wallowa County. This spring in section 13, township 4 north, range 45 east, was named for Wright Kirkland, a pioneer stockman of the locality.
KISHWALKS, Wasco County. Kishwalks is a locality on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, north of the agency. It bears the name of an old Indian, very lame, who lived there. It is possible that the word in some way referred to his infirmity and that it was a mixture of the Wasco and English languages, but in January, 1944, Indians at the agency were not definite about the origin. Kist, Columbia County. Kist post office was in the southwest part of the county near Nehalem River, several miles upstream from the mouth of Clear Creek. The office, which was established January 21, 1899, is said to have been named for a local homesteader who had the misfortune of being frozen to death a short time before the office was established. Kist post office was discontinued May 31, 1912, and the business was turned over to Timber.
KITSON HOT SPRINGS, Lane County. Dave Kitson of Springfield, a left-handed English carpenter, took up these springs many years ago and established a summer resort there. The springs and Kitson Ridge just to the north bear his name.
KITTREDGE LAKE, Multnomah County. This is the correct name of the small overflow lake on the west banks of the Willamette River east of Oilton, not Kittridge. It was named for George Kittredge, a pioneer settler who was born in Vermont in 1808. Kiwa BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte southwest of Bend was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for crooked or bent. The name is descriptive.
KLAK BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte southwest of Bend, ​
was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for cut off, indicating its shape.
KLAMATH AGENCY, Klamath County. Klamath Agency was established May 12, 1866, on the shore of what is known as Agency Lake, about three miles south of the present site of the agency. It is now on Crooked Creek. For the origin of the name Klamath see under KLAMATH
COUNTY,
KLAMATH COUNTY. Klamath County was created October 17, 1882, by the state legislature. It was taken from Lake County as it existed at that time. It was named for the tribe of Indians called Klamath by the white travelers. The first appearance of the name as far as the compiler knows is in a letter from Peter Skene Ogden, dated Burnt River, July 1, 1826, which refers to the "Claminitt Country." See Merk's Fur Trade and Empire, page 274. On October 5, 1826, David Douglas wrote of looking into the country called "Clamite" by the natives who inhabited it. Ogden, who used the form "Clammitte" on November 5, 1826, reached the headwaters of the Klamath drainage on November 27 of that year, but indicates in his diary that McKay and McDonald, of his party had been there before. The theory has been advanced that the name originated with the French words clair metis, meaning light mist, which frequently lies above Upper Klamath Lake. The trouble with this notion is that the French style would be metis clair, and if these words mean anything, they mean a light colored halfbreed. However that may be, both Indians and white men used the name at an early day, the former for the lakes, and the latter for the Indians. The name may be a corruption of Maklaks. See under that heading. Among the spellings used by early writers are: Clemmat, Clam-ath, Klamet, Clemet, Tlamath and many others. For references, see OGN, 1928 editon, page 186. The Klamath Indians are classed as a Lutuamian tribe, living about Upper Klamath Lake, also on Williamson and Sprague rivers. They call themselves Eukshikni, or Auksni, "the people of the lake." For information about the lakes, see under LOWER KLAMATH LAKE and UPPER KLAMATH LAKE. According to the Bureau of the Census, Klamath County has a land area of 5973 square miles.
KLAMATH Falls, Klamath County. The community of Klamath Falls is situated at the falls of Link River, where that stream flows into Lake Ewauna. The place was originally known as Linkville and was named for Link River. The Klamath Indian name for the place was Yulalona, or Iuauna, which referred to the peculiar blowing backward of the waters of Link River during strong south winds. For information about these Indian names see under LAKE EWAUNA and LINK RIVER. The Klamath name for the falls in Link River was Tiwishkeni, or rush of falling waters place. George Nurse founded the town of Linkville in 1867, and a memorial tablet commemorating the event is installed in one of the cement columns of the Link River bridge, in the west part of Klamath Falls. The name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892-93.
KLAMATH Marsh, Klamath County. This marsh is fed principally by Williamson River, of which it is an enlargement, and by small streams flowing from the Cascade Range. Its main outlet is Williamson River. Its elevation is just about 4500 feet. It was named for the Klamath Indians. These Indians called the marsh Eukshi, and used the same word to indicate the whole of the Klamath territory from Modoc Point ​up along
the east shore of Upper Klamath Lake to the marsh. By slight differences in intonation, they indicated different localities with the same word, Eukshi. At the southern part of the marsh are Wocus Bay and Little Wocus Bay. For information about these features, see under the respective headings. In the fall of 1826 Peter Skene Ogden took a trapping and exploring party into the Klamath country. Apparently on November 30, 1826, the party reached the neighborhood of Klamath Marsh, although at just what point the compiler is not certain. On December 6 of that same year Ogden mentions in his diary that Finnan McDonald, one of the Hudson's Bay Company men, had been that far the year before. At that date Ogden was further south than Klamath Marsh, so in all probability McDonald was the first white man to reach Klamath Marsh. For additional data, see under KLAMATH COUNTY. John C. Fremont reached and very accurately described Klamath Marsh on December 10, 1843, although at that time he thought he was at "Tlamath lake." Much of the marsh has been drained.
KLAMATH MOUNTAINS, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Josephine counties. This is the name used by Dr. J. S. Diller in USGS Bulletin 196, Topographical Development of the Klamath Mountains, to describe part of the Coast Range of Oregon and California between the 40th and 43rd parallels of latitude. The name is used by geologists rather than by geographers and map makers. The Klamath Mountains are made up of subordinate systems, including the Siskiyous. Geologically they resemble to a considerable extent the Sierra Nevada. The bulletin mentioned gives a detailed account of the development of these mountains, and explains why they are considered a separate group.
KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath County. Klamath River receives the drainage of Upper Klamath Lake through Link River and Lake Ewauna. See under these headings for information about their Indian names. The Klamath Indian name for Klamath River was Koke, the general name for river, and the hearer had to judge from the context which river was meant, Williamson, Lost, Sprague or Klamath. For information about the name Klamath, see under KLAMATH COUNTY. Klamath River has a total drainage area of 11,850 square miles in Oregon and California, and has a total length of 180 miles between Lake Ewauna and the Pacific Ocean. About five miles above Keno the river is connected to Lower Klamath Lake by a stream, now under dike control, known as Klamath Strait. Water formerly flowed through Klamath Strait either way, depending on the relative stages of Klamath River and Lower Klamath Lake.
KLAMATH STRAIT, Klamath County. Klamath Strait is the correct name of the outlet of Lower Klamath Lake, not Klamath River. Klamath River flows from Lake Ewauna, and the river is connected with Lower Klamath Lake by Klamath Strait. This strait formerly flowed either way, but its course has been interfered with by the Southern Pacific Company railroad grade.
KLASKANINE River, Clatsop County. For information about this name see under ClATSKANIE. The Klaskanine River affords a route of travel from the mouth of the Columbia River to the place in the Nehalem Valley where part of the Tlatskani Indian tribe lived. The name of the stream in Claisop County is spelled differently from the name of the Columbia County stream. In recent years, and as a result of more ​
accurate mapping, the names of the branches of this stream have become established. South Fork Klaskanine River presents no problem. North Fork Klaskanine River heads south of Wickiup Ridge and joins the South Fork about two miles east of Youngs River, the two forks forming Klaskanine River. North Fork North Fork Klaskanine River flows into the North Fork at Klaskanine Hatchery. It heads west of Wickiup Ridge. Southeast of this branch is Middle Fork North Fork Klaskanine River which also heads west of Wickiup Ridge and flows into North Fork about five miles upstream from the hatchery.
KLAWHOP BUTTE, Deschutes County, Klawhop is the Chinook jargon word for hole, and this butte southeast of Bend presumably was named because it had a crater in the top.
KLICKITAT MOUNTAIN, Lane County. This is a prominent peak near the east end of Klickitat Ridge, in the Coast Range in the extreme north part of Lane County. It is unusual that the name of an Indian tribe, whose dwelling place was near The Dalles of the Columbia River, should be attached to a mountain so far away, and yet there is good evidence to verify the story that the Klickitat Indians traveled over a wide area. In pioneer days there was a trail near Rickreall Creek known as the Klickitat Trail, and there was a definite Klickitat camping place near the Boyle Lakes, northwest of the present community of Rickreall. J. W. Nesmith, in a letter in the Oregonian, February 7, 1877, says that in September, 1849, he and General Joseph Lane went from the Willamette Valley to the Siletz River over a trail used by Klickitat Indians at that time living in Kings Valley. For description of the origin of the name Klickitat see Meany's Origin of Washington Geographic Names. Early writers spelled the word in a var. iety of ways. General Hazard Stevens says that the word meant robber and tradition in the Willamette Valley in Oregon favors this meaning. The writer has been told by a number of Indians that the correct definition of the word was robber or marauder. General Stevens had first hand information, and the writer is inclined toward his opinion in the matter. David Douglas mentioned the tribe as Clickitats on June 20, 1825, which is as far as the writer knows the first use of the word by early explorers.
KLOAN, Wasco County. This station on the Oregon Trunk Railway was named with the Chinook jargon word for three, since it was the third station from the north end of the line up Deschutes River.
KLONDIKE, Sherman County. This post office was established early in 1899, with A. B. Potter first postmaster. At the time the office was es. tablished there was considerable disagreement over the name. Potter suggested Klondike, although there is no prospect of gold in that part of the state, unless it comes from wheat raising. Potter's idea was of course prompted by the Alaska gold rush, in high fever at the time.
KLONE BUTTE, Deschutes County. Klone Butte, in the north part of the Paulina Mountains, was named with the Chinook jargon word for three, it being the third of a series of buttes named at one time by the Forest Service. This is a variation of the spelling Kloan. See under that heading
KLOOCHMAN CREEK, Crook County. Kloochman Creek flows south from the Maury Mountains into Bear Creek. Kloochman is the Chinook jargon word for woman, and Kloochman Creek is just another way of saying Squaw Creek. ​
ettlers in the nes. nee Siegmunqcob Siegmund bec Klumb for his
KLOVDAHL Bay, Lane County. This bay on Waldo Lake and Klovdahl Lake to the north were named for Simon Klovdahl, an engineer connected with the development of the Waldo Lake irrigation and power project. Klovdahl died at Eugene November 26, 1932.
KLUMB, Marion County. A half century ago Klumb post office served a small area about three miles northwest of Mehama, not far from Fern Ridge School. It was named for Mrs. Jacob Siegmund, whose maiden name was Mary Margarethe Klumb. The Siegmunds were early day settlers in the locality. The writer has had an interesting letter from Mrs. Matilda S. Jones, nee Siegmund, of Amity, who was reared in the vicinity of Klumb post office. When Jacob Siegmund became interested in getting an office established, he submitted the name Klumb for his wife's family, and Cope, in compliment to Mrs. Lucy A. Pugsley, a neighbor and wife of Walter Pugsley. Mrs. Pugsley's maiden name was Cope. Mr. Siegmund was active in local civic and improvement matters, which may have influenced postal officials to select Mrs. Siegmund's maiden name, but it is also probable that the authorities thought that the name Cope was too much like that of Cove in Union County. The department was anxious to steer clear of names that might be confused. In any event Klumb post office was established January 4, 1893, with Mrs. Pugsley first postmaster. Her husband Walter Pugsley was the first mail carrier, and he made the regular round trip to Mehama on horseback. The Pugsley family soon moved away, and on June 10, 1893, Jacob Siegmund was made postmaster and the office was moved to the Siegmund home where it remained until it was closed February 15, 1910, because of the extension of rural free delivery from Stayton.
KNAPPA, Clatsop County. Knappa was named for Aaron Knapp, Jr. He was a pioneer settler who resided in the community many years. According to Silas B. Smith, the Indian name for the locality was Tlelas-qua. See OHQ, volume I, page 321. For information about the Indian village found by Lewis and Clark nearby, see under Big CREEK and
CATHLAMET BAY.
KNIGHT, Marion County. Knight post office was near Silver Creek at a point near the north line of township 8 south, range 1 east, about ten or twelve miles upstream from Silverton. The office was named for Daniel E. Knight, a local resident and the first postmaster. Knight post office was established February 16, 1880, and was in service until July 27, 1895, when it was closed to Argenti.
KNIGHT CREEK, Wallowa County. Knight Creek flows into Snake River in township 4 north, range 48 east. It was named by the Forest Service for M. V. Knight who had some mining claims along the stream. In earlier days it was known as Bear Creek because R. M. Downey and Jerard Cohorn killed a bear there in 1881. The name was changed because there were too many Bear creeks in the county.
KNOX BUTTE, Linn County. This butte has an elevation of 634 feet, and is situated about six miles east of Albany. It was named for James Knox, a pioneer of 1845, and a cousin of James Knox Polk, president of the United States. James Knox was a native of Pennsylvania and lived in Ohio and Iowa before he came to Oregon. Koch MOUNTAIN, Lane County. Koch Mountain is west of Waldo Lake. It was named for an early day trapper who is reported to have died nearby. ​
KOKOSTICK BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte near Devils Lake is name with the Chinook jargon word for woodpecker.
KOLER, Douglas County. For many years there has been a station on the Southern Pacific Company railroad about four miles west of Glendale bearing the name Reuben, probably derived from Mount Reuben not far away. When residents at Reuben station wanted a post office a little after the beginning of the century they were not allowed to use the name Reuben because of duplication with the name of Reuben post office in Columbia County. Accordingly, the name Koler was selected apparently in compliment to Richard Koehler, for many years manager of the Southern Pacific Company lines in Oregon. Mr. Koehler was a native of Germany and was brought to Oregon by Henry Villard. He had an outstanding career as a railroad administrator. He died in Portland in 1932. Along the line of the Southern Pacific he was always called by the Americanized form of his name which accounts for the style used by postal authorities, Koler post office was established September 17, 1907, with Alonzo W. Moon first postmaster. The office was closed to Glendale November 15, 1923. Koosah MOUNTAIN, Deschutes and Lane counties. This mountain at the summit of the Cascade Range west of Sparks Lake is named with the Chinook jargon word for sky.
KOTAN, Klamath County. Kotan is a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific. Railroad officials say the name is an Indian word for horse. It is probably an adaptation of the Chinook jargon word cuitin, from the Chinook ikiuatan, a horse. There does not seem to be a Klamath Indian word of this sound.
KROLL, Douglas County. Kroll is a station on the Southern Pacific Company railroad on the east side of Tahkenitch Lake in the extreme west part of the county. The station was named for a member of the firm of Sparrow and Kroll who owned a large tract of timber nearby. There was a post office at Kroll from November 2, 1920, to September 30, 1921, with William L. Forsythe postmaster.
KRONENBERG, Multnomah County. In July, 1947, William H. Stanley of Gresham wrote the compiler in part as follows: "Kronenberg post office was named for Joseph Kronenberg, the only postmaster. It was at the present site of Meadowland dairy at 162nd (Barker Road) and Powell Valley Road. The old Kronenberg house is still standing and occupied by the Andregg family which owns the premises and dairy. I did not know that the Kronenbergs had a post office, but I knew the entire family. One son is still living somewhere in California." Kronenberg post office was established April 10, 1893, with Joseph Kronenberg first and only postmaster. The office was closed February 8, 1897, with papers to Rockwood.
KRUMBO CREEK, Harney County. Krumbo Creek flows off of Krumbo Mountain, a foothill of Steens Mountain. It was named for a pioneer settler in the neighborhood. The spelling given here, Krumbo, is in accordance with official plats and with the best local use. Krumbe and Crumbo are incorrect.
KUAMAKSI BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte, southwest of Bend, was named by the Forest Service with the Klamath Indian name of a locality near Sprague River, literally "at the cave." Gatschet gives the spelling Kumakshi. The word is derived from kumme or kume, meaning ​cave or cavern. The Forest Service used the word in order to perpetuate an Indian name, even though the butte is a long way from Sprague River.
Kubli, Jackson County. Kaspar Kubli came to Oregon from Switzerland in 1852, and his brother Jacob came some years later. Both settled in Jackson County, where they became prominent citizens. Jacob Kubli bought the Barnes claim near Applegate River in the extreme west part of the county, in the locality called Missouri Flat. His son, Kaspar J. Kubli was born on this place, and in June, 1891, was appointed postmaster at Kubli post office, which was but a few hundred feet east of the Jackson-Josephine county line. The office was closed November 30, 1907, due to the establishment of rural delivery. Kaspar J. Kubli died July 2, 1942. He was postmaster at Kubli during the entire existence of the office.
Kuhn Ridge, Wallowa County. Kuhn Ridge is a well-known divide between Mud and Buck creeks in township 4 north, range 43 east. It was named for Henry and Dave Kuhn who ranged stock there in early days. Henry Kuhn took up the first homestead on this ridge.
Kweo BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte in Paulina Mountains was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for ring or circle, which well describes it.
KWINNUM BUTTE, Deschutes County. Kwinnum Butte, in the Paulina Mountains, is named with the Chinook jargon word for five, it being the fifth in a series of buttes all named at the same time by the Forest Service. Kwoli BUTTE, Deschutes County.
Kwolh Butte, elevation 7349 feet, is about two miles south of Bachelor Butte. Kwolh or kwalh is the Chinook jargon word for aunt, and the name was applied to this butte arbitrarily as a means of identification in fire fighting. Tot Mountain, a point between Kwolh Butte and Bachelor Butte, is named with the Chinook jargon word for uncle. These two names of relationship appear to have been suggested because of the proximity of such features as the Three Sisters, Bachelor Butte, The Husband and The Wife, all prominent points in the Cascade Range. See also under WANOGA BUTTE.
KYSER, Columbia County. Kyser was a locality on the Lost Creek drainage south of Delena, and near the center of the southwest quarter of township 7 north, range 3 west. It was named for a local resident. Kyser post office was established June 20, 1892, with William H. Kyser postmaster. Ella M. Kyser became postmaster May 8, 1908, and the office was closed to Rainier on May 30, 1918.