# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/M

​Mabel, Lane County. This post office was named for Miss Maud Mabel Drury, second daughter of the first postmaster, Alfred Drury. The post office has not always been in its present location. It was established about 1878.
Macduff Peak, Lane County. This peak lies in the Cascade Range ​about four miles airline south of McKenzie Bridge. It bears the name of the late Nelson M. Macduff, for many years supervisor of the Cascade National Forest. The suggestion which led to the naming of the peak was made by Smith Taylor, formerly forest ranger at McKenzie Bridge. The name has been officially adopted by the USBGN.
Macey Cove, Douglas County. Mrs. R. W. Williams of Reedsport wrote the compiler about 1925 that the name of the little cove on the east side of Umpqua River about two miles northeast of Winchester Bay is Macey Cove and not Macy Cove. She said the cove was named for a Colonel Charles Macey who was at one time at Fort Umpqua, Umpqua City. Macey's descendants are still living in the neighborhood. Heitman's Historical Register lists no officer with the name Charles Macey. Possibly Macey was a civilian attached to the post or resident of Umpqua City.
Macksburg, Clackamas County. Macksburg is about five miles east of Canby. The little community was named for the Mack family, well known in the locality. Macksburg post office was established March 6, 1884, with Geo. H. McPherson first postmaster. Locally the name is spelled Macksburg and that is the way it appears on government maps, including the post route map of 1900. The writer has seen the spelling Macksburg in various annual postal guides. Macksburg post office was discontinued in September, 1903.
Macleay, Marion County. Donald Macleay, a prominent merchant of Portland, was interested with William Reid in the Oregonian Railway Company, Limited. This company built the narrow gage railroad in the east part of the Willamette Valley, subsequently a branch of the Southern Pacific Company. Mr. Macleay gave several hundred dollars to build a school house at a station in Marion County which was forthwith given his name. For a short history of the community, see Salem Statesman, December 20, 1931.
Mad Creek, Linn County. This stream just east of Gates, was named by Thomas J. Henness in 1863 because of the turbulent waters. See the Salem Capital Journal, June 18, 1927, page 1. There is no truth in the story that the creek was named for an insane woman. Some maps show the stream as Mud Creek, which is wrong.
Madras, Jefferson County. Madras is in a more or less circular valley, and in earlier days the place was known as The Basin. When the community became established, and a post office was applied for, the name Palmain was suggested to postal authorities in Washington, in honor of John Palmehn, a well-known local resident. Palmehn platted part of the town now called Madras with the name Palmain, which he thought would be easier spelled than Palmehn. However, the authorities objected, fearing confusion with a post office called Palmer. On February 10, 1944, the Madras Pioneer published a letter from Bert Doze, a newspaperman in Wichita, Kansas, saying that he was sent to the new community about 1903 by his uncle, Joshua Hahn, to open a store. The name of the place was still undetermined. Willow Creek was suggested but was thought to be too cumbersome. Finally Hahn or Doze suggested the name Madras, which was taken from a bolt of cloth in the store. Madras is a well-known cotton fabric named for the city in India. Howard W. Turner, a long-time resident of Madras does not accept the Doze story and thinks that the Post Office Department named the place. However the compiler queried postal authorities on this point some years ago and was told the department had no record of suggesting the name Madras. The name of the ​Oregon town is generally pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, but the name of the place in India is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable.
Magone Lake, Grant County. Patsy Daly of Prairie City informed the compiler in 1927 that this lake was named for Major Joseph W. Magone, a resident of Canyon City. Magone stocked the lake with fish, and it was named for him on that account. The spelling Magoon is wrong. Magone was born in New York in 1821 and came to Oregon in 1847. He was a miller by occupation. He served in the Cayuse War with the rank of major. He lived in the Willamette Valley until 1872, when he went to eastern Oregon. He served in the Bannock War under General O. O. Howard as a guide and express messenger. When he was over 70 years old, Major Magone walked all the way from Canyon City to Chicago to see the World's Columbian Exposition and won a wager for the feat. He died at Ogdensburg, New York, February 15, 1902. For additional information, see OHQ, volume III, page 276, et seq., and volume IX, page 309. See also several references in Down's History of the Silverton Country.
Magpie Peak, Baker County. This butte is near Haines. J. Neilson Barry told the writer that during early days in Baker County this was a convenient place for cattle round-ups. As a result of stock being driven to the peak for sorting, a great many magpies flew in with the cattle, and the country around the place became covered with them.
Mahogany Creek, Wallowa County. This stream, in township 4 south, ranges 47 and 48 east, as well as several other geographic features in eastern Oregon, is named for the curlleaf mountain mahogany, Cerocarpus ledifolius.
Maiden Gulch, Baker County. This gulch is near Sparta. For the history of this locality during the mining days, see editorial page, the Oregonian, October 7, 1927, and the Baker Morning Democrat of October 19, 1927. Dunham Wright, of Medical Springs told the compiler that the prospects in Maiden Gulch were discovered by a bachelor who was of a romantic turn of mind and decided to compliment the opposite sex.
Maiden Peak, Deschutes and Lane counties. Explanations of this name are not satisfactory. One is to the effect that the mountain, which is at the summit of the Cascade Range, was named in contradistinction to the Three Sisters and Bachelor Butte to the north. Another is that the shape of the mountain resembles a reclining female figure, while a third is that the shape is like a woman's breast. The compiler thinks the first named reason is most likely the correct one. Maiden Peak has an elevation of 7811 feet.
Maidu Lake, Douglas County. Maidu Lake is the source of North Umpqua River. The name is that of an Indian family or tribe of the Sierra Nevada region of California. The writer does not know how it got transferred to Oregon.
Majors Prairie, Lane County. Dee Wright told the compiler that Majors Prairie and Majors Creek nearby, both in the valley of North Fork northeast of Oakridge, were named for one Majors, a stockman. The form Major is wrong.
Makin Creek, Wallowa County. Makin Creek drains into Cherry Creek in township 4 north, range 48 east. It bears the name of Elzie O. Makin who bought a squatter's right from George Cusker, built a cabin near the stream and moved his family into it. He was a sheep man.
Maklaks Pass, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This ​pass is in a spur running southeast from the rim of Crater Lake. It divides Dutton Ridge to the north from Grayback Ridge to the south. Maklaks is a Klamath Indian word meaning literally the encamped, hence a body of Indians encamped, or a community, or tribe. It is also a generic term for Indian. The Forest Service has named a mountain in northwestern Klamath County between Davis and Odell lakes Maklaks Mountain.
Malheur, Malheur County. This post office is in the valley of Willow Creek in the extreme north part of the county. There seems no doubt in the mind of the writer that the post office name came from the same source as the name of Malheur River. See under that heading. The community of Malheur was a center in the gold excitement in the late '60s, and there is a story to the effect that the place was named Malheur (French for evil hour or misfortune) because a tunnel caved in and killed a French miner. The compiler has no evidence that this event did not happen, but thinks it highly improbable that the name of the town originated in such a manner, and places no credence in the story.
Malheur County. Malheur County was created February 17, 1887, and was taken from Baker County as that county was then constituted. Subsequently there were several readjustments in the Malheur County boundary. The county was named Malheur because Malheur River flowed through it. For the origin of the name Malheur, see under Malheur River. The county has a land area of 9870 square miles, according to the Bureau of the Census. It is the second largest county in Oregon. In February, 1931, a bill was introduced in the Oregon legislature to change the name of Malheur County to Sinnott County, in honor of Nicholas J. Sinnott, representative in Congress from the second Oregon district, 1913-28, who died July 20, 1929. The bill passed the house, but died in the senate. Despite the high esteem in which Mr. Sinnott was held, it appeared to be the sentiment of the citizens of the county to leave the name alone.
Malheur Lake, Harney County. Peter Skene Ogden's party discovered this lake in October, 1826. Details of the discovery are given under the heading HARNEY LAKE. Ogden did not name the lake, and referred to it simply as a freshwater lake. He described the ridge or dike that separated the fresh lake from the salt water, to the west, now known as Harney Lake. On July 7, 1859, Captain H. D. Wallen of the Fourth Infantry, while on an expedition from The Dalles to Great Salt Lake, reached the salt water and named it Lake Harney. He found and described the dike between the two lakes. His stock would not drink the alkaline water and stampeded over the dike eastward to what is now Malheur Lake. Wallen thereupon named the fresh water Lake Stampede. That name has not prevailed. Later Malheur Lake was named for Malheur River. For the origin of the name, see under that heading. The compiler does not know who gave the lake its present name, which has been used for many years. Wallen's name Lake Stampede may actually have been applied to a part of Malheur Lake frequently called Mud Lake, which is west of the Narrows. At high stages Malheur Lake flowed over the dike and into Harney Lake, with the result that the latter lake tended to become more alkaline. In 1882 water was so high in Malheur Lake that it cut a wide passage through the dike. See OHQ, volume XXXII, page 129. Malheur Lake is always relatively shallow and sub ​stantial changes in precipitation have produced wide variations in the size of the lake. There has been a good deal of litigation about the ownership of the lake bed. The Malheur Lake region has been one of the most productive of the waterfowl breeding places in western North America. It was formerly a mecca for plume hunters, market hunters and fur trappers. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the area as a bird refuge. In 1935 the federal government purchased a large part of the old P Ranch in the Blitzen Valley and thus assured the lake of a permanent water supply. The Malheur Migratory Bird Refuge now comprises nearly 160,000 acres of open water, vast tule swamps, wild meadows and wooded areas. Stanley G. Jewett of the Fish and Wildlife Service says: "It ranks first in the number of breeding waterfowl, upland gamebirds, big game and fur bearers. During the fall and spring migrations hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese stop to feed and rest within the refuge. Among the abundant nesting waterfowl to be found are mallards, pintails, redheads, gadwalls, shovelers, cinnamon teal, bluewinged teal and canvasbacks. Canada geese nest abundantly in the meadows and even lay eggs and rear their young on the basaltic rimrocks along the edge of the Blitzen Valley. Here, too, are found nesting each year numbers of sandhill cranes, great colonies of ring-billed and California gulls, Foster's and black terns and white-faced glossy ibis. Malheur Lake marks the northern limit for breeding colonies of American egrets and the black-necked stilts. Long-billed curlews, western willets, avocets and Wilson's snipes are found nesting abundantly in the meadow lands. The heron family is also well represented." Jewett says that about 220 species of birds have been found on and adjacent to the Malheur Refuge. The compiler is prepared to believe the statement, and without reservation he can say that the bird colonies of this area are among the most remarkable things he has ever seen.
Malheur River, Baker, Grant, Harney and Malheur counties. This stream rises on the southern slopes of the Blue Mountains. The name Malheur River is attached to the main stream which has in the past been known as Middle Fork but which the USBGN recognizes as Malheur River. There is also a North Fork Malheur River which joins the main stream at Juntura and a South Fork which joins the main stream at Riverside. The South Fork and its tributaries undoubtedly at one time drained the Harney Valley, but at the present time there is a low divide between the head waters of South Fork and Malheur Lake. The name Malheur was used by Peter Skene Ogden, a Hudson's Bay Company trader, who made an expedition into the Snake River country in 1825-26. In Ogden's journal, in Hudson's Bay House, appears the following entry: "Tuesday, February 14, 1826–We encamped on River au Malheur (unfortunate river) so called on account of property and furs having been hid here formerly, discovered and stolen by the natives." Ogden was accompanied by French-Canadian hunters. See Ogden's Snake Country Journal, Hudson's Bay Record Society, volume XIII, also article of T. C. Elliott, OHQ, volume X, page 353; volume XI, page 364. Malin, Klamath County.
Malin is a rapidly growing community on land that was formerly at the bottom of Tule or Rhett Lake. Tule Lake bed has been almost entirely reclaimed. On September 30, 1909, 65 Bohemian families settled at the present site of Malin and named the place for a town in Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, their former home. For ​information about fossil remains near Malin, see the Oregonian, December 3, 1925, editorial page.
Mallett, Malheur County. Mallett was named for C. W. Mallett, a pioneer rancher and nearby landowner. The station is just east of Vale.
Manhattan Beach, Tillamook County. This is a summer resort in Tillamook County. The name strongly savors of real estate activity. In 1926 the postmaster wrote that the town was named Manhattan Beach by its promoters because it was a watering place. There seems to be something peculiarly inappropriate about the name being used for a watering place because Gannett (USGS Bulletin 258) says the name Manhattan, as applied to the island in New York, was an Indian word, probably meaning place of drunkenness. The Indian name may well describe the locality of New York City, but it is generally understood that no one gets drunk in Oregon, certainly not at watering places. No indeed.
Manila, Yamhill County. Manila was a post office with a very short life. It was about five miles airline west of McMinnville or about eight miles by road, on the headwaters of Muddy Creek. It was named because the name Manila was so prominent in the news of the Spanish American War in the Philippines in the summer of 1898. Manila post office was established June 27, 1898, with Moses Morgan first of two postmasters. The office was closed to McMinnville on November 30, 1898.
Mann Lake, Harney County. This small lake is in the north end of Alvord Valley. It is fed by small streams from Steens Mountain. It was named for a nearby rancher.
Manning, Washington County. This community has been known as Manning for many years, and was named for Martin Manning, a local landholder.
Manzanita, Tillamook County. Manzanita is a beach resort and was surveyed and platted in 1912. The post office was established in 1914, with Emil G. Kardell first postmaster. Manzanita is Spanish for little apple, and the name is used on the Pacific Coast to designate shrubs of the Arctostaphylos group. They bear little fruits like miniature apples. Sweetser states that the shrub growing in Oregon is Arctostaphylos tomentosa. It grows at various places along the coast.
Maple Grove, Polk County. Maple Grove is a prominent highway intersection about four miles northeast of Pedee, characterized by some fine Oregon maple trees. There was a post office called Maple Grove in operation in this locality from July 27, 1903, to January 19, 1904, with William S. Bristow postmaster. The place is just north of Luckiamute River.
Mapleton, Lane County. The consensus of western Lane County is that Mapleton was named by "Grandma' Bean because of the presence of so many maple trees. These are the Acer macrophyllum, or bigleaf maple, also called the Oregon maple. "Grandma' Bean was born at Cadiz, Ohio, February 25, 1838, and her maiden name was Julia Ann Sharp. She was married to Obediah Roberts Bean on October 24, 1853, at the Nelson ranch north of Newberg, and the couple lived in the Chehalem Mountains until 1855, when they moved to Lane County. They were outstanding citizens and were the parents of eleven children, the eldest of whom was Oregon's famous judge, Robert Sharp Bean. The Beans moved to Mapleton about 1886 and the place was named shortly ​thereafter. Obediah R. Bean died in 1890, but Mrs. Bean continued to live in Mapleton until about 1906, when she moved to Eugene, where she died on February 19, 1908. The Beans were both pioneers of 1852. A post office called Seaton was established near this locality in November, 1885, with William W. Neeley postmaster. Mrs. Bean became postmaster in April, 1889, and the name of the office was changed to Mapleton March 26, 1896.
Maplewood, Multnomah County. When the Oregon Electric Rail. way was built this station was called Kusa for the Kusan family of Oregon Indians. Some objection arose to the name Kusa and the name was changed to Maplewood because of the trees in the vicinity.
Marble Creek, Baker County. Marble Creek rises in Elkhorn Ridge of the Blue Mountains west of Baker and flows northward toward the ghost town Pocahontas. The stream drains Marble Gulch, which received its name in the '60s because of the large marble deposits near its headwaters. See Hiatt's Thirty-one Years in Baker County, page 33. The point near the head of the gulch is now known as Marble Point.
Marcola, Lane County. The post office of this community was once known as Isabel. About 1885 the railroad was built through the Mohawk Valley and a station known as Marcola was established near the post office. As a result of this the post office name was changed to agree with the station name. The wife of the founder of the town was Mary Cole and the name Marcola was made up in her honor.
Margaret, Grant County. Margaret post office was established May 23, 1898, with Walton H. Wilcox first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued December 31, 1900, with papers to Prairie City. The post route map of 1900 shows the office about eleven miles southeast of Prairie City. In a letter printed in the John Day Ranger, March 7, 1947, R. R. McHaley, long a resident of Grant County, says that Margaret post office was situated at Blue Mountain Hot Springs, and was probably named for the foster mother of Postmaster Wilcox.
Marial, Curry County. Marial was named for Marial Billings, daughter of the first postmaster, Thomas W. Billings. The office was established January 29, 1903.
Marion, Marion County. This station was named because it was situated in Marion County. A. N. Bush of Salem is authority for the statement that when the railroad was built the officials decided to build a station near Mill Creek, at the present site of Turner. This proposed station was to be called Marion. Material for a station and warehouse was sent out from Portland, but the man in charge of the shipment made a mistake and threw it off at the present site of Marion. When the officials found this had been done they concluded to finish the building and retain the name of Marion for the present community of that name. They subsequently had an additional shipment sent to the place they first had in mind and built a station there and called it Turner, for a prominent pioneer resident of the neighborhood, Henry L. Turner.
Marion County. Champooick District, as originally created and named, comprised all that part of Oregon south and east of the mouth of Pudding River. The eastern boundary was the Rocky Mountains, and the southern boundary was the 42nd parallel. The district was created July 5, 1843. In 1847 Linn County was created, and the new boundary between the two counties was put on Santiam River and ​North Santiam River, thence to the Rocky Mountains. This was the situation when on September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature changed the name of Champoeg County, as it was then called, to Marion County. The name was in honor of General Francis Marion of Revolutionary War fame. The Weems-Hory Life of. General Francis Marion was then largely read in Oregon and other frontier settlements, and the praise of Marion in this book greatly appealed to the settlers. Marion County had a land area of 1173 square miles in 1940, according to the Bureau of the Census.
Marion Lake, Linn County. This lake was named in 1874 by the Marion County road viewing party under the leadership of John Minto. See OHQ, volume IV, page 249. The outlet of this lake is now known as Marion Creek, and not Marion Fork Santiam River.
Marks Creek, Crook County. Marks Creek is northeast of Prineville and flows into Ochoco Creek from the north. It was named for a pioneer family that settled in the vicinity of the stream.
Marmot, Clackamas County. Adolf Aschoff, for many years a forester and guide about Mount Hood, settled at the present site of Marmot on March 16, 1883. He found an abundance of peculiar burrowings, especially in the fern growth near the borders of the timber. Local residents told him that these holes were dug by marmots, but Aschoff determined otherwise, and found that they were made by the so-called mountain beaver, or Aplodontia rufa. When the post office was established Aschoff and two of his cronies decided to call the place Marmot on account of this error. One of these friends of Aschoff's was an old miner, Fauntleroy S. Peake, who became first postmaster about 1886. Aschoff became postmaster in 1891. For information about him see under Aschoff Buttes.
Marquam, Clackamas County. Marquam post office was established in 1889, by change of name from Butte Creek, It was named for Alfred Marquam, a pioneer settler.
Marquam Hill, Multnomah County. Marquam Hill in southwest Portland bears the name of Philip A. Marquam, who was born near Baltimore, February 28, 1823, and came to Portland in 1851. In 1862–70 he was county judge of Multnomah County. He was elected to the legislature in 1882. In the late '80s Judge Marquam financed and built the Marquam Grand Opera House, one of Portland's historic landmarks. The opening performance, Faust, was given February 10, 1890. The building was on the north side of Morrison Street, between what were then Sixth and Seventh. Marquam died in Portland, May 8, 1912. For additional biographical data, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume II, page 273.
Marquam Lake, Multnomah County. Marquam Lake is on the east part of Sauvie Island. W. H. H. Morgan, one of the pioneer settlers on the island, told the compiler that in pioneer days a French-Canadian employee of the Hudson's Bay Company operated a dairy near this lake. He was called Marquam, and the Morgan family named the lake for him. Marquam Lake drains into Columbia River through Dairy Creek. This stream was also named by the Morgan family, because of the dairy mentioned above.
Marr Creek, Wallowa County. This stream is in the southeast part of the county and flows into Sheep Creek. It heads near Marr Flat. These features were named for William Marr, who settled near the head of the stream in the early '80s.
​Marshfield, Coos County. G. A. Bennett, a pioneer of Coos County is authority for the statement that the land upon which the city of Marshfield was built was once a part of a claim taken up by Wilkins Warwick in 1855, and that it was the general understanding of Oregon pioneers that Warwick named part of his claim for Marshfield, Massachusetts. The records of Coos County show that Warwick sold part of his claim on March 11, 1856, to Andrew J. Davis for $3000, and the description of this property states that the land is particularly "known and designated as the Marshfield claim at the mouth of Wapello Slough." Wapello Slough is now known as Isthmus Slough as it leads to the isthmus over which there was a trail to Beaver Slough on the Coquille River side of the county. There is another version of the history of the name, according to S. B. Cathcart, also a pioneer resident of Coos County. Cathcart wrote that the name was applied by J. C.Tolman, who settled on the claim prior to Warwick, and inasmuch as he was a great admirer of Daniel Webster, Tolman named the Marshfield claim after Webster's home in Massachusetts. While the details of these two stories differ somewhat, it is apparent that Marshfield, Oregon, was named about 1854 for the Massachusetts community. Tolman later was surveyor-general of Oregon. Marshfield did not make progress until John Pershbaker started lumber and shipbuilding industries there in 1867. In that year there were but two buildings at the place. (Dodge's Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, page 154.) For description of the town in 1902, see the Oregonian, December 25, 1902; description in 1903, ibid., September 3, 1903, page 14; description in 1890, ibid., January 1, 1891. On November 16, 1943, an election was held on a proposal to consolidate Marshfield, North Bend and an unincorporated area between the two places with the name Coos Bay for the new municipality. The proposal carried in Marshfield but lost elsewhere, hence did not go into effect. However, at the general election a year later, November 7, 1944, the people of Marshfield adopted a new charter and a new name, City of Coos Bay. The change in name was confirmed at a special election held December 28, 1944, and the name Marshfield, in use nearly a century, became a thing of the past. This change did not affect the community of North Bend.
Marshland, Columbia County. When Z. B. Bryant settled on the marshy prairie west of Clatskanie about 1862, the place was known as Skunk Cabbage Flat. The post office of Marshland was established about 1873, and it is understood that Bryant selected the name as being more suitable than Skunk Cabbage Flat. It is quite descpriptive.
Mart Davis Creek, Coos County. Mart Davis Creek is a small tributary of Millicoma River. It was named for an early settler on its banks, J. M. Davis, better known as Mart. The name Mark Davis Creek is wrong.
Marten Buttes, Marion County. These buttes, north of Detroit, were so named because some trappers caught a number of martens there. Charles C. Giebler of Detroit furnished the compiler with this information, adding that the name is not an old one.
Marx, Tillamook County. Marx post office was established April 9, 1904, with Franklin C. Varner first of two postmasters. The office was about two miles southeast on Neskowin Creek from the place called Neskowin, on the Varner ranch. Varner was a great admirer of Karl Marx the German Socialist and named the office for him. Maps showing the name Mary and Marks are wrong. The Marx office was later moved northwest ​toward Neskowin, and finally to a point near the mouth of Neskowin Creek. The Neskowin post office had been discontinued in October, 1905, and that locality was without an office. The name of Marx office was changed to Neskowin on March 30, 1910, and thus the old name of Neskowin was revived.
Marylhurst}}, Clackamas County. The compiler remembers when this locality was called Villa Maria. That was about 1910. In April, 1943, Father Leo J. Linahen was kind enough to look into the history of the name Marylhurst, and he reported as follows: "Since a modest count showed that there were altogether too many Villa Marias in the country, a more distinctive name was sought. A Sister Mary Claudia (Macintosh) is credited with the choice of Marylhurst, or at least with the suggestion of the insertion of the l, for euphony. This was in 1913. The Mary part is easily explained. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary try always to put some reference to the Virgin in the names of their schools, witness their many St. Mary's Academies. The hurst part is not too mysterious, either. When the property was acquired, the Sisters thought, as did everyone else, that the proposed highway would be below their holdings, along the river. This would have put their buildings among the trees on the heights above the river, on the hurst. The front of the College faces upward toward the new highway, but the older buildings, Christie Home and the Provincial House, face downward toward the river and toward the place where the Sisters thought the highway was going to be built. From the new road, they seem to be not on a height but in a hollow; they thought they were going to be precisely on a hurst."
Marys Creek, Clatsop County. This stream is about ten miles east of Astoria. It was named for Mary Burnside, whose husband was a settler at the place known as Burnside station.
Marys Peak, Benton County. Marys Peak, elevation 4097 feet, is one of the best-known points in western Oregon. It is just southwest of Corvallis. It is the highest peak in the Oregon Coast Range north of Coquille River, but there are a number of mountains in the Coast Range south of Coquille River that are higher. The Indian name is said to have been Chintimini, with the accent on the second syllable, but the compiler does not know the meaning of the word. An editorial in the Corvallis Gazette-Times, September 20, 1935, says that the Indian name Chintimini was not used in earliest pioneer days, but the peak was called Mouse Mountain, a translation of an Indian name. This statement is attributed to Cal Thrasher, a well-known pioneer resident. Some color is given to this story by the fact that in the days of the fur traders, Marys River was called Mouse River or Mice River. See under Marys River. The compiler has not found the name Chintimini in early records nor is there any contemporary evidence that the fur traders used the style Saint Marys Peak. It is probable that the name Marys Peak came as the result of the naming of Marys River, a stream which heads north of the mountain. The name Marys River was in use in 1846 and possibly earlier.
Marys River, Benton County. In the early days of the fur traders Marys River, which heads north of Marys Peak, was known as Mouse River. In his journal for October 17, 1833, John Work refers to this stream as River de Souris, or Mouse River, and the context seems to show that the name Souris was already established. Duflot de Mofras used the name Riviere des Souris, Mice River, in 1841, and Joel Palmer called the ​stream Mouse River in 1845-46. Cal Thrasher, a Benton County pioneer, is authority for the statement that Marys Peak in early days was called Mouse Mountain, a translation of an Indian name. See editorial page of the Corvallis Gazette-Times, September 20, 1935. The name Marys River appears in an act passed by the Oregon legislature December 12, 1846, and it was apparently in public use at that time. There are at least two stories about the origin of the name Marys River. One is to the effect that it was applied by Adam E. Wimple, an early settler from Oneida County, New York, for his sister, who had never been in Oregon. Wimple murdered his girl wife, Mary, August 1, 1852, whom he had married the year before, and he was hanged at Dallas October 8, 1852. She had attacked him with a pistol. For narrative of the murder, see the Oregonian, August 8, September 11, 25, 1852. The other story is that the stream was named by Wayman St. Clair for Mary Lloyd, daughter of John Lloyd, who came to Oregon from Clay County, Missouri, in 1845, and in 1846 settled near the present town of Monroe in Benton County. She was said to be the first white woman to cross Marys River, in 1846 (George H. Himes.) She married John Foster in Benton County, June 20, 1846; died in August, 1854. Lloyd was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; died in Benton County, Oregon, January 6, 1880. His house is said to have been the farthest south in the Willamette Valley at one time. Wayman St. Clair was a member of the territorial legislature in 1850-51, representing Benton County in the lower house; also in 1854. He was an immigrant of 1845. He and John Lloyd were alternate captains of the last party that followed the Meek Cutoff. In the winter of 1847 Joseph C. Avery began to lay out a town at the mouth of Marys River, and the place was called Marysville. In 1853 the name was changed to Corvallis. See under that heading. Marysville was probably named for the stream, although there may have been additional reasons. Mrs. John (Mary) Stewart, one of the first settlers, said that Avery told her he would apply the name Marysville in her honor. See Corvallis Gazette-Times, June 7, 1935.It has been suggested that French-Canadian employees of the Hudson's Bay Company may have named the stream Saint Marys River, but there seems to be no contemporary record of the event.
Mascall Ranch, Grant County. In the early '70s the Mascall family settled in the John Day Valley near Dayville. The ranch was the headquarters for the first fossil hunters, and the name Mascall formation is now widely used by geologists.
Masten Butte, Deschutes County. This butte, elevation 4881 feet, is about eight miles southwest of Lapine. It bears the name of John N. Masten who at one time ran a sawmill on Little Deschutes River about two miles east of the butte.
Matheny Creek, Coos County. Matheny Creek is just west of Myrtle Point. It was named for James H. Matheny, who took up a land claim on its banks in pioneer days.
Matlock Canyon, Morrow County. Matlock Canyon drains into North Fork Butter Creek in township 1 north, range 28 east, on the extreme east edge of the county. The canyon was named for three Matlock brothers who settled and lived in the canyon. The spelling Mattlock is wrong.
Matney, Gilliam County. The history of the locality called Matney is meagre. Matney post office was established about four miles southeast ​of Condon as early as December 4, 1886, with Godfrey Schilling postmaster. The place is shown on contemporary maps but the only application of the name in recent years has been at Matney school and the compiler does not know if this school is still in service. There is nothing in available records to show that Matney post office was ever put in operation, despite the fact that a postmaster was appointed.
Matney, Wasco County. Matney post office was established June 12, 1895, with Isaac C. Matney postmaster. The office was closed April 23, 1896, with all papers to The Dalles. This record implies that Matney post office was near The Dalles.
Matoles, Jefferson County. Matoles, an early spelling for Metolius, was the style used for a post office established March 17, 1888, with Isaac Blanton first postmaster. According to. D. Allingham of Bend, this office was in the southwest corner of what is now Jefferson County, north of Black Butte. It was on Lake Creek, west of what was later called the Hansen Resort. Blanton sold his holdings to E. R. Carey of Prineville, who did not care to operate the post office. Benjamin Hoover was then appointed, May 27, 1889, and moved the office half to three quarters of a mile east. The office was closed September 12, 1890. Matoles post office was reestablished June 2, 1893, with Mrs. Margaret J. Allingham postmaster, on the Allingham ranch, about two miles north of and downstream from its original location. The office was discontinued August 29, 1896. All this information was gathered from Allingham by Robert W. Sawyer of Bend in September, 1946. For information about the name Metolius see under that heading. The later post office Metolius, is a good many miles northeast of the place once called Matoles.
Matterhorn, Wallowa County. The Matterhorn, named because of a fancied likeness to the great mountain of Switzerland and Italy, is one of the highest peaks in the Wallowa Mountains, and is situated southwest of Wallowa Lake. Matterhorn means a peak or horn with green meadows at its base. The village of Zermatt in Switzerland, at the foot of the Matterhorn, is so named because it is on a meadow.
Matthieu Lakes, Deschutes County. The name Matthieu Lakes was bestowed in 1924 by Professor Edwin T. Hodge of the University of Oregon on two sinall lakes on the southern part of Black Crater, near the summit of the Cascade Range. Professor Hodge thus honored Francis Xavier Matthieu, a pioneer of the Oregon country, who was born near Montreal, April 2. 1818, and died near Butteville, Oregon, February 4, 1919. He came to Oregon in 1842 with the Hastings company. He settled in the Willamette Valley not far from Butteville and was present at the meeting held at Champoeg May 2, 1843, to consider a provisional government. He was one of those who favored a provisional government and his name is one of the most honored in pioneer history. See memorial address of Charles B. Moores, published in OHQ, June, 1914.
Maud, Jefferson County. Maud post office was situated at the Samuel A. Sandvig homestead about ten miles west of Ashwood. The office was established May 9, 1912, with Sandvig postmaster, and was in operation until March 31, 1914. The office was named for Maud Sandvig, wife of the postmaster. It was near Pony Butte.
Maupin, Wasco County. Maupin bears the name of one of the most celebrated of Oregon pioneers. Beside being applied to the post office, the name is also used for several geographic features in the central part ​of the state. Howard Maupin was born in Kentucky in 1815, and when he was about 15 years old moved to Missouri. He came to Oregon in 1863 and after spending a short time in the Willamette Valley, went to central Oregon. He first settled in Antelope Valley. The famous central Oregon Chief Paulina and his renegade Indians stole all of Maupin's stock shortly after he settled in Antelope Valley. Maupin established a stopping place for travelers and in 1871 was the first postmaster of the town of Antelope. Maupin also lived and operated at other points in central Oregon. He had a farm at the forks of Trout Creek and it was near that location that Paulina stole more of his stock. Maupin pursued the Indians and surprised them near Paulina Basin, where he killed the old chief, who had been the terror of settlers for several years. Maupin was a veteran of the Mexican War and was said to be a crack shot. Later he had a ferry on Deschutes River near the mouth of Bakeoven Creek, which was subsequently owned by W. E. Hunt. The place was then called Hunts Ferry. W. H. Staats bought the townsite when the railroads were built up Deschutes Canyon and named the place Maupin Ferry, but the postal authorities cut off the last word and since about 1909 the place has been called Maupin.
Maury Mountains, Crook County. Maury Mountains are south of Crooked River, near the central part of Crook County. They form an isolated group of dissected hills drained by various tributaries of Crooked River. They were named for Colonel R. F. Maury, who was prominent during the various Indian wars fought in central Oregon in the '60s. For information about Colonel Maury and his participation in these Indian wars, see Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 488, et seq. In 1887 a post office was established near Maury Mountains and it was intended that it should be named in Colonel Maury's honor, but in the petition the name was incorrectly spelled Mowry. This post office was discontinued about 1899. See also under Camp Maury.
Maxville, Wallowa County. Maxville was a logging camp owned by the Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company. At the time the town was started the lumber company superintendent's name was J. D. McMillan, and the first part of his name was used to form the name of the community Maxville. The name was suggested by H. N. Ashby, of La Grande, general manager of the lumber company. The post office was discontinued about 1933, but the community was still in existence in April, 1943.
Maxwell, Coos County. Maxwell community and post office were situated six or seven miles south of what is now the city of Coos Bay, on the right or east of Isthmus Slough. William A. Maxwell came to the place about the turn of the century and started to develop a coal property. Bunkers and housing were built, but the mines failed to become a paying proposition. Maxwell post office was established January 29, 1902, with Fred Ward first postmaster. The office was closed May 15, 1907, and the place has become quite deserted.
May, Coos County. May post office, which was near the shore of Haynes Inlet north of Coos Bay, was named for May Peterson, daughter of the first postmaster. The office was established June 21, 1898, with Peter Peterson first postmaster in a series of two. The office was closed November 15, 1904.
Mayflower Creek, Marion County. This stream flows into North ​Santiam River west of Detroit. It is sometimes known as Watertank Creek, because of a railroad water tank nearby. C. C. Giebler of Detroit told the compiler in 1920 that Mayflower was the older name and in his opinion the one in general use. He was was not able to explain the origin of the name.
Mayger, Columbia County. C, W. Mayger, a native of France, came to Oak Point, Washington, about 1865, and later settled at what is now Mayger. The post office, established in 1889, was named for him, and he was first postmaster.
Mayville, Gilliam County. Mayville is said to have been named for an incident connected with the establishment of the post office in 1884, possibly for the month in which the petition was sent in. The office was put in operation in October, 1884, with Sam Thornton postmaster. William McConnell platted the townsite with the name Clyde, but the place is commonly called Mayville.
Mazama Creek, Douglas County. Mazama Creek is a small stream in the extreme southeast part of the county. It flows into Rogue River. It was named because of its proximity to Mount Mazama in Crater Lake National Park. See under MOUNT MAZAMA for origin of the name. Several other features in Oregon are named Mazama.
McAlister Creek, Wallowa County. This creek was named for James W. McAlister, a stockman. It is in township 3 north, range 43 east. McAlister Ridge and McAlister Spring in the same locality are named for the same man.
McBee Island, Benton County. J. W. McBee, a pioneer of Oregon, took up a donation land claim in early days northeast of Peoria, and this island in the Willamette River was named for him. See land office certificate 3958. McBee Slough nearby was named for the same man.
McBride, Columbia County. This station was named for Judge Thomas A. McBride, for many years a distinguished member of the judiciary of Oregon, and chief justice of the state supreme court. He had a farm near the station that bears his name.
McCaffer Slough, Lincoln County. McCaffery was the name of a pioneer settler who lived near this slough and tonged for oysters in the waters of Yaquina Bay. The slough flows into the bay on the south side, about a mile west of the locality called Oysterville. It is shown as Johnson Slough on some maps but the best authorities favor the name McCaffery Slough. Andrew L. Porter, who settled in Lincoln County in the '60s, is one of those who says that McCaffery is the correct name.
McCord Creek, Multnomah County. This creek has had several names, including Pierce Creek and Kelly Creek. A committee representing various historical organizations recommended that it be named McCord Creek, and that name was adopted by the USBGN. This was in honor of W. R. McCord, a pioneer of Oregon, who built the first fish wheels near the mouth of the stream.
McCoy, Polk County. E. T. Hatch of Vancouver, Washington, informed the compiler in December, 1926, that McCoy was named for Isaac McCoy, who owned the land on which the town was built. He gave right-of-way for the railroad and wanted the station named McCoyville, but the railroad officials clipped off the last syllable.
McCoy Creek, Harney County. The writer is informed that this stream, which drains the northwest slope of Steens Mountain, was named by Mrs. Dolly Kiger for a local resident, Mace McCoy.
McCoy CREEK, Union County. This stream heads in the Blue Mountains west of La Grande and flows into Meadow Creek near Starkey. It has been known in the past as Ensign Creek on some maps, but in 1933 the postmaster at Starkey wrote the compiler that in his opinion McCoy Creek was the right name. McCoy Creek is the style used on recent maps of the U. S. Forest Service.
McCREDIE SPRINGS, Lane County. McCredie Springs on Salt Creek were named for Judge William Wallace McCredie, well - known Portland baseball enthusiast. They are on the Southern Pacific Cascade line and on the Willamette Highway about ten miles southeast of Oakridge. Mrs. Paul Sims of McCredie Springs wrote the compiler that Judge McCredie bought an interest in the springs about 1916. They were then known as Winino Springs. For additional information, see under that heading. There was once a post office on Salt Creek called Winino. There are several hot springs of varying temperatures, and a resort development. McCredie Springs post office was established September 14, 1926, with Mrs. Vivian Cartwright postmaster. This office was out of service for a time, but has been reestablished. Judge McCredie used the resort as a training quarters for the Portland baseball players. His nephew, Walter McCredie, was also interested in the activities of the Portland team.
McCUBBIN BASIN, Wallowa County. This basin, in township 2 south, range 43 east, was named for Leander McCubbin, who ranged sheep thereabouts.
McCully CREEK, Wallowa County. McCully Creek was named for Frank D. McCully, who ranged sheep there with Charles Christy. He was the second merchant in Joseph, Oregon.
McCURDY, Klamath County. A post office named McCurdy was established on the Klamath County list in February, 1882, and ran for a little over a year when it was closed to Linkville. Martin V. McCurdy was the first postmaster. The following quotation from the editorial column of the Klamath Falls Herald and News, June 4, 1948, contains useful information: "Yesterday, Jesse Drew was in from Hildebrand with the story of McCurdy post office. He said this post office, located about three miles from the present Lakeview-Hildebrand intersection at the Bliss store, was run for just about one year." Drew went on to say that he was living in the former McCurdy house, which he had remodeled. This house is situated about a quarter of a mile south of the northeast corner of section 10, township 38 south, range 111/2 east. It is about four miles north and a half mile east of Dairy.
McDERMITT, Malheur County. A post office with the name McDermitt was in service in the extreme south end of Malheur County from May 20, 1904, to May 26, 1908, when it was changed to the list for Humboldt County, Nevada. As far as the compiler can determine, the office has been in operation in Nevada ever since it was moved from the Oregon list. What there is of the community is very close to the state line. The writer has been unable to get the early history of this office, which was apparently established in Nevada. It was named for the military establishment Fort McDermit, and the fort was named for Lieutenant Colonel Charles McDermit of the Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, who was killed by Indians August 7, 1865, while scouting along a creek westward of what was later the post office. The name McDermitt is used ​
for a voting precinct in southern Malheur County. The compiler does not know what brought about the discrepancy in the spelling of the name. McDermitt for the post office is a style well established, and it is the official name of the voting precinct. Maps show the stream with the named spelled either way. McDonald), Sherman County. McDonald post office was established near the John Day River on the east border of the county on March 15, 1904. with Wiliam G. McDonald postmaster, and remained in service until October 14, 1922, when it was closed to Klondike. It was of course named with the family name of the postmaster. This office was at the McDonald Ferry on John Day River at the mouth of Grass Valley Canyon. The Oregon Trail crossed the river at this point. For the history of earlier post offices in this locality, especially on the Gilliam County side, see under ROCKVILLE.
McDOWELL CREEK, Linn County. This stream flows into South Santiam River not far southeast of Waterloo. It was named for James McDowell, an early settler of the vicinity.
McEwEN, Baker County. This community was named for Thomas
McEwen, a pioneer settler.
MCFARLAND BUTTE, Lane County. This butte is just northwest of Cottage Grove and lies between Bennett Creek and Silk Creek. It was named for James McFarland, who came to Oregon in 1850 and settled near what is now Cottage Grove in 1853. His brother, John W. McFarland, was also an early settler in the vicinity. Several descendants have been prominent in the community.
MCGLYNN, Lane County. McGlynn was the post office name for the railroad station of Penn. Postal authorities were unwilling to accept the name Penn as a post office name because of possible confusion. McGlynn was suggested because Thomas McGlynn owned the land on which the post office was established. This was in 1923. McGlynn was not a post office in 1939.
MCGRAW CREFK, Wallowa County. McGraw Creek was named for an early day hunter and trapper. It flows into Snake River in township 5 south, range 49 east, in the extreme southeast corner of the county. McKay, Umatilla County. This post office was named McKay because of its proximity to McKay Creek and because of a desire to honor Dr. William C. McKay. See under McKay CREEK, Umatilla County. McKAY CREEK, Crook County. This stream is in the northwest part of the county. It was named for Donald McKay, a well-known scout in the Indian troubles in central Oregon, who took a conspicuous part in the Modoc War. He was a son of Thomas McKay and a grandson of Alexander McKay, who was blown up with the Astor ship Tonquin at Clayoquot Sound in June, 1811. Thomas McKay came to Oregon with his father in 1811. Alexander McKay's widow married Dr. John McLoughlin and came to Oregon. Thomas McKay was married twice. Dr. William C. McKay was a child of the first marriage, and Donald Mckay of the second.
MCKAY CREEK, Umatilla County. This stream rises on the west slopes of the Blue Mountains and flows into the Umatilla River just west of Pendleton. It was named for Dr. William C. McKay, who was born at Astoria in 1824 and died in Pendleton in 1893. He settled near the mouth of McKay Creek in 1851-52, and called the place Houtama. ​
Dr. McKay was the son of Thomas McKay. For biography of Dr. McKay, see Pendleton East Oregonian, January 2, 1889.
McKay CREEK, Washington County. This stream drains a considerable area north of Hillsboro. It was named for Charles McKay, a pioneer settler, who took up a donation land claim nearby. The stream has also been known as Johnson Creek and Davis Creek, because it passes through land once owned by early settlers with these names. The USGS, however, used the form McKay Creek when it mapped the Hillsboro quadrangle, and C. G. Reiter, city manager of Hillsboro, informed the compiler in October, 1927, that McKay Creek was the name generally used in the county.
McKay DAM, Umatilla County. McKay Dam is so called because it dams McKay Creek. For the origin of the name McKay Creek, see under that heading. McKay Dam is part of the Umatilla reclamation project and is situated about seven miles south of Pendleton. The dam was built for the purpose of storing water in McKay Creek and the reservoir created by the dam has a capacity of about 73,000 acre feet. This water will be used to supplement the natural flow of Umatilla River for irrigating 38,000 acres of land near Echo, Stanfield and Hermiston. The post office of McKay Dam was established about 1923, and was discontinued in the summer of 1925. For additional details about this dam see New Reclamation Era for September, 1925.
McKEE, Marion County. McKee station north of Mount Angel was named for a pioneer family of the neighborhood.
MCKENZIE BRIDGE, Lane County. McKenzie Bridge has long been an important crossing of McKenzie River, and was named for the stream. For many years the post office was called McKinzie Bridge, and after much protesting, postal authorities agreed to correct the spelling, which was done in November, 1918. One of the enthusiastic supporters of the McKenzie road project was John Templeton Craig who is buried in McKenzie Pass. In the '60s Craig lived like a hermit near what is now McKenzie Bridge, and the location was called Craigs or Craigs Pasture. See under Craig Lake, and also OHQ, volume XXXI, page 261. It is said that the location of McKenzie Bridge was once called Strawberry Prairie.
MCKENZIE CANYON, Deschutes County. This canyon lies between Sisters and Lower Bridge. It is said to have received its name, not because of any local settler named McKenzie, but because the road west from Lower Bridge up this canyon led to McKenzie Pass.
MCKENZIE Pass, Lane, Linn and Deschutes counties. Authorities who are presumed to know about such matters have informed the writer that nowhere are there such remarkable evidences of comparatively recent vulcanism as in central Oregon. The writer is prepared to believe this, and is of the opinion that the lava fields and flows of McKenzie Pass present the most unusual aspect of nature that he has ever seen. Fortunately the development of an excellent highway over McKenzie Pass brought these lava flows within view of many people who knew little of them. McKenzie Pass is named for McKenzie River, and beside being well known for its unusual lavas, is also historically interesting by reason of the construction by pioneer citizens of Oregon of a toll road over the Cascade Range at this point. After toll collecting was abandoned, the road over the summit languished until active reconstruction was taken up about 1920. The road was relocated and widened, and ​on September 21, 1925, the highway project was completed between Blue River and Sisters, a distance of about 50 miles. See Bend Bulletin of that date. The highest point on the highway through the pass is 5325 feet, according to computations made by the writer.
McKenzie River, Lane County. As a fine mountain river the McKenzie may be equalled in Oregon, but it is surely not surpassed. It was named for Donald McKenzie, a member of Astor's Pacific Fur Company. In 1812 he explored the Willamette Valley, and it was doubt. less this expedition that caused his name to be attached to what is now McKenzie River. It was called McKenzie's Fork by John Work in 1834, and during pioneer days the name was shortened to McKenzie Fork. This term was used in contradistinction to Middle Fork and Coast Fork Willamette River. The name is now universally McKenzie River. A South Fork heads southwest of the Three Sisters. Donald McKenzie, a kinsman of Alexander Mackenzie, was an old "North Wester," before he joined the Astor enterprise. He came west with the overland party and arrived at Astoria January 18, 1812. He went east to Fort William in 1814. He returned to the Columbia River with the North West Company in 1816, and thereafter made notable expeditions in the Snake River country. He accumulated a fortune in the fur trade and retired to New York, where he died at Mayville, Chautauqua County, in 1851. McKenzie was a remarkable rifle shot, skilled in woodcraft and Indian warfare, and was an able trader with the Indians. Ross Cox describes him favorably: "To the most cautious prudence he united the most dauntless intrepidity; in fact, no hardships could fatigue, no dangers intimidate him." Franchere calls him "a very selfish man, who cared for no one but himself." However, Alexander Ross, in Fur Hunters of the Far West, volume I, pages 281–83, presents a much more agreeable picture of McKenzie, credits him with some excellent qualities and winds up by calling him "Perpetual Motion." For data about McKenzie's activities in the Pacific Northwest, see article "Snake River Fur Trade," by W. T. Atkin, OHQ, volume XXXV, page 295. For short biography, see Colin Robertson's Correspondence Book, Hudson's Bay Record Society, 1939, page 233.
McKinley, Coos County. McKinley post office was established in July, 1897, and was named in honor of William McKinley, president of the United States, by Homer Shepherd, who took the necessary steps to have the office established. Shepherd was the first postmaster.
McKinney Bottom, Marion County. McKinney Bottom, east of Jefferson, was named for a pioneer landowner, William McKinney.
McKinney Butte, Deschutes County. McKinney Butte is about a mile northeast of Sisters. In November, 1943, George E. Aitken of Sisters told the compiler that it was named for Jesse O. McKinney, who at one time owned a ranch near the base of the butte. McKinney died about 1942 at Stevenson, Washington.
McKinney Creek, Linn County. This stream is a tributary of North Santiam River and was named by Thomas J. Henness because William McKinney, a pioneer settler of the Santiam Valley, found a gold nugget worth $5 at the mouth of the stream in 1861. See the Salem Capital Journal, June 18, 1927, page 1.
McLean Point, Lincoln County. McLean Point is a well known place on the north shore of Yaquina Bay about a mile and a half east of Newport. It was named for Rufus McLean, who settled there in ​the late '60s and had a house on a small bench above the bay. He used to haul freight to the Siletz Agency.
McMahan Branch, Polk County. This stream rises on the west slopes of the Eola Hills and flows into Mud Slough, a tributary of Rickreall Creek. It was named for Richard McMahan, who was born in Kentucky in 1812, and who settled on a donation land claim nearby in March, 1851.
McMinnville, Yamhill County. McMinnville was named by William T. Newby, who was born in McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee, in 1820, and came to Oregon in 1843. He settled near the present site of McMinnville early in 1844, and in 1853 built a grist mill and founded the town. In 1854 he started a store. He was county assessor in 1848 and state senator in 1870. McMinville postoffice was established on May 29, 1855, with Elbridge G. Edson postmaster. The name was later changed to the present spelling. McMinnville is on the land claim of Thomas Owens.
McMullin Creek, Josephine County. This is a tributary of Deer Creek near Selma. It bears the name of William McMullin, a pioneer of the Illinois Valley. See Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 452.
McNab, Morrow County. This station west of lone was named for Wesley T. McNab, who came to Pendleton from Iowa, and subsequently settled in Morrow County. He was a stockman and later a grain buyer. McNary, Polk County. McNary is a station on the Southern Pacific railroad about one and one-half miles west of Eola. It was named for the McNary family, pioneer settlers in Polk County.
McNulty Creek, Columbia County. This stream and a railroad station were named for John McNulty, a pioneer of Oregon, who took up a claim not far from the present site of Saint Helens.
McTimmonds Valley, Polk County. This valley, about three miles west of Lewisville and draining into Luckiamute River, was named for Lambert McTimmonds, who received a patent for land in the vicinity in 1875.
Meacham, Umatilla County. Meacham is a station on the Union Pacific Railroad near the summit of the Blue Mountains. It is where H. A. G. Lee established Lees Encampment in the '40s. Meacham was named for Harvey J. and Alfred B. Meacham, brothers, who operated Meacham Station in the '60s and early '70s. See interview with Mrs. Nellie Frances Meacham Reddington, editorial page of the Oregon Journal, November 9, 1935. She was the daughter of A. B. Meacham. Harvey J. Meacham, already in Oregon, urged his brother to come here from California, which he did in February-March, 1863, and the two started a small stage station at Lees Encampment. A larger station was built in the spring of 1865 and called Meacham Station. Harvey Meacham was killed at the station May 29, 1872, when a tree fell on him. Alfred B. Meacham was born in Orange County, Indiana, April 29, 1826. He joined the gold rush to California in 1850, and came to Oregon in 1863. On May 1, 1869, he was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs by President U. S. Grant. For his activities in trying to bring about peace with the Modocs, see his book, Wigwam and War-path, and also The Indian History of the Modoc War, by Jeff C. Riddle. In the Modoc Lava Beds attack on April 11, 1873, General E. R. S. Canby and the Reverend Eleazar Thomas, D. D., were killed, and Meacham was bad​ly wounded and left for dead. See under Canby in this book. After the Modoc War Meacham interested himself in Indian affairs in various parts of the United States. He died February 16, 1882, at Washington, D. C. After the railroad began operating over the Blue Mountains it built an eating house at Meacham, which later became famous under the management of "Grandma" Munra. Encampment post office was established May 8, 1882, with Mary M. Strickland first postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Meacham March 26, 1890.
Meadow, Crook County. Meadow was the name of a post office established on the Crook County list on December 21, 1910, with Emma J. Merritt first postmaster. This office was operated until July 9, 1919, when the name was changed to Ochoco. The office is said to have been moved to a new location at that time. The compiler has not been able to learn the location of Ochoco post office of which Claud W. Martin was the only postmaster. Meadow post office was given a descriptive name because of its proximity to Big Summit Prairie. Many parts of this big prairie simulate a meadow. The prairie covers a large part of township 14 south, range 21 east, and Meadow post office was in section 13 of this township. At least that is where it is shown on a map of Ochoco National Forest dated 1915.
Meadow, Lane County. Meadow was a place in the west part of the county on Siuslaw River about a mile south of the north line of township 18 south, range 8 west. Meadow Creek flows into the river nearby. In January, 1947, Elwin A. McCornack of Eugene wrote the compiler as follows: "After a road had been cut through over Badger Mountain, down Wildcat Creek to the Siuslaw and to Swisshome, the mail and stage coaches from Eugene followed this new route. Stage stations were established every twenty or thirty miles where horses were changed and passengers fed or put up for the night. One of these stations on the Siuslaw was known as Meadow and was owned and operated by a Mr. Tallman. I always assumed this place was called Meadow because of the fact that in a very restricted valley the Tallman ranch had a good expanse of hay meadow." Meadow post office was established August 30, 1887, with Levi P. Tallman first postmaster. The office was closed August 31, 1908, with papers to Walton.
Meadow Creek, Umatilla and Union counties. Meadow Creek is a good size stream flowing eastward in the Blue Mountains and draining into Grande Ronde River near Starkey. Some old maps show this as Starkey Creek, but letters from the postmaster at Starkey in 1933 and from the Forest Service say that Meadow Creek is the correct name and the one in general use.
Meadowbrook, Clackamas County. The name Meadowbrook, as applied to a locality a few miles northeast of Molalla, is mildly sentimental and certainly not very original. The place may have been named for Milk Creek which flows nearby, but that stream hardly merits the name "brook." Meadow Brook post office was established May 13, 1889, with Charles Holman postmaster. The name was changed to Meadowbrook September 5, 1895, and the office was closed May 20, 1905.
Meadows, Umatilla County. In pioneer days that part of the county in the vicinity of what is now Hermiston was called the Meadows because of its characteristic appearance and in contradistinction to the canyon of Umatilla River west of Pendleton. There was an early post of ​fice on or near the Meadows called Meadowville. It was closed in 1874 and on May 10, 1880, a new office was established called Meadows. The office was closed to Echo December 19, 1882.
Meadowville, Umatilla County. One of the pioneer post offices of Umatilla County was called Meadowville. It was situated near what is now Stanfield, but it passed from the picture many years ago. Meadowville post office was established February 2, 1867, with Hawkins Shelton first postmaster. The office was closed October 26, 1874.
Mealey, Linn County. The place called Mealey was near the foot of Moss Butte about seven miles southeast of Foster on the military road. It was named in compliment to Charles Mealey and his wife Mary Jane, nee Settlemier, who came to Oregon in separate wagon trains in 1852. After marriage, the Mealeys lived in Brownsville and also in Albany, before homesteading near the South Santiam River in 1874. This homestead was near the middle of section 4, township 14 south, range 2 east. Mealey post office was established August 19, 1892, with Orange J. Mealey first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued March 1, 1898, with papers to Foster. Information about the Mealey family was sent the compiler in September, 1946, by William R. Mealey of Foster, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mealey and brother of Orange J. Mealey. William Mealey was born in Albany in September, 1870, and was brought up on the Mealey place described above.
Mecca, Jefferson County. Mecca is a place on the east bank of Deschutes River a few miles east of Warm Springs Agency and in days gone by it sported not only a post office but it was a station on the Oregon Trunk railway line. The old wagon road from Madras to Warm Springs Agency came down from Agency Plains on a hair raising grade, and crossed the Deschutes at Mecca. There is some uncertainty about the origin of the name Mecca as applied to the railroad station, but it is generally believed that the name was used because when the railroad was built to this point it was out of the worst part of Deschutes Canyon and one of its main objectives had been reached. Mecca post office was established September 18, 1911, with Edward Chaoupka first postmaster. The office was discontinued May 31, 1924, A new highway has been built from Madras to Warm Springs and a new bridge has been installed more than a mile upstream from Mecca. The railroad has been torn out. Mecca, Oregon, is not now a focal point for tourists and pilgrims.
Meda, Tillamook County. Meda post office was on Little Nestucca River about midway of Oretown and Dolph. This post office was established May 11, 1887, with Wallace Yates first postmaster. In May, 1948, Mrs. Affolter of Hebo told the compiler that Meda was the name of Yates' sweetheart in England. The sentimental side of this story is tinctured with melancholy because Meda is reported to have died just before or just after Yates left England. In any event it was in her memory that he named the post office. This office was out of service from 1892 to 1915. It was discontinued again in September, 1920. The Meda schoolhouse is still in service. Meda post office had seven different postmasters and it seems probable that it moved around a little as time went on.
Medford, Jackson County, Richard Koehler, a resident of Oregon for more than a half a century and for many years operating head of Southern Pacific Company lines in this state, told the compiler that the town of Medford was named by David Loring who was at the time of ​construction a civil engineer connected with the right-of-way operations for the Oregon and California Rail Road Company. The railroad was opened to traffic from Grants Pass to Phoenix in 1884. The name was apparently applied shortly before that date. In August, 1927, David Loring was living in Portland, and in conversation with the compiler confirmed Mr. Koehler's statement. Mr. Loring said that while the form of the name was suggested by Medford, Massachusetts, he really named the new community in Oregon because it was situated at the middle ford on Bear Creek. Mr. Loring was a native of Massachusetts. People in Jacksonville were not enthusiastic about the new rival community of Medford and referred to it as Chaparral City. The best authorities seem to agree that the name of Medford, Massachusetts, comes from the old English words mead and ford, meaning a ford at a meadow. Mr. Loring may have had in mind a combination of mede and ford, in which mede is an obsolete abbreviation for medium, hence middle.
Medical Springs, Union County. Medical Springs is a descriptive name applied to the hot sulphur springs at that place.
Medicine Creek, Wallowa County. Jake Sheets got sick on this stream, and his companions, Charles and James Rice, mixed up all the medicine they had and forced him to take it. The mixture nearly killed him. The stream was named to commemorate the dose.
Medicine Rock, Lincoln County. Medicine Rock is a well-known point on the north or left bank of Siletz River about five miles upstream from the mouth. In this locality the river flows eastward. The geography of the location is shown on the Geological Survey map of the Euchre Mountain quadrangle. The rock was named because of an Indian custom of leaving offerings at its base. The rock was supposed to be the abode of a Skookum, or bad medicine man, whom the Indians propitiated by giving articles of food, pieces of cloth and sometimes native tools and fishhooks.
Medley, Clatsop County. Medley post office was established early in 1890 with William Medley first and only postmaster. It was named in his compliment. The office was nearly three miles west of and up Fishhawk Creek from Jewell, and was therefore not far from an earlier post office called Denver, which had been closed in 1888. Medley post office was closed January 2, 1904, with papers to Jewell.
Meer Lake, Klamath County. This small lake is west of Crescent Lake and near the summit of the Cascade Range. It is said to have been named because of some incident connected with a party of immigrants traveling over the Meek Cutoff through central Oregon. However, the Meek Cutoff was not in the vicinity of the lake, although a party of immigrants may have left the cutoff and passed by the lake.
Mehama, Marion County. This town was named for Mehama Smith, wife of James X. Smith, who laid out the townsite and who operated a ferry on North Santiam River in pioneer days. A post office with the name Mehamah was established March 12, 1877, with John J. Blair first postmaster. The error was corrected and the name of the office changed to Mehama on March 30, 1881. Lewis Stout ran a ferry at this place before Smith Ferry was put in operation.
Melrose, Douglas County. Melrose was named for Melrose Abbey in Scotland, by Henry Scott. Scott was a native of Scotland and came from near Melrose Abbey. A post office named Hogan was established ​at or near the place in Douglas County on May 18, 1887, with James McKinney first postmaster. Henry Scott became postmaster on November 10, 1887. He was not satisfied with the name of the office and had it changed to Melrose on October 10, 1890. Hogan was the name of a nearby resident.
Melville, Clatsop County. This place is said to have been named for the oldest son of D. J. Ingalls, who resided there. It is on Lewis and Clark River.
Melvin Butte, Deschutes County. This butte is in the foothills of the Cascade Range about ten miles southeast of Sisters. It was named for J. L. Melvin, who took up a timber claim nearby about 1902. Melvin got into a controversy with S. H. Dorrance, which is said to have started because Dorrance put sawdust in Melvin's irrigation ditch. As a result of this altercation Melvin killed Dorrance on the side of the butte now known as Melvin Butte. Melvin was cleared by a jury which considered that he was not to blame for the difficulty.
Memaloose Island, Wasco County. There are a number of geographic features in Oregon bearing the Chinook jargon word for death or dead. They were so named because they were Indian burial places. Several islands in the Columbia River are named Memaloose. The most important is near the south bank of the river between The Dalles and Mosier. On it is buried Vic Trevitt, a prominent pioneer citizen and for many years a resident of The Dalles. His monument is easily seen from the mainland. Memaloose is given by Gibbs as memaloost, who says it is from the Chinook Indian word memalust, meaning to die. Memaloose is the spelling adopted by the USBGN and is in general use.
Meno, Hood River County. This station, west of Hood River, was originally named Menominee, for the place in Michigan. The naming was at the request of J. E. Cameron, who had formerly lived in the Michigan town, and when he established a sawmill in Oregon, he desired to perpetuate the name of his old home. After the mill was abandoned, the railroad company shortened the name of the station because the long form of the name was awkward in telegraphing. For obituary of J. E. Cameron, see Oregon Journal, Sunday, May 22, 1927, section I, page 2. A post office with the name Nicolai was established in this locality on November 13, 1900, with George H. Nicolai first postmaster. The name was changed to Menominee on October 13, 1903. The office was discontinued March 31, 1909.
Mercer, Lane County. This post office was named Mercer because of its proximity to Mercer Lake. It was established in June, 1904. For the origin of the name see Mercer Lake.
Mercer Lake, Lane County. This lake is about five miles north of Florence and was named for a government surveyor, George Mercer. Mercer surveyed the line between township 17 south of ranges 11 and 12 west in 1879, and his name became applied to the lake on that account. The line passed through the lake. The name Mercer Lake is shown on maps prepared in 1883. The compiler is informed that the Indian name for Mercer Lake was Kow-y-ich, meaning the place of the lake.
Merganser, Klamath County. Merganser was the name of a town that lived for a decade then passed into limbo. The place was established about 1870 by J. P. Roberts and Albert Handy to compete with the ​nearby village of Linkville, now Klamath Falls. It was situated about two miles below Klamath Falls, on the west bank of Klamath River not far from the bridge for The Dalles-California Highway. The first post office was called Klamath. It was in service from June, 1872, to April, 1873, with Albert Handy postmaster. On April 9, 1873, the name of the office was changed to Lakeport, and Handy continued in office. On May 19, 1875, the name of the office was changed to Merganser. John P. Roberts was postmaster at the time. Merganser office was closed May 12, 1879. The name Merganser was selected because of some incident connected with the shooting of a merganser duck in the vicinity. The town petered out about 1880. For short history of this place, see Illustrated History of Central Oregon, page 983.
MERIDIAN, Marion County. Meridian is a crossroads locality about two miles south of Monitor, named because of its position on the Willamette Meridian. Meridian post office was established in October, 1900, with B. W. Otto first postmaster. The office was discontinued in October, 1903.
Meriwether, Clatsop County. Meriwether is a station east of Warrenton, and was platted with that title in 1896 by S. D. and Mary R. Adair, and was named for Captain Meriwether Lewis, because it was near the bay called Meriwether Bay by Lewis and Clark but now known as Youngs Bay. For additional information see under Youngs Bay and Lewis and Clark River.
Merlin, Josephine County. David Loring, of Portland, for many years engaged in civil engineering in Oregon, and at one time in the employ of the railroad company building from Roseburg to Grants Pass, informed the compiler in August, 1927, that he named the community of Merlin for the merlins that he saw in the neighborhood about 1882. These birds were probably what are locally known as pigeon hawks. John G. Lanterman was the first postmaster.
Merrill, Klamath County. Merrill was named for Nathan S. Merrill, who was born in New Hampshire in 1836, and moved to California in 1869. He moved to Chehalis County, Washington, in 1881, and in 1890 settled at the present site of Merrill. He bought a ranch in the spring of 1894 and laid out part of the town of Merrill, which was named for him.
Merrill Creek, Columbia County. George Merrill. for whom this stream was named, was born in Ohio September 11, 1826, and came to Oregon with his parents in 1847. His father died on the overland journey. Merrill went to the California mines but returned to Oregon in 1850. In 1851 he married Ann Martin and settled on a donation land claim on Deer Island where he lived the rest of his life. Merrill was once assessor of Columbia County and served three terms as county clerk. He was an amateur geologist, naturalist, and botanist. He died at his home on Deer Island November 8, 1912, aged 86. His obituary is in the Oregonian, November 24, 1912. Merrill Creek rises in the hills west of Deer Island and drains eastward to the Columbia River.
Mesa Creek, Lane County. So named because it heads near Rock Mesa, south of the Three Sisters. Mesa is Spanish for table.
Metlako Falls, Hood River County. These falls are on Eagle Creek. They were named for an Indian legendary goddess of the salmon.
Metolius River, Deschutes and Jefferson counties. Three of the ​western tributaries of the Deschutes have their sources in giant springs, Metolius, Spring and Fall rivers, and of these three the Metolius is the largest and longest. It flows from the north base of Black Butte, full-bodied and icy cold, and after winding northward through beautiful pine forests, swings around the north end of Green Ridge through a canyon of great depth and majestic grandeur, joining the Deschutes just north of the mouth of Crooked River. The gorge of the Metolius is more than 1500 feet deep in places, with sides sufficiently precipitous to make a descent a real problem. As far as the writer knows, the first mention of Metolius is in the Pacific Railroad Surveys Reports, volume VI, where the name is given Mpto-ly-as. The army officers who compiled these reports visited the valley of the Deschutes in the latter part of 1855, and apparently heard the name from Indians at that time. Other early forms were Metoluis and Matoles, but modern use has standardized on Metolius. Around Bend there is a story to the effect that metolius is a Warm Springs Indian word meaning spawning salmon, but Warm Springs Indians have informed the writer that metolius means white fish, indicating by that expression that they meant a light colored salmon rather than a whitefish. The two translations may both be correct. There is a post office in Jefferson County named Metolius, for the river. Fremont forded what we now call the Metolius River on December 1, 1843, but gave it no name. His Indian guides told him it was a salmon-water.
Metzger, Washington County. Metzger townsite was laid out by Herman Metzger, a prominent pioneer merchant of Portland, who was born in Bavaria, and was in business in Portland for many years. The property was actively marketed in 1908-09. The post office was established in 1912, with C. C. Taylor first postmaster.
Miami River, Tillamook County. Miami River empties into Tillamook Bay at the lower end, that is, toward the ocean. In pioneer days the stream was referred to as Mi-me Chuck, a Chinook jargon expression meaning a tributary creek or river coming in downstream. George Gibbs in Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, 1863, gives mi-mie, meaning downstream, with accent on the first syllable. In 1927, T. B. Handley of the Portland bar wrote the compiler that Tillamook Indians and others used the expression Mime Chuck for the locality of the river down the bay, but the name has been corrupted into the style used in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere.
Middle Fork Willamette River, Douglas and Lane counties. This is the main tributary of Willamette River, and it has been known as Middle Fork since early pioneer days. It heads in Lake Timpanogas. The name is well established. It was named in contradistinction to Coast Fork and to McKenzie Fork, now McKenzie River. From time to time there have been efforts to change the name of Middle Fork Willamette River to that of the main stream, Willamette River. Popular sentiment has always been against the proposal.
Middle Santiam River, Linn County. This is the name given this stream by the USBGN, not Middle Fork. The largest tributary is Quartzville Creek, from the north. See under Santiam River.
Middleton, Washington County. Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that this place was once known as Stringtown. When the railroad was built the name was changed to Middleton because the station was about half way between Portland and Lafayette.
​Midland, Klamath County, Messrs. Campbell and Reams platted this townsite about 1908, and named it Midland. It is said that the name was chosen because the place was about half way between Portland and San Francisco on the new Cascade line of the Southern Pacific. However, the station is not half way between the two cities, and could not have been named on that account. Midland was on land partly surrounded by marshes, and was probably named for that reason.
Midway, Morrow County. The pioneer post office Midway was about twelve miles south-southwest of Heppner. It was obviously named because it was approximately midway between Heppner and some other place. Early maps indicate that this other place may have been Adamsville, Dairyville or Hardman. These three places were all in the same general locality. Dairyville is not on the county post office list and it is believed the name referred to the place now known as Hardman, Midway post office was established October 27, 1874, with Henry C. Myers first postmaster. Except for one lapse the office operated continuously until February 1, 1881.
Mikkalo, Gilliam County. Mikkalo was named in 1905, for John Mikkalo, an early settler in the community. This was at the time the railroad was built from Arlington to Condon. The post office was established a few years later.
Milbury Mountain, Curry County. Milbury Mountain was named for William Milbury who was a Forest Service ranger in the Siskiyou Mountains for many years. The mountain is about ten miles southeast of Port Orford in township 33 south, range 13 west, south of Elk River. It has an elevation of about 2600 feet.
Miles, Baker County. Miles was a locality name for a place near the upper or northwest end of Lower Powder Valley northeast of Baker. The post office, which was established May 22, 1901, was named for the first postmaster, William Miles, and it was in service a little over eleven years. It was near Powder River in the south part of township 7 south, range 41 east.
Milk Creek, Clackamas County. This stream, a tributary of Molalla River, flows over a deposit of rock resembling soapstone, and receives a milky color therefrom. This deposit is near Colton.
Milk Creek, Jefferson County. This stream drains one of the glaciers on the east slope of Mount Jefferson, and flows into Whitewater River. It carries a considerable quantity of glacial silt of a light color, and received its name on that account. There is another Milk Creek on the west part of Mount Jefferson, in Linn County, that is so called for the same reason.
Mill City, Marion County. Mill City is on the North Santiam River. The post office is in Marion County. Part of the community is on the south side of the river in Linn County. John Shaw and others moved the sawmill from Stayton to this place in 1887 and in the following year had a post office established with the name Mill City. Shaw was a son of Angus Shaw, who established the town of Shaw in Marion County. For story about Mill City by Fred Lockley, see the Oregon Journal, editorial page, July 9, 1932.
Mill Creek, Crook County. Old residents of Prineville say that the first sawmill of the county was built on this stream, hence the name. The creek flows into Ochoco Creek east of Prineville. ​Mill Creek, Marion County. This stream joins the Willamette River in the north part of Salem. It was named for the pioneer sawmill established on its banks as part of the operations of Jason Lee's Methodist mission, which was begun on Mission Bottom in 1834. The sawmill was probably built in 1840-41. The canal from North Santiam River, augmenting the flow of Mill Creek, was finished in 1857. The stream in the south part of town, sometimes called South Mill Creek, is largely artificial and is not the original Mill Creek.
Mill Creek, Umatilla County. Mill Creek is for the most part a stream of the state of Washington, but not far from its source in the Blue Mountains it flows through Oregon for several miles. The Rev. Myron Eells is authority for the statement that Dr. Marcus Whitman rebuilt his flour mill in the Walla Walla Valley in 1844, and the next year went up the stream about 20 miles into the Blue Mountains and built a sawmill, which caused the stream to be called Mill Creek. Eells' Marcus Whitman, page 135.
Mill Creek, Union County. Mill Creek, near Cove, is so called because one of the pioneer sawmills of Grande Ronde Valley was built on the stream by James M. De Moss. See under De Moss and North Powder.
Mill Creek, Wasco County. The neighborhood of Mill Creek, which flows into the Columbia River at The Dalles, was called Quenett by the local Indians, which was a name for salmon trout. When the government decided to establish Fort Dalles, an officer was sent to build a sawmill to be operated by mule power. Upon his arrival he found a small waterpower site and built a mill on this stream, now known as Mill Creek, just north of the present site of the bridge on Ninth Street. The writer is informed that the officer was court-martialed and discharged from the service for disobeying orders and not using mule power. Dr. William C. McKay is authority for the statement that the mouth of Mill Creek was called Will-look-it by the Indians. This meant looking through an opening or gap.
Miller, Malheur County. Miller was a mining community about eighteen miles north of Brogan. Miller post office was established July 18, 1913, with William Miller first and only postmaster, and the office was given his name. The office was closed March 31, 1917, with papers to Rye Valley. Miller was in the extreme north end of the county, and a change of county lines between Baker and Malheur counties may have put the locality in what is now Baker County.
Miller, Sherman County. Miller is the railroad station and community on the south bank of the Columbia River just east of Deschutes River. It was named for a pioneer family of the vicinity. There is a Miller Island in the Columbia River, but it is in Klickitat County, Washington. The locality of Miller has had several names at various times. It was once called Deschutesville and later Fultonville in compliment to Colonel James Fulton of Sherman County. For a time the railroad station now known as Miller was called Deschutes. For the history of the name Deschutes as applied to places in Oregon, see under the heading Deschutes and also under Ainsworth.
Miller Butte, Marion County. This butte, elevation 556 feet, is about two miles west of Marion. It was named for a family of pioneer settlers. The head of the family was Charles Miller. At the exposition at ​Philadelphia in 1876, a sample of flax sent by "Uncle Charley," beat the whole world.
Miller Creek, Marion County. Miller Creek drains the hills east of Ankeny Bottom, in the southwest part of the county. It was named for W. F. Miller, a pioneer settler on its banks.
Millers, Linn County. Millers post office was established a few miles northeast of Albany on February 7, 1873, with Henry Newman first postmaster. The office was in operation for more than twenty years with several different postmasters. The office was named in compliment to Isaac Miller, a prominent pioneer resident of the vicinity. Millersburg is the name of the railroad station that still serves this locality. It seems possible that the post office may have moved with the various postmasters and in that event the railroad company used a different form of name for the station so as to avoid confusion.
Millersburg, Linn County. This is a station on the Southern Pacific a few miles north of Albany. Members of the Miller family have lived there nearly a century. Isaac Miller took up a donation land claim nearby in pioneer days.
Millican, Deschutes County. George Millican was a prominent stockman of central Oregon. He was born near Ostego, New York, November 22, 1834, and came to the Pacific Coast when he was a young man. He visited mining camps from California to Idaho, and finally settled on the McKenzie River east of Eugene in 1862. He made a trip into the Ochoco country as early as 1863, and subsequently became interested in developing the toll road over McKenzie Pass. He took a band of cattle into the Crooked River country in 1868 and settled there. A few years later he located a ranch near the present site of Millican in Millican Valley, about 27 miles southeast of Bend. He carried on the business of raising high grade stock, and finally sold out in 1916. He died on November 25, 1919. See Carey's History of Oregon, volume III, page 714. Millican was at one time postmaster at Walterville, Lane County, which he named for his son, Walter Millican. Walter Millican was born in 1870, and is said to have been the first male white child born in central Oregon. Millican Crater, just south of Black Crater, in northwest Deschutes County, was named for George Millican. The old Millican store was on the P. B. Johnson homestead on the Bend-Burns road a little over a half a mile south of the 1942 location and the post office was established in 1913, with Johnson postmaster. Johnson proposed the name Mount Pine, and Mrs. George Millican suggested her husband's name, which was adopted. There was some objection to Mount Pine because of possible confusion with Lapine. Johnson later sold out to J. A. Smith and a man named Moore became postmaster. William A. Rahn was made postmaster about 1920 and the community became a one-man affair. In October, 1930, the Central Oregon Highway was opened on a new location to the north and Rahn found it necessary to move his one-man town, which was done to the accompaniment of suitable publicity. Nearly everything was shifted but the well. In 1941 and 1942 Millican and "Billy" Rahn received nation-wide publicity as a one-man town and its sole citizen. In the fall of 1942 Rahn reached the age of retirement for postmasters, and it was necessary to close the office as no one was available to take it. For illustrated story about Millican and Billy Rahn by Phil Brogan, see magazine section of the Sunday Oregonian, September 1, 1940.
​Millicoma River, Coos County. Millicoma River is the main north branch of Coos River and is sometimes called North Fork Coos River, although the USBGN has adopted the style Millicoma. In 1929 S. B. Cathcart, pioneer surveyor of Coos County, told the compiler that Millicoma was the original Coos Indian name for the stream and not North Fork. The meaning of the word is not known.
Millwood, Douglas County. Will G. Steel told the writer that this place was named by W. B. Clarke, who built a sawmill nearby. Millwood is west of Sutherlin.
Milo, Douglas County. Milo was established as a post office in 1923, with Cora E. Buker first postmaster. Amos O. Buker, the husband of the postmaster, was born in Milo, Maine, and suggested the name. Milo post office is at the site of a former post office called Perdue. The Perdue office was closed in 1920, because no one could be found to accept the position of postmaster after Amos O. Buker had been removed from office for acting as a census enumerator when he was postmaster at Perdue, contrary to the rules of the postal authorities. Milo, Maine, was named for the island of Milo, in the Grecian archipelago.
Milton, Umatilla County. This place is said to have been called Freeport originally. The compiler has been told that the name was changed to Milton about 1873, but an article in the Oregon Journal, August 3, 1926, page 8, implies that the name Milton was selected shortly after 1868 by William S. Frazier, a pioneer resident, because a mill was projected for the community. The form Milltown was rejected, according to the article mentioned. The discrepancy in dates may not be important, as it may have taken some time for the new name to come into use. The article says that the first postmaster was Isom Quinn, but this does not agree with postal authorities, who inform the compiler that the post office at Milton was established February 3, 1873, with Wm. A. Cowl postmaster. The compiler can find no confirmation for the statement that the place was named for the great poet, John Milton.
Milton Creek, Columbia County. The town of Milton in Columbia County was one of the early rivals of Portland. It was laid out as a town in 1851 and was founded by Captain Nathaniel Crosby and Thomas H. Smith. It was once swept away by a flood. Crosby and Smith ran advertisements in the Oregonian in 1851 offering to give two lots to each married man and one lot to each single man who would make his home there and build a house. A district school advertisement for the town is in the Oregonian September 13, 1851. About 1890 efforts were made to secure a post office, and it was necessary to change the name of the community because there was already a post office named Milton in Umatilla County. Milton in Columbia County was accordingly renamed Houlton. See under that heading. Houlton post office was near Saint Helens railway station. The name of Milton is still attached to a creek that flows near the post office and railway station. The name Milton was adopted for the town because of the location nearby of a pioneer sawmill. The original townsite of Milton was near the mouth of Milton Creek, and not where Houlton was situated.
Milwaukie, Clackamas County. Lot Whitcomb founded Milwaukie in 1847, as a rival to Oregon City. It was named probably for the Wisconsin city, the spelling of which, in its early days, was varied. Milwaukie had a population of 500 in 1850 (Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 251). For narrative of pioneer episodes, see the Oregonian, ​June 7, 1903, page 15; April 3, 1884, page 3. For information about various spellings of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, see Steel Points, by Will G. Steel, issue for March, 1917. The derivation of the name is Indian, but its meaning is in dispute. It is said to mean council place, and also good land. Postal authorities inform the compiler that Milwaukie post office was established February 1, 1850, with Lot Whitcomb first postmaster.
Minam, Wallowa County. Minam is the name of a community which is situated at the junction of the Wallowa and Minam rivers. The name of the town was taken from the Minam River. For the origin of the name Minam see under that entry. Minam post office was established June 25, 1890, with Elizabeth Richard first postmaster. The office was closed February 4, 1891, and was not reestablished until June, 1910. The opening of the railroad branch through to Joseph in 1908 was doubtless the reason for the revival of the Minam post office.
Minam River, Union and Wallowa counties. J. H. Horner of Enterprise told the compiler that the Indian name for the locality of this stream was E-mi-ne-mah, with the accent on the second syllable. This name described a valley or canyon where a certain sort of plant was abundant. This plant, which the compiler has been unable to identify, is said to have resembled a small sunflower, and the root, growing in loose rocks, was used for food. The suffix mah was the Indian word for valley or canyon. The form Minam River was used as early as 1864. There is a town named Minam on Wallowa River at the mouth of Minam River. Minam Lake, in southwestern Wallowa County, is remarkable because of the fact that it has an outlet at either end. Minam River flows from the south end, and Lostine River from the north.
Mineral, Baker County. So named because prospectors struck ore on the opposite side of Snake River, and named their prospect Mineral.
Mineral, Lane County. Mineral post office was in a mining area in the west part of township 23 south, range 1 east, a few miles west of Bohemia. It was named for the mineral prospects of the region. The office was established July 31, 1903, and was discontinued July 31, 1908. Ulysses C. LeRoy was the first postmaster.
Minerva, Lane County. When the post office at Minerva was petitioned for in the early nineties the name of Bays Landing was suggested to the department out of respect to James E. Bay, a local resident. The authorities suggested that a name of one word would be more convenient, and L. C. Akerly, who had framed the petition, decided to name the office Minerva, which was Mrs. Bay's first name.
Minor Gulch, Wallowa County. This gulch drains into Tope Creek in township 3 north, range 43 east. It was named for William Minor, who came into the Wallowa Valley in 1878 and ranged his stock near the gulch.
Minthorn, Umatilla County. This station east of Pendleton bears the name of a prominent family nearby.
Minto, Marion County. Minto, a locality on North Santiam River two miles east of Gates was named for John Minto. He was long interested in the development of the North Santiam Valley as a route for transportation. Minto post office was in service near this station from January 29, 1892, to April, 1904. Thomas S. Ball was the first postmaster.
Minto Mountain, Linn County. John Minto was for many years champion of the plan to develop transportation facilities up the North ​
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IMBE 79013 bliskais 12 Erle of this . at 12 org Santiam River and over the Cascade Range by what he considered an especially favorable route. For a description of the investigations of this route made by Marion County see OHQ, volume IV, page 241. As a result of Minto's interest in this matter a number of geographic features in that section of the state were named for him about 1879. These include Minto Mountain. John Minto is a leading authority, among early pioneers, on subjects of Oregon history and his contributions are of high value. He was born October 10, 1822, at Wylam, Northumberland, England; came to the United States in 1840, with his father's family; came to Oregon in 1844; died at Salem February 25, 1915. For biography and portrait, see the Oregonian, April 27, 1901, page 10. Minto wrote frequently for the Oregon Historical Quarterly. His narration of the migration of 1844 appears in OPA Transactions, 1876, pages 35-50. For references to other writings, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume I, page 307.
MISHAWAKA, Clatsop County, Mishawaka post office was established March 26, 1878, with James F. Kimberlin first postmaster. It was near Nehalem River a little eastward of the location now called Elsie. The office is said to have been named for Mishawaka, the well-known manufacturing town of Indiana, but the compiler has been unable to learn the circumstances. The place in Indiana is said to have been named for an Indian chief. The Clatsop County office was closed May 15, 1901, with papers to Vinemaple. The list of county precincts of 1940 contains Mishawaka precinct. Mission BOTTOM, Marion County. Mission Bottom is on the east side of Willamette River south of Wheatland. It was here that Jason Lee established his Methodist Mission in the fall of 1834, and the bottom was named on that account. Mission CREEK, Marion County. Mission Creek flows through St. Paul, and was named for the pioneer Catholic mission of that place. Mission Landing on Willamette River, about a mile and a half northwest of St. Paul, is named for the same reason.
MISSOURI BOTTOM, Douglas County. This bottom, along South Umpqua River south of Myrtle Creek, took its name from the fact that a number of Missourians were pioneer settlers thereon. See Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 423. Mist, Columbia County. There was a post office called Riverside not far from this community, established about 1874. This caused confusion with another place in Oregon with the same name, and in April, 1888, the office was moved and the name changed to Mist, describing the atmospheric condition prevailing in the Nehalem Valley. The townsite of Mist was surveyed and platted with the name of Esto. It has never been so called.
MITCHELL, Wheeler County. Mitchell was named for John Hipple Mitchell, former U. S. senator from Oregon, and for many years prominent in the political history of the state. The name was suggested by W. W. (Brawdie) Johnson, the first postmaster, and the post office was established in April, 1873. J. H. Mitchell was senator from Oregon in 1873-79, 1885-97 and 1901-05. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1835, came to Oregon in 1860, and died in Portland December 8, 1905. In 1884 the town of Mitchell experienced its first catastrophe. Water rushed over the bluff above the community, carrying boulders and mud. In March, 1885, ho nerz ​
I. N. Sargent platted the townsite of Mitchell. It was incorporated in 1893. About half the town was consumed by fire in August, 1899. It was rebuilt. On July 11, 1904, it was almost destroyed by a cloudburst; two lives were lost. September 25, 1904, it was visited by another flood, but the damage was slight.
MITCHELL Point, Hood River County. Beyond the fact that a man named Mitchell lived and died near this point, little information is available. He is reported to have been a trapper. Efforts have been made to change the name to Storm Crest, but the public has not looked with favor on the plan, and prefers the old name.
MIXUP SPRING, Klamath County. This spring is in the southeast corner of township 37 south, range 15 east, very close to the Lake County line. In April, 1944, Ida M. Odell of Klamath Falls told the compiler that it was named because two bands of sheep once got mixed up nearby. Moccasin LAKE, Wallowa County. Moccasin Lake is in the Lake Basin north of Eagle Cap. The lake, when seen from the north side of Eagle Cap, looks like a moccasin, hence the name. Modoc Point, Klamath County. This is a prominent point on the east shore of Upper Klamath Lake, about fifteen miles north of Klamath Falls. It bears this name because the Modoc Indians, under Captain Jack, lived there from December 31, 1869, to April 26, 1870, and then escaped and went to their old habitat further south. Modoc Point is a well known locality in Klamath Indian folklore, where it is spoken of as Kiuti and also Muyant. Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that the mountain is also known as Nilakla, which is the Klamath Indian name for dawn or sunrise. The Indian name Modoc is derived from the Klamath words moa, meaning south, and takni, meaning a native of that place or country, hence from the point of view of the Klamath Indians, natives of the country just to the south. The term Modoc lakes was formerly used in the Klamath country to refer to Tule and Clear lakes, because Modoc Indians lived nearby.
MOFFAT, Washington County. This station on the Oregon Electric Railway, is near the east city limit of Hillsboro. It was named for George Barclay Moffat, a prominent New York banker and president of the railway company. While on a visit, George B. Moffat died in Portland December 4, 1911.
MOFFETT CREEK, Multnomah County. Investigation by H. H. Riddell of Portland indicated that the family for which this stream is named spelled its name Moffett and not Moffatt. The Columbia River Highway crosses Moffett Creek on a remarkable concrete arch. At the time it was built it was said to have been the longest flat arch bridge in America. See S. C. Lancaster's The Columbia, America's Great Highway.
MOHAWK RIVER, Lane County. According to Gustavus Hines, Mohawk River was named for the stream in the state of New York. The Oregon stream was probably named by Jacob C. Spores, a pioneer of 1847 and a native of Montgomery County, New York, a county drained in part by the original Mohawk River. For short biography of Spores, see Illustrated History of Lane County by Walling, page 481. Darrel Spores, great-grandson of Jacob Spores, and a resident of the Mohawk Valley in Oregon, says that Jacob Spores and a few other whites chased a band of Indians into the valley in 1849 and that Spores, viewing the locality from a high bluff, said that it reminded him of the valley of his ​
ed it [W2 1, bir 1993 згі birthplace in New York state. The name Mohawk River came into use as a result of this incident. Jacob Spores was one of the earliest settlers in Lane County and operated a pioneer ferry on McKenzie River not far from the present site of Coburg. A post office named Mohawk was established on the banks of the Oregon stream on December 20, 1862, with Robert M. Robertson first postmaster. This office has not been operated continuously, but in 1946 it was still in service. It has doubtless been moved a time or two, depending on the availability of a postmaster. Gannett in The Origin of Certain Place Names, says that the name of the eastern Mohawk tribe signifies an eater of live meat.
MOHLER, Tillamook County. Mohler post office was originally established as Balm in May, 1897, with Everett R. Bales postmaster. The office was on Foley Creek, a little above the mouth, and about two miles southeast of the present site of Mohler. In December, 1911, the name of the office was changed to Mohler and it was moved to the new location. The change is said to have been made at the request of E. E. Lytle, who built the Pacific Railway and Navigation Company line into that part of Tillamook County. The station and post office were named in compliment to A. L. Mohler, a prominent railroad official and one-time president of the Union Pacific. Mokst BUTTE, Deschutes County. This butte in the Paulina Mountains was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for two, as it was the second of a series all named at the same time.
MOLALLA, Clackamas County. This is an important community that takes its name from Molalla River nearby. See under that name. Molalla post office was established April 9, 1850. It was at or near the present site of Liberal and was discontinued August 25, 1851. Harrison Wright was the postmaster. The office was reestablished December 2, 1868, with Wright postmaster, but available records do not give its location. It operated until March, 1874. It was reestablished again in January, 1875, and it seems probable that this was the date it was placed at the present community of Molalla.
MOLALLA RIVER, Clackamas County. Molalla was the name of the tribe of Indians that inhabited much of the territory now in Marion and Clackamas counties. The Molallas were a Waiilatpuan tribe akin to the Cayuses, forming the western division of the family. The Cayuses have a tradition that the Molallas were detached and driven west in wars with hostile tribes. The Molalla dialect shows that the separation from the Cayuses took place in remote times. Whether the Indians took their name from what is called Molalla River, or vice versa, is not known. For a short account of the Molalla Indians see Handbook of American Indians, volume I, page 930. Many methods of spelling the name by a variety of authors are listed. By decision of the USBGN, the name Molalla River extends to the headwaters of the main south branch of the stream. The stvle South Fork is wrong. The middle branch is Table Rock Fork.
MONITOR, Marion County. Robert H. Down says that local residents have a story to the effect that this place was named for a certain type of flour mill known as a Monitor mill, which was in use at Monitor in early days. This sounds reasonable, and is probably the origin of the name.
MONKLAND, Sherman County. N. W. Thompson of Moro told the compiler that his father named the community of Monkland, presum ​ably for Monkland, Ontario, because several nearby residents had formerly lived in the Canadian town.
MONMOUTH, Polk County. The town of Monmouth was named for Monmouth, Illinois. In 1852 a group of citizens of the Illinois community crossed the plains to Oregon, and after spending the first winter at Crowley, five miles north of Rickreall, settled in 1853 near the present site of Monmouth. Members of the party gave 640 acres of land on which to establish the town and a college under the auspices of the Christian Church. The place was surveyed in 1855 by T. H. Hutchinson. The money secured from the sale of lots was devoted to the building of the Christian college, which was known as Monmouth University. At a mass meeting the people selected Monmouth as the name of the new community, in honor of their old home. In 1856 mercantile buildings were erected. The first house was built in 1857. The post office was established February 25, 1859, with Joseph B. V. Butler first postmaster. In 1871, due to the influence of the church, the name of Monmouth University was changed to Christian College. The college underwent vicissitudes due to lack of funds, and was once offered to the state for a state university. In 1882 the Oregon legislature passed a bill creating the Oregon State Normal School at Monmouth, which absorbed the Christian College. The name of the school was later changed to the Oregon College of Education. For information about the names of Monmouth pioneers, see the Oregonian, August 13, 1916.
MONON LAKE, Jefferson County. This lake south of Olallie Butte was named by Forest Ranger Joe Graham. The name was selected because it had a pleasing sound.
MONROE, Benton County. The town Monroe was started in 1853 on the land of Joseph White, who had built a small sawmill in the neighborhood about 1850. The first post office in the vicinity was Starrs Point. Starrs Point was established April 22, 1852, and was a little north of the present site of Monroe. Starrs Point was named for George Starr who had a store nearby. The name Starrs Point was changed to Monroe on February 2, 1874, for James Monroe, fifth president of the United States. The first postmaster of Starrs Point was Samuel F. Starr.
MONTAGUE, Gilliam County. Montague, the name of a locality in Eightmile Canyon about eight miles southeast of Arlington, came from a local family. Montague was at the place where the Oregon Trail crossed this canyon three miles east of Shutler. Montague post office was established April 1, 1911, and was discontinued January 15, 1915. L. C. Montague was the postmaster.
MONTAVILLA, Multnomah County. Montavilla at one time was a separate post office, but is now a station of the Portland office. The name Montavilla is a contraction of Mount Tabor Villa. Mount Tabor Villa addition to the city of Portland was platted June 11, 1889. The name was cumbersome and the place was immediately known as Montavilla, and has been ever since. Besides being cumbersome the original name was more or less meaningless. Mount Tabor was taken from the nearby geographic feature. Villa is a Latin word, meaning a county-seat, or sometimes farm buildings. It is also used to refer to a detached suburban residence. The addition of Montavilla, platted July 13, 1904, was named long after the name Montavilla was applied to that part of Portland.
MONTE Rico RIDGE, Lane County. This ridge is in the southeast ​
edhe Toen WI ille part of the Bohemian mining district. Monte Rico is Spanish for rich mountain, and in this case the name probably refers to the ore prospects.
MONUMENT, Grant County. This post office was established October 27, 1874, with Prior S. Wilson postmaster. It was named for a peculiar rock or mountain nearby which resembles a pulpit or rostrum. This peak is called Monument Mountain.
MOODY, Wasco County. Moody is a station on the Oregon Trunk Line near the mouth of Deschutes River. It was named for Malcolm A. Moody of The Dalles, who was a member of a prominent pioneer family, and at one time U. S. representative in Congress from eastern Oregon. He owned a power site near the mouth of the Deschutes River. When the Oregon Trunk Railway was built there was a large material yard at Moody, and a post office was established to take care of mail for construction camps along the line in Deschutes Canyon. When the work was completed the town of Moody faded away, and is now only a station. Moody post office was established December 7, 1911, with Ida Carlisle postmaster. Available records of its history are not clear. It may have been moved to Sherman County and renamed Miller, or it may have been consolidated with the Miller office, already in operation. The move and change in name of Moody post office has not affected the name of Moody station in Wasco County, which remains as originally established.
MOOLACK CREEK, Lincoln County. Moolack Creek, named with the Chinook jargon word for elk, is a couple of miles north of Agate Beach. The style Moloch Creek, commemorating the bull-headed idol of the Canaanites, is wrong, and is due to a mishearing of the real name.
MOOLACK MOUNTAIN, Lane County. This mountain was formerly known as Elk Mountain because of the local abundance of that animal. Of late years it has been called Moolack Mountain, which is the Chinook jargon word for elk. The name was changed because there were a number of other Elk mountains in the state. Moolack Mountain has an elevation of 5500 feet, and is north of Waldo Lake.
MOONEY MOUNTAIN, Josephine County. Walling, in History of Southern Oregon, page 452, says that one Mooney was the first settler in the Illinois Valley to avail himself of the privilege of the donation land law. It may be assumed that the mountain northeast of Selma was named for this pioneer.
MOOREVILLE, Malheur County. The locality called Mooreville is in the high country about twenty-five miles south-southeast of Riverside, airline. It bears the name of a local family. Mooreville post office was established September 23, 1912, and was closed June 30, 1919, with mail to Crowley. Esther M. Moore was the only postmaster.
MOORHOUSE, Umatilla County. Moorhouse post office was established with the name Morehouse on January 5, 1880, and with Thomas L. Morehouse postmaster. The name should have been spelled Moorhouse, and accordingly the Post Office Department changed the record to Moorhouse with Thomas L. Moorhouse postmaster on March 25, 1880, and it remained that way until it was discontinued June 6, 1883. Thomas L. Moorhouse was the same man as Thomas Leander Moorhouse, but far better known as Major Lee Moorhouse. Major Moorhouse was one of eastern Oregon's most prominent characters and in later years became famous for the remarkable Indian pictures that came from his camera. Moorhouse post office was situated at the Prospect Ranch of the John R. ​
Foster Company, about five or six miles northeast of what is now the town of Stanfield. It was on the old stage road northwest of Pendleton. It was on what were called the Meadows, a considerable area near the Umatilla River in the northern part of the county, not exactly defined. Moosmoos CREEK, Clatsop County. This stream flows into Youngs River about a mile north of Youngs River Falls. Moosmoos is the Chinook jargon word for cattle, which have been plentiful in the locality for many years.
MORGAN, Morrow County. The original name of this post office was Saddle for Saddle Butte about three miles to the south. Saddle post office was established November 20, 1882, with Ozwell T. Douglas postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Douglas on December 31, 1890. About 1906 the name was changed to Morgan, apparently in compliment to Alfred C. Morgan, a local resident who had been postmaster. For a time there was a discrepancy between the names of the post office and the railroad station, but it is probable that one of the changes listed above composed the difficulty.
MORGAN BUTTE, Wallowa County. This butte is in the southeast part of the county. It was named for Albert Morgan, a sheepman.
MORMON Basin, Baker and Malheur counties. Mormon Basin was named in 1862 at the time of the eastern Oregon gold rush. A party of prospectors from Salt Lake City found pay dirt and the basin was named either by or for these miners. About the same time a group of miners from the Humboldt River region found gold in another part of the basin, and the name Humboldt Basin was at once applied in compliment to this group. The Nevada miners had been working at Auburn with poor results and were on their way back home when they made a strike in Humboldt Basin. See Fred Lockley's article in Oregon Journal, April 29, 1932. The two names, Mormon Basin and Humboldt Basin, were used concurrently for a time, but the style Humboldt Basin gradually gave way to Mormon Basin and modern usage is well crystallized in favor of the latter name. The stream draining the area is generally called Mormon Basin Creek. For postal history of the locality, see under Hum BOLDT Basin.
MORMON FLAT, Wallowa County. This flat is in the east part of the county. It was named for W. H. Winters, an early settler, who was of the Mormon faith. He was drowned in Snake River. Moro, Sherman County. Moro is the county seat of Sherman County, and has an elevation of 1807 feet. It is generally believed that Henry Barnum was the first resident of the place, settling there in 1868, and establishing a trading post some eleven years later. There are several stories as to how the town got its name. One version is that it was named for Moro, Illinois, by Judge O. M. Scott, who formerly lived in that place. Another version is that it was named for Moore Brothers, who were interested in the townsite. Still another story is that it was named Moro for the Moors, which seems unlikely to the compiler. The reader may take his choice.
MORRISON, Clatsop County. This station was named for Robert W. Morrison, an early settler. It was on Clatsop Plains. Robert W. Morrison was born in Kentucky in 1811, came to Oregon in 1844 and died in May, 1894.
Morrow COUNTY. Morrow County was created February 16, 1885, ​
by the state legislature and was taken from the western part of Umatilla County. For data about the boundaries of Morrow and Umatilla counties at the time Morrow County was created, see OHQ, volume XI, number 1, which contains an article, "Oregon Counties," by Frederick V. Holman. The following editorial from the Oregonian for November 5, 1909, gives details concerning the naming of this county: "A letter to the Oregonian asserts that Morrow County, Oregon, was named for Colonel H. A. Morrow, a soldier of the Civil War, stationed later at Vancouver; and the writer desires to correct the Oregonian's statement that it was named for an early pioneer. But the Oregonian's statement was correct. The county was named for Jackson L. Morrow, one of the very earliest settlers there. He first settled on Puget Sound, and Shelton Bay, in 1853; a few years later went to eastern Oregon, and was a member of the legislature from Umatilla when Morrow was formed out of a part of that county. In the debate about what the name of the new county should be, some one said: 'Let's call it for Jack Morrow; he is entitled to the honor.' "For Morrow's biography, see the Oregonian, April 18, 1898. Morrow County has an area of 2059 square miles.
MOSBY CREEK, Lane County. This stream has its source on the western slopes of the Cascade Range, and has a length of approximately twenty miles. It flows into Row River, about two miles southwest of Cottage Grove, at an elevation of about 665 feet. It was named for David Mosby, who settled on its banks near its mouth in pioneer days. The creek was once known as Brumbaugh Creek, but that name did not prevail.
MOSIER, Wasco County. Mosier is a pioneer settlement on the Columbia River. J. H. Mosier started the community about 1853-54 by settling on a claim near the mouth of Mosier Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Mosier ran an impromptu stage station, a stopping place for travelers. Jonah H. Mosier was born March 10, 1821, in Maryland, and moved to Missouri in 1839, and learned cabinet making. He went to California in 1849, but returned to the eastern states. He came to Oregon in 1853, and soon settled on his homestead. He served in the Oregon legislature and died in 1894. Pierce Mays, prominent Wasco County resident, told the writer that Mosier's large collection of artificial books in a handsome cabinet was one of the best of its kind in Oregon. He once tried to read one of the wooden books.
MOSQUITE, Malheur County. Mosquite is a locality in the northeast corner of the county, on the west bank of Snake River ten or a dozen miles north of Ontario. Mosquite post office was established April 18, 1893, with one Shepherd first postmaster, but with what given name and of what sex cannot be determined from available records. The office was finally closed May 31, 1911. The name is obviously intended to be that of a shrub, the mesquite, but as far as the compiler can determine no variety of the mesquite grows in Oregon. Moss BUTTE, Linn County. Moss Butte, elevation about 2600 feet, is a prominent cone standing near the middle of section 3, township 14 south, range 2 east, just south of South Santiam River at a point about ten miles eastward of Sweet Home. In September, 1946, W. R. Mealey of Foster wrote the compiler that the butte was named for Mack Moss, a very early settler of the Sweet Home area, who roamed the South Santiam hunting and exploring. 13 WA Tv en ha om U21 21 ​
Moss LAKES, Clackamas County. These two small lakes are be. tween Oregon City and Park Place. They were originally one lake, but have been much reduced in size by draining. They were named for Sidney Walter Moss, who was born in Benton County, Kentucky, March 17, 1810, and who came to Oregon in 1842. He organized the Falls Debating Society at Oregon City in 1843, and built the first hotel in Oregon City in 1844. He also engaged in the merchandise business. He died September 24, 1901, and his biography is in the Oregonian for September 25, 1901, and March 6, 1898, page 19. Moss claimed to have written the original tale of the Prairie Flower, which he gave to William Johnson for publication and which was expanded by Emerson Bennett of Cincinnati. This became a popular sketch of border life. Moss wrote many articles about pioneer life in Oregon. He carried an advertisement in the Oregonian in 1852, of his "Main Street House" at Oregon City, signed by himself and "The Widow," announcing that, "owing to pressing necessities and our cheap rate of fare, we are compelled to say: To all, high or low, Please down with your dust, For he's no friend of ours, That would ask us to trust." "The Widow" was Mrs. Richardson, before she married Moss. For reminiscences of Sidney W. Moss, see the Oregonian, September 29, 1901, Panen Lot MOUNTAIN Marion Co Mother Lope MOUNTAIN, Marion County. This mountain was named for the Mother Lode mine nearby. It is about 12 miles north of Detroit.
MOUND, Lane County. For nearly two decades a post office with the name Mound served an area close to Siuslaw River in western Lane County. The place was about a mile and a half east of Alma, in section 30, township 19 south, range 6 west, Postal records indicate the office was established June 1, 1892, with Joseph B. Beebe first of three postmasters. The office was closed September 30, 1910, and the business turned over to Alma post office, but the name Mound was not changed to Alma as is sometimes reported. Alma post office was already in service in 1910. As a matter of fact Alma post office was established in 1888. In the summer of 1946 P. M. Morse, Lane County engineer, gathered some data about Mound post office from Hazen Johnson, who reported that his grandfather, Bowker Beebe, moved to the Siuslaw Valley from Mound, Nebraska, in 1890, and when the new post office was established, Beebe asked to have it named for his former home, Mound, Nebraska, was an office in Howard County, about twenty miles from Saint Paul. Mr. Johnson reported that Bowker Beebe had formerly been postmaster at Mound, Nebraska. It is probable that Joseph B. Beebe and Bowker Beebe were the same person.
MOUNT ANGEL, Marion County. The community of Mount Angel was named in 1883 by the Reverend Father Adelhelm Odermatt, O.S.B., in compliment to Engelberg, Switzerland. Mount Angel is the anglicized version of the German name Engelberg. Benjamin Cleaver came to Oregon in 1848 and in 1850 settled at the present site of Mount Angel. Some years later he planned a townsite to be named Roy, and his adjoining neighbor, George Settlemier, actually platted a place in 1881 with the name Frankfort. Cleaver bought the Settlemier townsite in 1882 and ​
changed the name to Roy. A post office was established in 1882 with the name Roy. The compiler does not know the reason for selecting either of the names Frankfort or Roy. In 1880 a narrow gage railroad was built through the locality and in the following year a station was established with the name Fillmore, in compliment to James M. Fillmore, an official of the railroad company. Father Adelhelm Odermatt had received his theological training at Engelberg in Switzerland, came to Oregon in 1881, and was soon in charge of the parishes at Gervais, Fillmore and Sublimity. After overcoming many difficulties, Father Odermatt succeeded in establishing a Benedictine community in Gervais in 1882-83. In 1883 a pilgrimage chapel was built on the summit of Lone Butte or Tapalamaho, and in the same year Father Odermatt applied the name Mount Angel to the butte and the community. He had the name Mount Angel adopted both for the railroad station and for the post office and the old designations Fillmore and Roy were discarded. In 1884 the Benedictine establishment was moved from Gervais to Mount Angel. See under SAINT BENEDICT. For history of Mount Angel and its Benedictine institutions, see Mt. Angel, Oregon, 1848-1912, by Sister Ursula Hodes, University of Oregon Thesis Series, No. 20. T. W. Davenport, in OHQ, volume V, page 36, says the Indian name for the butte southeast of Mount Angel was Tap-a-lam-a-ho, indicating a mountain used by the Indians for communion with the Great Spirit. Early settlers called it Lone Butte, Lone Tree Butte, and also Graves Butte for John P. Graves, a nearby resident. The new name Mount Angel quickly superseded the old forms.
MOUNT ASHLAND, Jackson County. This mountain lies about eight miles due south of Ashland and was named for that community. In the past it has been known as Ashland Peak and .sometimes Siskiyou Peak. Of late years there has been a strong tendency to use the name Mount Ashland and that form is shown on the USGS map of the Medford quadrangle, published in 1938. The new style is apparently here to stay. The elevation is now accepted as 7530 feet. Accurate mapping indicates that Siskiyou Peak, elevation 7147 feet, is about three miles to the southwest. The two points were formerly confused one for the other.
MOUNT AVERY, Curry County. This mountain is near the headwaters of Sixes River. It was named for Frederick S. Avery, who owned a small ranch just west of the mountain and lived there for many years. Mount Avery has an elevation of 2613 feet.
MOUNT BAILEY, Douglas County. This is an important peak in the Cascade Range and has an elevation of 8363 feet. It lies west of Diamond Lake. The writer has been unable to get much information as to the origin of the name. Older maps show the mountain as Old Baldy and Old Bailey. It is possible that Old Bailey is the result of a draftsman's error. The summit of the mountain has a bald, burntover appearance. The compiler has found no record of any person named Bailey connected with the peak, but it has been known as Mount Bailey for many years. Will G. Steel wrote in 1927 that the Klamath Indian name for the mountain was Youxlokes, which meant Medicine Mountain. According to Indian tradition, the medicine men and priests often feasted on the summit of this mountain and communed with the upper world.
MOUNT BILLINGSLEA, Curry and Josephine counties. This peak, et Top th the Laine cher ma a 1919 ​
elevation 4181 feet, is about 20 miles northwest of Kerby on the high divide south of Illinois River. It was named for James H. Billingslea, who served in the U. S. Forest Service for more than fifteen years, including six years as supervisor of Siskiyou National Forest. He died November 7, 1939.
MOUNT BOLIVAR, Coos and Curry counties. Mount Bolivar, elevation 4297 feet, is at the extreme southeast corner of Coos County, and as far as the writer knows, is the highest peak in the Oregon Coast Range north of Rogue River, although there are higher peaks to the south. The elevation given above was determined by the USC&GS in 1907 and may be superseded. Mount Bolivar was named by a wellknown Coos County surveyor, Simon Bolivar Cathcart, during a township survey carried on about 1900. While the name was his own, it was applied to the mountain in honor of the South American patriot, Simon Bolivar, 1783-1830, who was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and who spent his mature years and a large part of his fortune in securing the independence of Columbia, Peru and Ecuador. The name is frequently misspelled Boliver and generally mispronounced. The correct accent is on the second syllable of each word. For information about Simon Bolivar Cathcart, see under MOUNT CATHCART.
MOUNT BONNEVILLE, Wallowa County. This mountain was formerly known as Middle Mountain, but in 1925 the USBGN, at the suggestion of J. Neilson Barry of Portland, changed the name to Mount Bonneville, in honor of Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville, U. S. A., who was possibly the first white man to visit the Wallowa Valley. For additional information see under BONNEVILLE. Mount Bonneville is just south of Wallowa Lake.
MOUNT CATHCART, Coos County. This point is in the Coast Range east of Coos Bay, and bears the name of Simon Bolivar Cathcart, prominent civil engineer and surveyor of Coos County. S. B. Cathcart was born in Indiana in 1842, came to Oregon in 1853, and in the '60s served in the First Oregon Cavalry. He engaged in the stock business at various places, and studied surveying. In 1872 he settled at the head of tide on Millicoma River. In 1929 he informed the compiler that Mount Cathcart was named for him by R. U. Goode and W. T. Griswold of the U. S. Geological Survey. This was apparently about the time the Survey was mapping the Coos Bay area in 1895-96. Mr. Cathcart served as mineral surveyor and also as Coos County surveyor, and was a prominent citizen of southwest Oregon. He died on May 13, 1932. Mount David DOUGLAS, Lane County. The USBGN, at the suggestion of the writer, adopted on November 2, 1927, the name Mount David Douglas for a conspicuous, angular, peak on the north side of Salt Creek Valley, opposite the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company. This peak has an elevation of 6253 feet. David Douglas was the great pioneer botanist of Oregon, and his discoveries in this state were of the first order. Douglas was born in Scotland in 1798. He served his apprenticeship as gardener to the Earl of Mansfield, and later received an appointment in the Glasgow botanical gardens. The Royal Horticultural Society became interested in the country of the Hudson's Bay Company, and asked to have an exploring botanist recommended for American research. Douglas received the appointment and sailed for America the first time in 1823. He worked along the Atlantic Coast and returned to ​
England in the fall of the same year. Douglas came to the Columbia River on April 8, 1825. In the Oregon country he made extensive explorations. An interesting account of his activities appears in The Scientific Monthly, July, 1926, page 81, by Major John D. Guthrie of Portland. See also OHQ, from September, 1904, to December, 1905. The Royal Horticultural Society published a Journal Kept by David Douglas, in London in 1914. After two years' activities in the Oregon territory and Canada, Douglas returned to England in September, 1827. Douglas later made additional explorations in the Oregon country, and then went to the Hawaiian Islands, where he met a tragic death in August, 1834. He fell into a cattle pit and was gored to death by a wild bull. For editorial comment on David Douglas and peak in Oregon named for him, see the Oregonian, December 11, 1927. Douglas may have been the first white man to climb Mount Hood. See OHQ, volume VI, bottom of page 309.
MOUNT DEFIANCE, Hood River County. This is a well known landmark west of Hood River Valley and has an elevation of 4960 feet. It was named by Dr. P. G. Barrett, an early settler in the Hood River Valley, because the mountain was the last to hold its snow in spring, thus defying the elements. Mount ELIJAH, Josephine County. Mount Elijah, elevation approximately 6400 feet, is in township 40 south, range 6 west, and is about a half a mile southwest of Lake Peak. The Oregon Caves are under its northwestern slopes. The name Mount Elijah was adopted by the USBGN in 1930-31 in honor of Elijah J. Davidson, a prominent pioneer of southern Oregon, who discovered the caves in 1874. Previously the mountain was known as Cave Mountain and Sand Mountain, but these names were not well established.
MOUNT EMILY, Curry County. F. S. Moore, a pioneer of the county, says this name is the white man's version of the Indian name Emney. See Curry County Reporter, December 16, 1926. The meaning of the Indian name is not known. Maps show this mountain with various names including Mount Emery and Chetco Peak, but the real Chetco Peak is farther east. The government has officially adopted the form Mount Emily, even though it does not exactly conform to the reported Indian pronunciation. Mount Emily became famous in 1942 as the result of an attack, apparently by a small airplane based on a Japanese submarine. In September bombs and incendiary material were dropped near the lookout, with negligible damage.
MOUNT EMILY, Union County. There is a story to the effect that a family named Leasy lived at the foot of this mountain in pioneer days. Leasy weighed about 100 pounds and his wife nearly 300, and it is said that Leasy named the mountain for his wife, Emily, because of her great size. There is another history of the name to the effect that a very popular young lady named Emily lived on the slopes of the mountain in early times, and she was often visited by the young men of La Grande, who christened the mountain because they so frequently went up to Mount Emily.
MOUNT FANNY, Union County. "The beautiful peak on the summit of the mountain range east of the Cove is called 'Mt Fanny' in honor of Mrs. Fanny McDaniels, one of the first women to settle in the Cove-in 1862-and the first white woman to reach its summit, which she did in June, 1863." This quotation is from Geer's Fifty Ount ​
JUA
Years in Oregon. The statement is incorrect, for the name should be Mrs. Fannie McDaniel.Her sons are well-known physicians in Portland. However the form Mount Fanny is too well established to change. Mount Fanny is a prominent peak to the east of Grande Ronde Valley and has an elevation of 7132 feet.
MOUNT GAULDY, Tillamook County. Mount Gauldy is a point south of Hebo and west of the Oregon Coast Highway. It is said to have been named for the Gauldy trail and the Gauldy trail was named because it was so steep and hard on men and horses. Packers and animals sustained pack-strap and saddle galls so frequently that the trace became known as the Galldy trail which was transformed into Gauldy trail.
MOUNT HARRIMAN, Klamath County. This prominent peak is west of Upper Klamath Lake. It was named to compliment Edward H. Harriman, financier and railroad magnate, who for a time had a summer camp on Pelican Bay nearby.
MOUNT HARRIS, Union County. Mount Harris, northeast of La Grande, was named for Joseph Harris, a pioneer resident nearby.
MOUNT HEBO, Tillamook and Yamhill counties. The compiler of these notes spent six years as a small boy on a farm in Polk County, and the most important landmark visible from his home was Mount Hebo. He speculated about Mount Hebo considerably, both then and later, and always had a notion that its name was corrupted from Mount Nebo. This does not seem to be a fact. On January 7, 1919, Miss Lucy E. Doughty of Bay City wrote the compiler sending information about Mount Hebo that came from Warren N. Vaughn, a Tillamook County pioneer. Vaughn relates that the mountain was named by a viewing party to find a new route to the Willamette Valley. The party climbed The mountain to get a better understanding of the country. One of the party, Cadiler, was impressed by the fine view and said, "We are very high up, so I will call this mountain Hevo." Miss Doughty explains this peculiar name by saying that Isaac Alderman, a member of the party, told her parents that the name was intended to be Heave Ho, because from their position the mountain seemed to have been heaved up above the surroundings. However that may be, it is apparent that the name became distorted somewhere along the line, and the present form is Mount Hebo. In 1926 the postmaster at Hebo wrote the compiler that the name Hebo was a misunderstanding of the name Heave Ho, and attributed the original form to the Indians. This seems improbable to the compiler. Vaughn was a reliable citizen and his story plus Alderman's explanation is probably nearer the truth. A determination made some years ago by the USC&GS gives the elevation of Mount Hebo as 3153 feet.
MOUNT Hood, Hood River County. This is a post office in the upper Hood River Valley. It is reported that the community developed on land owned by a man named Tieman, and when the post office was applied for, it was named Mount Hood for the reason that the mountain was the most important object in the landscape.
MOUNT HOOD, Hood River and Clackamas counties. On October 29, 1792, Lieutenant William Robert Broughton, of Vancouver's command, discovered Mount Hood and in his Voyage of Discovery, Vancouver makes the following comment: "A very distant high snowy mountain now appeared rising beautifully conspicuous in the midst of an extensive tract of low, or moderately elevated, land, lying S. 67 ​and seemed to announce a termination of the river." Broughton was somewhere near the mouth of the Willamette River when he had this view of Mount Hood, and the description which he gave Vancouver would be difficult to improve upon. The next day, while near Point Vancouver, Broughton saw the mountain again, and Vancouver wrote as follows; "The same remarkable mountain that had been seen from Belle Vue point, again presented itself, bearing at this station S. 67 E.; and though the party were now nearer to it by 7 leagues, yet its lofty summit was scarcely more distinct across the intervening land which was more than moderately elevated. Mr. Broughton honored it with Lord Hood's name; its appearance was magnificent; and it was clothed with snow from its summit, as low down as the high land, by which it was intercepted, rendered it visible." Here Broughton's report shows him to be a keen observer and a judge of natural beauty. Professor Edmond S. Meany, in his Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, has taken pains to present a suitable picture of Lord Hood, and the compiler hereof cannot do better than to paraphrase from Professor Meany's notes. The Lord Hood, to whom Vancouver referred, was Samuel Hood, born December 12, 1724, and entered the Royal Navy as a captain's servant in 1741. As the result of his own efforts coupled with the fact that he served under splendid officers he rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1746, and after experiencing considerable service in America and elsewhere, reached post rank on the Lively on July 22, 1756, but just at his promotion, he was returned to England and paid off. He was forced to resort to temporary commands for a time, but was so successful in these that he was reinstated in regular line, and served in a number of places with no remarkable distinction, but always satisfactorily, until he was practically retired in 1778 as Commissioner at Portsmouth and Governor of the Naval Academy. The king visited Portsmouth and created him a baronet, and Hood lived quietly enough when to the surprise of everybody in 1780, he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue, and was sent with a squadron to reinforce Rodney in the West Indies. Hood remained second in command in American waters until the peace of 1783, and took part in nearly all the stirring engagements that marked the close of the War for Independence. As a reward for his services he was on September 12, 1782, raised to the Irish peerage as Baron Hood of Catherington, Hampshire. This was before his return to England. On his return he was given other honors, and made vice-admiral of the blue. In 1788 he was made a member of the Board of Admiralty under the Earl of Chatham, and while in this position signed the original instructions for Vancouver's voyage. But Hood's career did not end here. He served in the Mediterranean during the French Revolution. Nelson was a captain under him, and praised his vigor of mind and judgment. Sir William Hotham wrote that he never saw an officer of more intrepid courage or warmer zeal. Before his recall he was elected an Elder Brother of Trinity House in March, 1795, and a little later was made an admiral. In 1796 he was appointed governor of Greenwich Hospital and created Viscount Hood in the peerage of Great Britain. His remarkable mind and body made him a noted man, and shortly before he died, on January 27, 1816, at the great age of 92, he received the Grand Cross of the Bath. Mount Hood is an unusual mountain, and none can say but that it was named for an unusual man. Occasional statements to the effect ​that Mount Hood was named for other members of the Hood family, cannot be substantiated. It is certain that the mountain was named for Samuel Hood. He was Lord Hood, a baron, when he signed the original instructions for Vancouver's voyage. The mountain could not possibly have been named in honor of Alexander Hood, Lord Bridport, younger brother of Lord Hood and also an admiral. Alexander Hood was not raised to the peerage until after 1793, and never had the title Lord Hood, but instead that of Lord Bridport. He was a viscount when he died in 1814, after a long and distinguished life. Lord Hood and Lord Bridport had two famous cousins, also named Samuel and Alexander Hood, but in reverse order. Alexander was the elder of this pair and died in action at sea in 1798, but never received a title. His younger brother, Sir Samuel Hood, had a remarkably successful naval career, but was not a peer. It will be seen from the above that there was but one Lord Hood in 1792. when the mountain was named, and that was the first Samuel. It will also be seen that the statement that Mount Hood and the famous British warship Hood were named for the same man is difficult to prove. There have been several ships named Hood. In 1935 the compiler secured a copy of the picture hanging in the wardroom of H.M.S. Hood, and it turned out to be of Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and not that of Lord Hood. Alexander Hood, Lord Bridport, seems, from his biography, to have done more sea fighting than the other three, and was raised to the peerage even though his brother was already a peer. The Oregonian has an editorial on the name Hood on June 1, 1941, which says that the ships and the mountain are named for the same man, but offers no definite evidence and in fact fails to mention Admiral Alexander Hood, Viscount Bridport, who is obviously one of the most important of the family group.
Lewis and Clark saw Mount Hood for the first time on Friday October 18, 1805, and wrote: "saw a mountain S. W. conical form Covered with Snow." On October 25 Clark wrote ata point near The Dalles, "The Pinical of the round toped mountain which we Saw a Short distance below the forks of this river is S. 43° W. of us and abt 37 miles, it is at this time toped with Snow we called this the falls mountain or Timm mountain. [this the Mount Hood or Vancouver.]" Timm was a name given to a point at The Dalles of the Columbia, said to have been applied because the word sounded like the noise of falling water. It is obvious that Clark meant to write this the Mount Hood of Vancouver, and it is also obvious that he and Lewis must have had a reasonably accurate knowledge of Vancouver's discoveries, though it seems they did not have Vancouver's engraved charts. See Coues' History of the Expedition of Lewis and Clark, volume I, page xxiv. The fur traders had many other things to occupy their attention, and did not go in for mountaineering, and for the most part, neither did the pioneers. There are many references to Mount Hood in early day journals and diaries, but nothing of importance, except Hall J. Kelley's plan to change the name to Mount Adams (see under Cascade Range), until Joel Palmer made one of the earliest attempts by a white man to climb the mountain, on October 12, 1845, See the volume containing Palmer's journals in Thwaites' Early Western Travels, page 132, and also under Camp Creek and Palmer Peak in this book. David Douglas, the botanist, is said to have attemped to climb the moun​tain in 1833. See OHQ, volume VI, page 309. Possibly the first ascent of Mount Hood was in August, 1854. See the Oregonian, August 19, 1854. Joel Palmer is said to have been a member of the first party to make the complete ascent. For information about early ascents and references to interesting articles about the mountain, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume II, page 302. The first reasonably accurate determination of the height of Mount Hood, 11,225 feet, was made on August 23, 1867, by a party under direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert S. Williamson. See the Oregonian, September 24, 1867, and Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume V, page 119. For information about Williamson see under Williamson River. The Mazamas were organized on the summit of Mount Hood July 19, 1894. See Mazama, volume I, number 1. For additional information about Mount Hood, see the booklet Mount Hood, issued by Mazamas. It will be noted in this booklet that doubts are cast on the reliability of the reports on the ascent of August, 1854. For information for movement of glaciers on Mount Hood, see under Eliot Glacier. The best general book about Mount Hood is Fred H. McNeil's Wy'east "THE Mountain," published in Portland in 1937. It is well illustrated. For many years there was a mild controversy about the elevation of Mount Hood, the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey using different values in their publications. These differences were composed in 1939 when a USC&GS party under Lieutenant William M. Scaife established a triangulation station on the summit and fixed its elevation by means of vertical angles measured with great accuracy. The measurement was based on the elevation of a first-order benchmark near Warrendale, and produced an elevation of 11,245 feet. Various government agencies have accepted this figure and it will doubtless stand for a long time to come.
Mount Hood, Wasco County. A post office with this name was established May 27, 1872, with William Hollandsworth first postmaster. Other postmasters were named McAtee, Shannon, Paquet, Hinkle and Steers. The office was discontinued January 11, 1878. The writer has not been able to associate this office with the place called Mount Hood in Hood River County. Old maps show a community called Mount Hood in the general vicinity of Tygh Valley, Wasco County, but not always in the same place. It is obvious that such a place was named because of the fine view of Mount Hood that is obtained in that part of the county.
Mount Hood, Yamhill County. John Richardson was a pioneer settler in Yamhill County and his claim was at the east foot of the Amity Hills about two miles north of the present site of Hopewell. A post office named Mount Hood was established October 14, 1854, with Richardson postmaster and it may be assumed that it was on or near this claim. Richardson probably named the office because of the view of the top of Mount Hood, although the mountain was a long way from the locality. This office was closed in January, 1862. Other postmasters included James M. Belcher and Daniel C. Doherty.
Mount Horeb, Marion County. This butte, with an elevation of nearly 4500 feet, lies about eight miles northeast of Mill City. An article published in the Salem Capital Journal, June 18, 1927, page 1, says that it was named in 1873 by David Smith, a local bible enthusiast.
Mount Howard, Wallowa County. This was formerly Signal Peak, and lies southeast of Wallowa Lake. The name was changed in 1925 by ​
the USBGN at the suggestion of J. Neilson Barry, of Portland, to honor Major-General Oliver Otis Howard (1830-1909), who graduated from West Point in 1850 and served with great distinction in the Civil War and throughout the Indian uprisings. He was not only brevetted for gallantry at the battle of Ezra Church, but received a vote of thanks of the Congress for heroic valor at the battle of Gettysburg, and the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor for distinguished bravery at the battle of Fair Oaks, where he lost his right arm. He was in command of the Department of the Columbia at the time of Chief Joseph's uprising in the Wallowa Valley, and took the field in person against that famous Indian, driving him into Montana. He was accused of dilatory tactics, but time has had the effect of establishing General Howard's reputation as a sol. dier. See Howard's My Life and Experiences, and Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume II, page 332. Mount Isaac, Douglas County. Mount Isaac is about a mile west of Riddle. George W. Riddle of Roseburg informed the compiler that the mountain was named for Isaac Flint, a nearby pioneer settler of 1852.
MOUNT ISABELLE, Jackson County. Mount Isabelle, elevation about 4500 feet, is ten miles south-southwest of Gold Hill. The peak was named for Isabelle Smith, daughter of a pioneer settler, Jakey Smith. He was an old squawman, who had squatted on a little ground on the east side of the mountain. In 1946 it was reported that there were some remains of the old Smith cabin and possibly a few apple trees in the clearing.
MOUNT JEFFERSON, Jefferson, Linn and Marion counties. This is the second highest peak in Oregon and has an elevation of 10,495 feet, according to the USGS. It was seen by Lewis and Clark on Sunday, March 30, 1806, from a point near the mouth of the Willamette, and it was named by them in honor of Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States. Since it was already named for a president, Hall J. Kelley did not attach a new name to it when he rechristened the Cascade Range Presidents Range and tried to change the names of the individual peaks. Kelley's geographic position of Mount Jefferson was in error, and so was Farnham's in his Travels in the Great Western Prairies, but the latter mistake in text is possibly due to a typographical error in notes, "441/2" being misprinted "411/2." See under Cascade Range for details of Kelley's scheme. Mount Jefferson is really in north latitude 44° 40' 28". The compiler has been unable to find that it has been called by any other name, although it has been said that it was at one time called Mount Vancouver by the British. While it is true that Thornton in his Oregon and California mentions the fact that the British used the name Mount Vancouver for Mount Jefferson, he gives no reference, and the compiler has been unable to find any. Thornton's geographic information is not entirely accurate and he may be wrong on this point. It is important to note that David Douglas uses the name Mount Jefferson in his Journal Kept by David Douglas under date of April 19, 1825, and again on October 5, 1826, thus indicating that he, at least, did not know the mountain by the name Mount Vancouver. Douglas does, however, use the name Mount Vancouver in his journal on October 13, 1826, referring to a snowy peak south of Mount Hood, but it seems obvious from his text that he never saw such a mountain and mentions it only by hearsay. It is not clear just what mountain he refers to. The best available information about Mount ​
425 a buong ad free Oletet attle at he De in the nd.2.7. mesto at the h. He For ycogers, and the informationen e can sest is the 21, ac Jefferson is contained in the following publications: USGS Bulletin 252, Geology and Water Resources of Central Oregon, by Israel C. Russell; Mineral Resources of Oregon, volume II, number 1, and Mazama, vol. ume II, number 3, for July, 1903; volume III, number 1, for March, 1907; volume IV, number 3, for December, 1914; volume V, number 2, for December, 1917, and volume VII, number 2, for December, 1925.
MOUNT JUNE, Lane County. Mount June is about 15 miles due east of Cottage Grove and has an elevation of 4618 feet, according to the
USGS. Mount June is said to be so named because the snow lies on it until that month of the year. The name Mount Zion is obsolete.
MOUNT MAZAMA, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Mount Mazama is the name of a prehistoric mountain, the caldera of which is now occupied by Crater Lake. For information about the discovery and naming of Crater Lake, see under that heading. The rim enclosing the lake formed part of the base of Mount Mazama. It was named for the Mazamas, the mountaineering organization of the Pacific Northwest, at the annual outing August 21, 1896. Mazama is the Spanish name of the mountain goat. See the publication Mazama, volume I, numbers 1 and 2. For information about Mount Mazama, ibid., volume I, number 2, and the booklet on Crater Lake issued in 1922 by Mazamas. For geography of Crater Lake and picture of Mount Mazama restored, see USGS map of Crater Lake National Park. The highest points on the rim of Crater Lake are Hillman Peak, 8156 feet; Applegate Peak, 8135 feet; Garfield Peak, 8060 feet; Llao Rock, 8046 feet, and The Watchman, 8025 feet.
MOUNT MCLOUGHLIN, Jackson County. This mountain is called Mount McLoughlin on a map issued in 1838, accompanying the Journal of an Exploring Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains, in 1835, '36 and 37, by the Reverend Samuel Parker. It was later called Mount Pit, for Pit or Pitt River, which was named for the pits dug by Indians to trap game. Peter Skene Ogden mentions the name Pit River in his journal for May 21, 1829, and spells it Pitts River. See
OHQ, volume XI, page 394. Sir George Simpson in Narrative of a Journey Round the World, London, 1847, volume I, page 351, refers to Pit Mountain in this locality, "so called from the number of pitfalls dug by the neighbouring savages for the wild animals." T. J. Farnham in Travels in the Great Western Prairies, New York, 1843, page 96, refers to Mount McLaughlin, but is inaccurate as to location. Mount McLaughlin is shown on Wilkes' map in the U. S. Exploring Expedition, 1841. The name Mount Pitt appears for the first time on a map made by Charles Preuss, Fremont's cartographer, in 1843, but no mention is made of it by Fremont in his report. The compiler has never found any evidence that associates this name with that of William Pitt, British statesman. Lieutenant R. S. Williamson of the corps of topographical engineers explored the region of Pit River in 1855, and the report of this expedition, prepared by Lieutenant Henry L. Abbot, was published by the government in volume VI, of the Pacific Railroad Surveys Reports. Under date of August 8, 1855, the journal says: "We passed many pits six feet deep and lightly covered with twigs and grass. The river derives its name from these pits, which are dug by the Indians to entrap game. On this account Williamson always spelled the name with a single t, although on most maps it is written with two." Early settlers in the Rogue larch I was nited did ange alter 2.11 ner Dul the int ​
River Valley called the mountain Snowy Butte and Big Butte. As early as 1839 Hall J. Kelley tried to have the name John Quincy Adams applied to this mountain, but his plan for a Presidents Range fizzled out. See under Cascade RANGE. The name Mount Pitt came into common use about 1864, supposedly due to George H. Belden, a civil engineer in the employ of the United States surveyor general of Oregon. Klamath Indians called the mountain M'laiksini Yaina, or mountain with steep sides. The name Mount McLoughlin was restored by the legislature in 1905, to honor Dr. John McLoughlin, and was recognized by the USBGN in 1912 through the efforts of Will G. Steel and George H. Himes. The spelling McLaughlin is wrong. Dr. John McLoughlin, as chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, at Fort Vancouver, in 1824-46, possessed almost autocratic power in affairs in the Oregon country up to the time of the provisional government, and has therefore been called the first governor of Oregon. He was a man of broad views and ideas, generous and kind instincts and of large physical proportions. He was born in parish La Riviere du Loup, Canada, about 120 miles below Quebec, on the Saint Lawrence River, October 19, 1784. Young McLoughlin was educated in Canada and became a physician. He joined the North West Company, and became a partner and was one of the factors in charge of Fort William, the chief depot and factory of the North West Company, at the time of the consolidation with the Hudson's Bay Company. His wife was the widow of Alexander McKay, who had been killed in the Tonquin disaster at Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, in June, 1811. Dr. McLoughlin built Fort Vancouver in 1824-25, and there he created a farm of 3000 acres and established a sawmill and a flour mill. His district of the Hudson's Bay Company (the Columbia) grew to be profitable. There were numerous forts and posts tributary to Fort Vancouver, there being, in 1839, about twenty of these forts besides Fort Vancouver. In the development of the fur business, of agriculture and commerce, and in the government of the country, Dr. McLoughlin displayed rare powers of organization. He met the American traders with kindness, but with severe competition, and the American missionaries and settlers, with benevolence. He left the service of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1846, and became an American citizen at Oregon City May 30, 1849. After his resignation he carried on a milling and merchandise business at Oregon City, where he died September 3, 1857. Dr. McLoughlin's house at Oregon City, built in 1845.46, and occupied by him until his death, was moved, by the McLoughlin Memorial Association, to the bluff overlooking Willamette River, and restored to its first condition. It was dedicated as a permanent memorial September 5, 1909. For narrative, "Dr. John McLoughlin and His Guests," by T. C. Elliott, see Washington Historical Quarterly, volume II, pages 63-77; for biography, see F. V. Holman's Dr. John McLoughlin; John McLoughlin: Patriarch of the Northwest, by Robert C. Johnson, and Richard G. Montgomery's The White-Headed Eagle. For long list of references to published material about Dr. McLoughlin, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume I, pages 295-96. McLoughlin's Fort Vancouver Letters have been published by the Hudson's Bay Record Society in three volumes. See also Letters of Dr. John McLoughlin, edited by Dr. Burt Brown Barker, 1948.
MOUNT MITCHELL, Clackamas County. This mountain, elevation 5110 feet, was named for Roy Mitchell, a veteran of World War I, who ​
was killed while fighting a forest fire August 20, 1919. The mountain was formerly called Oak Grove Mountain, an unsatisfactory name because there were no oak trees on the mountain, and also the name caused confusion with Oak Grove Butte, seven miles to the south. Oak Grove Mountain had been applied because the feature was near Oak Grove Fork Clackamas River.
MOUNT MORIAH, Union County. This mountain is in township 1 south, range 41 east, and has an elevation of about 5500 feet. It is flat on top. In early days it was called Stubblefield Mountain in compliment to Jasper Stubblefield who had a homestead west of the mountain in about 1878. Later some bible enthusiast named it for the place in Palestine, about which a great deal seems to be unknown.
MOUNT Pisgah, Polk County. J. L. Ford, many years a resident of Dallas, wrote the compiler in August, 1927, as follows: "I find that Colonel Cornelius Gilliam named the little butte southeast of Dallas *Mt. Pisgah' for a butte so named near his old home in Missouri, and, probably also because of his veneration for biblical names." Pisgah was a mountain of Abarim, Moab, northeast of the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo was one of its summits.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Linn County. Mount Pleasant is a descriptive name for a nice viewpoint mostly in section 30, township 9 south, range 1 east. This hill rises about 200 feet above the surrounding land but it pleased the early settlers to call it a mount. The compiler does not know who was responsible for this but probably members of the Irvine family who took up property there in the early fifties. The locality was once known as the Irvine District and it was called The Hill. There is a cemetery on the top of Mount Pleasant and there are also nearby school grounds probably set aside by Robert Irvine. The church property was set aside by Washington Crabtree and it is reported that Ben Irvine raised the money for the various necessary buildings. A post office called Mount Pleasant was established in August, 1874, with Elijah Richardson first of several postmasters. This office was discontinued October 10, 1887. Mount Pleasant is about seven miles northeast of Scio.
MOUNT POPOCATEPETL, Lane County. This mountain, elevation 1020 feet, is a well-known point in the Oregon Coast Range, but not one of the highest. The peak was named about 1888 by R. O. Collier, a government surveyor, because it was so hard to climb. The crew was smoking hot when it reached the top. The original Mount Popocatepetl is the second highest mountain in Mexico and is named with the Aztec word for smoking mountain. This information was furnished by E. A. Collier of Salem.
MOUNT REUBEN, Douglas and Josephine counties. Mount Reuben is a prominent peak about ten miles west of Glendale on the divide between the waters of Cow Creek and those of Rogue River. It was named for Reuben Field of Linn County, who was a member of Captain Jonathan Keeney's company who fought Indians in this part of Oregon in 1855. While the company was trying to cross Rogue River not far from this mountain Field made a jocular prediction that the Indians would make an attack. The prediction was soon fulfilled and Mount Reuben and Reuben Creek nearby have since borne his name.
MOUNT SCOTT, Clackamas County. This well-known butte is in the southeast outskirts of Portland and is 1083 feet above sea level. It was cable tere 10 ​
named for Harvey Scott, editor of the Oregonian, by W. P. Keady, in 1889. In that year, and in 1890, Mr. Scott bought 335 acres of land on the north and west slopes of the hill. From that time until November, 1909, when he sold the land to Mount Scott Park Cemetery Corporation, the editor continually kept men working the soil and clearing away the forest and stumps. In this effort Mr. Scott expended considerable money, but he was determined to "tame that wild land," as he frequently expressed it. For a detailed description of Mr. Scott's life, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country. For W. P. Keady's part in the development and naming of Mount Scott, see editorial page of the Oregon Journal, September 24, 1928. There it is said that the butte was once called Mount Zion.
MOUNT SCOTT, Douglas County. The history of this post office is unsatisfactory. Available postal records show that it was established October 14, 1854, and discontinued October 5, 1857. Andrew J. Chapman was postmaster. An army map of December, 1887, shows the place at a point on North Umpqua River a few miles west of what is now Glide. The office was of course named for Scott Mountain, a prominent point a little to the northeast, which was in turn named for Captain Levi Scott. When the office at Pattersons Mills was closed in June, 1886, a note was made that the business was turned over to Mount Scott office, but that establishment, according to the record, had been discontinued near thirty years previously. It seems probable that the file of postal records in the possession of the compiler is incomplete and that the post office was actually in operation as late as the '80s, at least.
MOUNT SCOTT, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This mountain lies east of Crater Lake and is one of the important peaks of the Cascade Range. It was named for Levi Scott, a pioneer of 1844, and the founder of Scottsburg, in Douglas County. For additional information see under that heading. Mount Scott has an elevation of 8938 feet. The Klamath Indian name for Mount Scott was Tum-sum-ne, according to the treaty of 1864.
MOUNT SYLVANIA, Multnomah County. Mount Sylvania is in the extreme southwest part of the county. It has an elevation of about 950 feet. The Pacific Highway West skirts its northeast shoulder. The name is derived from Silvanus, the deity or spirit of the Italian woodlands. Silvanus is not wholly associated with the wild woodlands, but those near civilization, and partly cleared, so to speak, or the bordering and fringing woodlands. Silvanius' name came from silva, Latin name for wood. His name is generally misspelled, Sylvanus, and from this we have the name Sylvan and Sylvania. The post office list of 1853 shows Mountsylvania, an office not far from the present site of Metzger, and a short distance from the mountain now known by the same name. The writer has been unable to learn who established the name, either for the post office or for the mountain, but he was told by the late Colonel Henry E. Dosch of Hillsdale that the mountain had been so called since pioneer days. Information furnished the compiler by postal authorities in Washington in 1927 does not agree with that printed in the list of post offices in the Oregonian, March 26, 1853. The records in Washington indicate that the name of the office was in two words, Mount Sylvania. This office was established August 6, 1852, and was discontinued November 14, 1854. It operated again for a short time in 1856. Israel Mitchell was the only postmaster. John B. Preston's Map of Oregon and Washington of 1856 ​
shows the name in still another style, Montsylvania. The compiler of these notes has been unable to reconcile these discrepancies.
MOUNT TABOR, Multnomah County. Mount Tabor was named by Plympton Kelly, son of Clinton Kelly, pioneer resident of Portland. He had been reading Napoleon and His Marshals, by Joel T. Headley, and was impressed among other things by the battle fought by the French against the Moslems on the Plain of Esdraelon not far from the base of Mount Tabor in Palestine. He therefore named the hill near his home Mount Tabor for the mount in the Holy Land. It was first planned to call Mount Tabor in Oregon Mount Zion. See OPA Transactions, 1887, page 60. Mount Tabor post office was in operation many years.
MOUNT TALAPUS, Multnomah County. This peak is between the headwaters of Tanner Creek and north branches of Bull Run River. It bears the Indian name for coyote, or barking wolf of the plains. The coyote was a sort of deity or supernatural being in Indian mythology. Chinook jargon, Talapus; Chinook Indian, Italipas; Yakima Indian, Telipa. This peak was once called Shellrock Mountain, but the USBGN was prevailed upon to change the name because there were more than enough Shellrocks already. See under COYOTE CREEK. Mount THIELSEN, Douglas and Klamath counties. This mountain is one of the most remarkable in the state because of a great pinnacle or spire that forms its summit. Its elevation is 9173 feet. In early days it was known as the Big Cowhorn in contradistinction to Little Cowhorn farther north, now called Cowhorn. It is also said to have been called Diamond Peak, but the compiler has seen no written evidence of this. About 1872 it was named Mount Thielsen by John A. Hurlburt of Portland, in honor of Hans Thielsen, prominent pioneer railroad engineer and builder. For references to Thielsen, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country. For information about the mountain, see article by Ira A. Williams in Mazama, December, 1921. The Indian name of the mountain was His-chok-wol-as. See also under CASCADE RANGE.
MOUNT VERNON, Grant County. This post office was established May 14, 1877, with Wm. J. Gray postmaster. The community was named for a prominent rocky eminence just north of the town. The compiler has been unable to learn who named the butte Mount Vernon or when it was done.
MOUNT WASHINGTON, Deschutes and Linn counties. In elevation, Mount Washington may be counted as one of the lesser peaks of the Cascade Range, but its unusual appearance and the fact that it is excessively difficult to climb make it an important mountain. It has an elevation of 7802 feet. It doubtless received its name because of the proximity of Mount Jefferson, but who applied the name, and when, is apparently unknown. It was of course named for George Washington, It was not mentioned by any early explorers, or shown on early maps. The top part of Mount Washington is a rocky spire that defied all attempts at climbing until August 26, 1923, when six boys from Bend managed to reach the summit. For particulars of Mount Washington, and attempts to climb it, see Mazama for 1922 and 1923.
MOUNT WILSON, Clackamas and Washington counties. This mountain, elevation 5595 feet, is an important lookout station on the summit of the Cascade Range. It was named for Bruce Wilson of Portland, when he was supervisor of forest areas in the northern part of the Cascade Range in Oregon. Older maps show the mountain as Tamarack Mounreaks -1.76 ​
tain. This name was unsatisfactory because of duplication, and Forest Service map makers changed it to Mount Wilson. At that time there was no rule against naming geographic features for living members of the Forest Service. However, Wilson protested against the change, but without result. Dee Wright of Eugene, formerly a member of the Forest Ser. vice, informed the compiler that there was no doubt that the mountain was named for Bruce Wilson, because Wilson told him of the circumstances. Robert Bruce Wilson, son of Dr. and Mrs. R. B. Wilson, was born in Portland on June 2, 1877. He graduated from Yale in 1901, and received a degree from the Yale Forest School in 1904. He entered the Forest Service, and before he resigned, in 1908, he was supervisor of the forests of the Cascade Range between Columbia and McKenzie rivers. He died near Medford on June 19, 1919. He was not married.
MOUNT YORAN, Lane County. The top of Mount Yoran, elevation 7132 feet, is just west of the summit of the Cascade Range north of Diamond Lake. It was named for Louise C. Yoran of Eugene, who was at the time employed by the Forest Service. She married C. A. E. Whitton of Eugene.
MOUNTAIN, Josephine County. The place called Mountain, obviously for the surroundings, was a few miles north of Grants Pass in the southwest part of township 34 south, range 5 west. It was at or near the location of the Lucky Queen mine. The Oregon Almanac, 1915, says it was a lumbering community. Mountain post office was established November 30, 1908, with Allison Rumham first postmaster. The office was closed to Threepines on March 31, 1913, apparently having served its usefulness. Mountain was just southeast of Sexton Mountain.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Washington County. Mountain Home is a locality or neighborhood about three miles south of Scholls. There is a Mountain Home School. The place was named for the Mountain Home farm of the Schmeltzer family, well known in that part of the county. Mountain Home School is on the northwest slopes of the Chehalem Mountains. It was formerly called Schmeltzer School and the place where it stands was known as Fir Clearing. For a history of these matters, see Hillsboro Argus, December 24, 1931.
MOUNTAIN House, Yamhill County. Mountain House appears to have been an institution that moved westward as better transportation became available. According to available information it was first the home of Wilson Carl, two miles west of Carlton, but later there was another locality called Mountain House about seven miles northwest of Carlton and the same distance southwest of Yamhill. The compiler has not been able to learn the exact relationship, if any, between these various establishments. According to post office records Mountain House post office was established October 19, 1866, with Charles W. Cogle first postmaster. Wilson Carl became postmaster November 9, 1868, and Lewis C. Thompson took over the office in January, 1874. Mountain House post office was closed in November, 1874, but the use of the place name continued a good many years after that. It is assumed that the Mountain House was named because it was where travelers stopped before climbing westward over the Coast Range toward Tillamook.
MOUNTAIN SHEEP CREEK, Wallowa County, This creek flows into Snake River in township 4 north, range 48 east. It was named by Charles ​
Holmes and R. F. Stubblefield who were looking for winter range and saw mountain sheep on the range above the stream.
MOUNTAINDALE, Washington County. Mountaindale is a descriptive name applied to a locality where East Fork Dairy Creek emerges from the hills at the north border of the Tualatin Valley. Mountain Dale post office was established June 11, 1873, with David O. Quick postmaster. The name was changed to Mountaindale probably in 1895, as the Postal Guide issued at the end of that year is the first to contain the name in one word. The office was discontinued in July, 1935.
MOUSE ISLAND LAKE, Columbia and Multnomah counties. This lake is on Sauvie Island. It received its peculiar name because there was an island in the lake infested with field mice.
MOUTH OF THE WILLAMETTE, Multnomah County. This pioneer post office was established on Sauvie Island, close to the south end, June 30, 1851, with Ellis Walker postmaster. It was first put on the list for Clark County, Washington, but it never was actually in that county. The name of the office was changed to Souvies Island on March 5, 1852, and on May 19, 1853, it was moved to the Washington County, Oregon, list with Benjamin Howell postmaster. The locality is now in Multnomah County. See under Post OFFICE BAR. Mowich, Klamath County. Mowich is a Chinook jargon word meaning deer and it has been applied to a number of geographic features in Oregon. The word is used for a station name on the Southern Pacific Cascade line about twelve miles north of Chemult, and while there are doubtless deer in the locality many of these station names are Indian words selected because of their pleasing sound. Mowich post office was established January 3, 1936, with R. J. Watt postmaster.
MOYINA Hill, Klamath County. Moyina Hill is a prominent landmark about midway between Klamath Falls and Dairy and north of Olene. Many years ago Will G. Steel told the compiler that the name was a Klamath Indian word meaning big mountain. The spelling Moyina is that used on the maps of the Forest Service. Apparently it comes from the Indian word yaini, meaning mountain, with the prefix muni for big or bulky. Mud CREEK, Wallowa County. Mud Creek flows into Grande Ronde River in township 5 north, range 43 east. It was named for the mud springs and mud flats at its head. It has been known as Mud Creek for a long time.
MUDDY CREEK, Jefferson and Wasco counties. This stream rises in Jefferson County east of Ashwood and flows into Currant Creek, a tributary of John Day River. Its occasional turbidity caused its name. H. H. Bancroft in his History of Oregon, volume I, page 787, says that when in 1862 Joseph H. Sherar and his party were packing into the John Day mines, they named this as well as a number of other features. Muddy CREEK, Lane and Linn counties. This stream drains the eastern floor of the Willamette Valley. It rises in the hills east of Coburg and flows generally to the Willamette River, finally joining it east of Corvallis. It is a sluggish stream, and it is no surprise that the pioneers named it as they did. The name Muddy Creek appears in the Oregonian as early as November 7, 1857. Muddy Creek has two main tributaries, Dry Muddy Creek and Little Muddy Creek. There was a railroad station called Muddy, where the stream crossed the main line of the Southern Pacific, mert un ain have 12.me pic of LA ​
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but that station is now Alford. There is another Muddy Creek, of similar characteristics, draining the western part of the Willamette Valley and flowing into Marys River south of Corvallis.
MUDDY STATION, Linn County. A post office with the name Muddy Station was established February 24, 1874, with William Landreth postmaster. Thomas Alford, Sr., became postmaster on November 5, 1874, and the office was closed February 19, 1875. Muddy Station was a place on the Oregon & California Railroad about four miles northeast of Harrisburg at the place where the railroad crossed Muddy Creek. Most old maps show the place as Muddy, but the official post office name was Muddy Station. Some time after the turn of the century the name of the station was changed to Alford in compliment to Thomas Alford mentioned above. Alford was a pioneer of 1850 and a well-known resident of Linn County. For a biography of Alford, see Historical Atlas Map of Marion & Linn Counties, 1878, page 55, wherein it is stated that the village of Liverpool was situated on Alford property. See under LIVERPOOL.
MUDJEKEEWIS MOUNTAIN, Klamath County. Mudjekeewis Mountain, maximum elevation 6616 feet, is in the Cascade Range, on the west border of Klamath County, about four miles south of the southwest corner of Crater Lake National Park. It was named for the Indian deity, Mudjekeewis, spirit of the four winds, made famous by Henry W. Longfellow as the father of Hiawatha. As applied to the feature in Jackson County, the name is relatively modern. It may have been used because the mountain is in an unusually windy situation or because some forest ranger landed in the clutches of poetical romance.
MUGWUMP LAKE, Lake County. One of the Warner Lakes. Will G. Steel told the compiler it was named Mugwump because it was so changeable from wet to dry and back again. Muir CREEK, Wallowa County. Muir Creek is a small stream in a canyon draining into Snake River in township 1 north, range 51 east. It was named for a Scotch prospector, one Muir, who worked in the canyon with a fellow countryman,
MULE, Harney County. Mule post office was established February 11, 1895, with James F. Mahon postmaster. It was in operation until February 14, 1901. It was reestablished May 13, 1903, with Lucy R. Mahon postmaster, and continued until January 14, 1906. In December, 1945, Archie McGowan wrote the compiler in substance as follows: "Mule post office was at the ranch home of James F. Mahon, early pioneer and noted mule breeder at his famous Anderson Valley ranch 55 miles southeast of Burns. The ofhce was likely discontinued in 1901 because of lack of patrons. Its re-instatement in 1903 with Lucy R. Mahon, wife of James F. Mahon, was justified by the last wave of homesteaders that spread over the West. Mahon was a prominent Democrat and the appointment of his wife as postmaster by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 was likely political. During the last years of the post office, Vahon had one John Hoss working on the ranch, who of course was a patron of the office. It was quite common to note letters and other mail addressed to John Hoss, Mule, Oregon. I think Ripley has used this item in his pictures."
MULE CREEK, Curry County. Mule Creek is in the extreme northeast corner of the county and flows into Rogue River. Many vears ago William H. Packwood told the compiler that the stream was named in the summer of 1852 when a company of soldiers from Fort Orford was trying ​
to open a trail along Rogue River. Packwood was a soldier in the party. Lieutenant R. S. Williamson rode a mule named John, and when it was turned loose to graze near this stream, it wandered off and despite a search, the animal was not recovered. The stream was named John Mule Creek because of this incident. Old maps show the name in full, but in recent years the name has been reduced to Mule Creek. There is a Mule Mountain nearby. Packwood also said that a few years later he found the mule at Siletz in the possesssion of an Indian, who had apparently salvaged it. Stories to the effect that the stream was named for a prospector John Mule cannot be substantiated.
MULESHOE MOUNTAIN, Wheeler County. Muleshoe Mountain is east of Service Creek, and Muleshoe Creek is just east of the mountain. J. H. Tilley of Service Creek told the compiler that there was a story in the neighborhood to the effect that someone found a muleshoe near the head of this creek, which accounts for the name. On the other hand it is also said that the mountain itself is shaped something like a muleshoe with the toe to the north. The reader may take his choice of the explanations.
MULINO, Clackamas County. Mulino was named by C. H. Howard in 1882, and the name was a corruption of the Spanish word molino, which means mill. Postal authorities would not accept the name Molino because it was too much like the nearby Molalla. There was a flour mill at Mulino in pioneer days, and the place was known as Howards Mill. Mulino post office was established March 21, 1882, with James G. Foster first postmaster.
MULTNOMAH, Multnomah County. The community of Multnomah took its name from Multnomah County. The Oregon Electric Railway was built from Portland south to Salem in 1907 and began operation in 1908 and it was the policy of the officials to apply Indian names, wherever possible, to the stations as they were established. For the origin of Multnomah, see under MULTNOMAH COUNTY. The post office at Multnomah was established February 7, 1912, with Nelson Thomas first postmaster.
MULTNOMAH CHANNEL, Columbia and Multnomah counties. For many years the channel between Sauvie Island and the mainland to the west was known as Willamette Slough, probably because its southern entrance was close to the mouth of Willamette River. Commercial interests and citizens interested in historical matters prevailed upon the
USBGN to adopt the name Multnomah Channel for this stream. Multnomah Channel was discovered on October 28, 1792, by W. R. Broughton, and named Calls River, apparently for Sir John Call. See Meany's Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, page 261. Lewis and Clark called this channel Wappato Inlet because it lay to the west of what they called Wappato Island, now Sauvie Island. Wilkes used the name Warrior Branch because the stream joined the Columbia at Warrior Point. Sauvie Island was referred to as Multnomah Island by Wilkes.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY. Multnomah County was created December 22, 1854, and was taken from Washington and Clackamas counties as they then existed. Multnomah County has a land area, according to the Bureau of the Census, of 424 square miles and is the smallest county in the state. Multnomah is an Indian name. The word is first used by Lewis and Clark in their journals for November 3, 1805, with the style Mulknomah, referring to the stream now known as the Willamette. On the following day the explorers record a village of Mulknomans on the east Mil! G. W28 East. It 0.94 OR where ram outh ​
side of what is now known as Sauvie Island. On April 2, 1806, the stream is mentioned again in the spelling Multnomah, and this form is used on the maps prepared by the party, not only for the stream but also for the village on the east side of Sauvie Island. Coues thinks that the name as applied to the stream meant only that part of the Willamette below the falls, and says that the word is a corruption of nematlnomaq, meaning down river. The Multnomah Indians were of the Chinookan tribe. The map of Lewis and Clark indicated that Multnomah River headed about where Great Salt Lake is now known to be. The map is said to have established the 42nd parallel as the boundary with Spain.
MULTNOMAH FALLS, Multnomah County. The compiler has been unable to learn who named these falls, but Geo, H. Himes said that they were called Multnomah Falls in the '60s, and he was of the opinion that S. G. Reed may have named them with the idea of trying to popularize points along the river for steamboat excursions. Lewis and Clark, Wilkes, and many others mentioned the falls on the south bank of the Columbia between the mouth of the Sandy and the Cascades, but no individual names seem to have been applied. Pioneer estimates of the height of Multnomah Falls, amounting to as much as 1000 feet, were grossly in error. In 1916 the USGS made detailed computations of the height of the falls and found the following elevations above standard sea level: Top of upper falls, 659.8 feet. Base of upper falls, 117.5 feet. Top of lower falls, 103.1 feet. Base of lower falls, 39.8 feet. Total drop of two falls, 620.0 feet. Floor of cement bridge, top lower falls, 134.7 feet.
MULTORPOR BUTTE, Clackamas County. This prominent butte, elevation 4657 feet, lies just south of Government Camp, and is easily seen from the Mount Hood Loop Highway. It was named for the Multorpor Republican Club of Portland. The name Multorpor was made by combining the first parts of Multnomah, Oregon and Portland. The name Multiple for this mountain is wrong.
MUNKERS, Linn County. This station west of Scio was named for the Munkers family, prominent early-day settlers of Linn County. One of the family owned the land where the station was established.
MUNRA POINT, Multnomah County. Munra Point was named in 1915 in honor of "Grandma" Munra, who for many years kept a railroad eating house at Bonneville, and later at Meacham. She was a widely known pioneer woman, and her name was attached to the point in question by a committee representing various Oregon historical organizations. Munra Point is just south of Bonneville, between Tanner Creek and Moffett Creek. The name has been approved by the USBGN. In 1928 the Union Pacific Railroad named a station (siding) east of Pendleton for "Grandma" Munra.
MUNSEL LAKE, Lane County. This lake is about two miles north of Florence. It was named for David L. Munsel, who operated a small furniture factory and repair shop on Munsel Creek. Munsel, who was a French cabinet maker, also spelled his name Munselle, but Munsel is now the well-established style for the name of the lake and creek.
MUNSON POINT, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. ​
This point and the valley just to the east were named by Captain Oliver C. Applegate for a Doctor Munson, physician at Klamath Indian Agency, who died from over-exertion while climbing near the point in 1871. See article in Klamath Record, March 22, 1918.
MURDER CREEK, Linn County. This stream is just northeast of Albany. It owes its name to the fact that on February 8, 1862, Andrew J. Pate killed George Lamb near its banks, and Pate was hanged at Albany on May 17, 1862. Pate was the first man to be hanged in Linn County. Additional details about this murder are contained in a very rare pamphlet in the files of the Oregon Historical Society, which gives Pate's confession. The stream has been called Fisher Creek and also Powell Creek for nearby settlers, but Murder Creek seems well established and is used on government maps.
MURDERERS CREEK, Grant County. Colonel William Thompson, in Reminiscences of a Pioneer, page 62, says this stream was named in the '60s because Indians killed a party of eight prospectors who were exploring its banks. For additional information about the naming of this stream see news article by Martha Stewart in Canyon City Blue Mountain Eagle, October 21, 1927.
MURPHY, Josephine County. B. O. R. Murphy settled on Applegate River May 7, 1854, and took up a donation land claim. The stream running through the claim became known as Murphy Creek. On January 7, 1875, Jacob 0. C. Wimer had a post office established called Murphy in honor of the early settler.
MURPHY Bar, Polk County. Murphy Bar is on the south bank of the Willamette River about three miles southeast of Independence. It was named for William Murphy who lived nearby many years ago.
MURPHY CREEK, Wallowa County. This creek was named for one Murphy, a pioneer trapper and hunter, who built a cabin on the creek. In 1926 part of this cabin was still standing. The stream flows into Minam River.
MUTTON MOUNTAINS, Wasco County. These mountains are in the northeast part of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and have an extreme elevation of about 4500 feet. The eastern slopes are excessively steep down to the Deschutes River, and the group is so cut off from the routes of travel that it is little visited. Pierce Mays, a well-known resident of Wasco County, said that the Mutton Mountains were named for the large number of mountain sheep that formerly lived thereon. That eastern Oregon had at one time plenty of mountain sheep is attested by J. E. Snow, whose statement to that effect appears on the editorial page of the Oregonian for December 10, 1925. The use of the name Mutton Mountains began before 1855. There is a good deal of information about the mountain sheep in Vernon Bailey's Mammals and Life Zones of Oregon, beginning on page 63. The principal variety in Oregon is known as the rimrock or lava bed sheep, credited to David Douglas as of 1829, but mentioned by Ogden as early as 1825.
MUTTONCHOP BUTTE, Klamath County. Muttonchop Butte, elevation 5489 feet, is about ten miles north of Chemult and west of the Southern Pacific Cascade line. The first explanation of the name that the compiler can find is that when the area was mapped by the Forest Service about 1930, the contour lines of this butte made a very fair representation of a mutton chop. This may be seen by inspecting the USGS butte. I the land d for ne of ' eat 10Kn 1972 ofteil ​
worth map of the Chemult quadrangle. In June, 1944, R. W. Crawford, supervisor of the Deschutes National Forest at Bend, wrote the compiler that he had been told that about 1913 a German took up a timber claim on Spruce Creek near this butte. This man grew some rather natty side whiskers and was generally called Old Muttonchops because of the hirsute adornment. Muttonchop Butte is said to have been named for this local settler. This story sounds reasonable.
MYERS CREEK, Curry County. Myers Creek is just south of Cape Sebastian and is a well-known stream flowing into Pacific Ocean. The name is variously spelled, but the form Myers has been adopted by
USBGN. This was done on the recommendation of F. S. Moore, formerly county assessor of Curry County. In a letter to the compiler, dated March 29, 1932, Mr. Moore says that the stream bears the name of one Myers who settled nearby in the late '50s and mined the beach sands. Myers abandoned his cabin. When F. S, Moore was about seven years old his father moved the family into the Myers cabin, and used the building while he built a new house on the Moore property about a mile to the north.
MYRICK, Umatilla County. Myrick is a station on the Northern Pacific Railway northeast of Pendleton. The place was originally known as Warren, but was changed to Myrick because of confusion with Warren in Columbia County. Samuel Jackson Myrick came to Oregon from Missouri in the spring of 1884 and settled near the station now known as Myrick. When it was found necessary to abandon the name of Warren it was decided to name the place for Myrick.
MYRTLE CREEK, Douglas County. Myrtle Creek was named from groves of Oregon myrtle in the vicinity. The site was first settled upon by James B. Weaver, in 1851, who sold it to J. Bailey for a yoke of oxen. Bailey sold to Lazarus Wright in 1852, who sold it to John Hall in 1862. Hall laid out the town in 1865. Myrtle Creek post office was established on February 18, 1854, with Lazarus Wright first postmaster. In the late '60s a movement was on foot to divide Douglas County, and Myrtle Creek had hopes of becoming county seat for the south part. This county division was not made. For information about Oregon myrtle, see under MYRTLE POINT. Myrtle Park, Grant and Harney counties. In 1942 Archie McGowan of Burns became interested in the problem of the origin of this name for the natural park southwest of Canyon City. There were no myrtle trees in that part of Oregon and a botanical significance seemed improbable. Mr. McGowan concluded that the locality might have been named for Minnie Myrtle Miller, wife of Joaquin Miller. He wrote an interesting letter on the subject in Canyon City Eagle for April 10, 1942. As to whether or not Mrs. Minnie Myrtle Miller ever lived in Grant County, the evidence seems positive that she did. Wagner's Joaquin Miller indicates that Mrs. Miller lived with the poet in Canyon City and the two youngest children were born there. In 1943 Mr. McGowan verified his theory. He found living near the park one Andy Pierce, aged 90, sound of mind and body, who joined the Canyon City gold rush in 1864. Pierce had lived in that vicinity ever since and was well acquainted with the Miller family. He made the positive statement that the Millers spent some time in an old cabin in the park and that Joaquin Miller named the place in honor of his wife.
​MYRTLE POINT, Coos County. The early history of this place is given by Dodge in his History of Coos and Curry Counties, chapter XIV. It was a natural rendezvous of the Indians. Henry Meyers laid out the town about 1861 and named it Meyersville. It remained a paper community until 1866 when Chris Lehnherr bought the property and built a small flour mill. He named the place Ott in compliment to an old friend and his son. Lehnherr became the first postmaster in August, 1872. Binger Hermann and Edward Bender became interested in the townsite and suggested that the name be changed to Myrtle Point. Postal records show that the name of the post office Ott was changed to Myrtle Point in December, 1876. The name was due to the geographical location and also to the fact that the community was started where there was an abundance of myrtle. This Oregon or Coos Bay myrtle is the same as California laurel, Umbelluria californica. It is an evergreen tree, distinguished by a strong camphor odor. In favorable conditions it grows 80 feet high and four feet in diameter. In the dense forest it grows with a clean straight trunk, but elsewhere and more commonly it has a thick trunk and large low limbs. Its range in Oregon is in the Coast Range and Siskiyou Mountains. It has a beautiful grain and excels as a cabinet and finishing wood. It grows extensively in southwest Oregon.