# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/Y

​YACH, Tillamook County. Yach post office was in service from March, 1907, to January, 1908, when it was closed out to Dolph. Frank Yach was the postmaster. The Yach homestead was about four or five miles westward of Dolph, on Little Nestucca River. The office was manifestly named for the postmaster.
YACHATS, Lincoln County. This post office was established in 1887 about a mile north of its present location and with the name of Ocean View. George M. Starr was the first postmaster. In 1916 the name of the post office was changed to Yachats for a tribe of Indians. These Indians had previously been moved to Siletz and they are now practically extinct. The name is pronounced Ya-hats. Indians say that the word means "at the foot of the mountain." This interpretation fits the facts. The name of the post office was changed to Yachats at the suggestion of J. K. Berry because it was at the mouth of Yachats River. See Handbook of American Indians, volume II, page 982.
YAINAX, Klamath County. This place was for a number of years a subagency for the Klamath Indian Reservation. It took its name from the Klamath Indian word Yainaga, meaning little hill, which was the name the Indians used in referring to a little butte about two miles away, now known as Council Butte. The name Yainax Butte, originally applied to this feature, has become transferred to a mountain twelve miles southeast. See under YAINAX BUTTE.
YAINAX BUTTE, Klamath County. The government has officially adopted this name for a mountain, elevation 7226 feet, about twelve miles southeast of Yainax, and just south of the Klamath Indian Reservation. The butte has also been known as Modoc Mountain, Bald Mountain and Yonna Butte. Yainax is a Klamath Indian word meaning little hill, and the name is not strictly suitable for a mountain, yet it has been used so long for the feature in question that the USBGN finally adopted it as official. Yainax was originally the name used for what is now Council Butte, near the settlement of Yainax.
YAMADA, Lincoln County. Yamada post office was in operation for a few months near South Beaver Creek, north of Alsea Bay. The office was established March 26, 1898, with Newton L, Guilliams first and only postmaster, and was closed to Ona on December 26, 1899. It is reported that Yamada post office was established as the result of some "feudin" between the people on South Beaver against the patrons of Ona post office, which was on the main Beaver Creek, or north branch. In any event, Yamada office had a short life. There are two places in Japan named Yamada, and this fact tends to substantiate the story that members of the Guilliams family ran across the name while sealing in Alaska and cruising off the coast of Japan. They liked the sound of the word and later applied it to the Oregon post office. The Japanese word yamada is said to mean a mountain field.
YAMHILL, Yamhill County. The name Yamhill, in various forms, comes of course from the Yamhill River, but the exact meaning is a matter of doubt. A post office with the name Yam Hill Falls was established January 8, 1850, with Jacob House postmaster. This office, which was the first post office in Yamhill County, was closed January 6, 1852. Yamhill ​
CIQ.
Falls were about a mile southeast of Lafayette, and were an impediment to navigation until they were eliminated by the Yamhill Locks. Yam Hill post office was established September 4, 1856, with Thomas Bailey postmaster. The office was closed September 25, 1857. The writer has been unable to find this place on any old map, although it seems probable that the office was on the lower reaches of the stream, perhaps northeast of Dayton. North Yam Hill office was established March 14, 1851, with Benjamin E. Stewart first postmaster. With one break, this office was in operation for more than half a century at or near the North Yamhill River on the route of travel from McMinnville to Forest Grove. On May 9, 1908, the name of the office was changed to Yamhill and that has been its official title ever since.
YAMHILL COUNTY. This county was created July 5, 1843, and now has a land area of 709 square miles according to the Bureau of the Census. It was one of the original four districts of Oregon and embraced the southwest part of the territory. Several counties have been taken from it. The origin and meaning of the name are uncertain, but the best evidence indicates that it is the white man's name for the Yamhill Indians. The Yamhill Indians were of the Kalapooian family, formerly living on Yamhill River, in Yamhill County. The remnants of the tribes were sent to Siletz agency. The Henry-Thompson Journals, page 812, under date of January 23, 1814, refer to the Yamhelas, "who dwell in houses on Yellow river, a branch of the Willamette. They are great rogues, but not very numerous." John Work uses the name Yamhill in 1834. Lee and Frost, in Ten Years in Oregon, page 90, give Yam-hill. The early pronunciation of the word was Yam-il. Nothing very definite is known about its meaning. In All Over Oregon and Washington, by Mrs. F. F. Victor, the origin is given as from Che-am-il, Indian word for bald hills, this being the character of the hills near the falls of Yamhill River, where there was a convenient ford. John Minto discusses the history of the word in the Oregonian, October 7, 1890, page 4. There is a town with the name Yamhill, formerly known as North Yamhill, presumably because it was near North Yamhill River.
YAMHILL RIVER, Yamhill County. For the origin of this name, see under YAMHILL COUNTY. The two main branches of Yamhill River are North Yamhill River and South Yamhill River, the latter being the larger. South Yamhill River has part of its course in Polk County.
YAMPO SCHOOL, Yamhill County. Yampo School is in the Eola Hills about a mile north of the Polk-Yamhill county line. The name is synthetic and is made up of parts of the two county names.
YAMSAY, Klamath County. Yamsay post office was established February 28, 1930, with Claude Houghton postmaster. This office was about forty miles by road northeast of Chiloquin and it was established to serve a lumbering activity. The office was near Yamsay Mountain and was named on that account. Yamsay post office should not be confused with Yamsay railroad station on the Southern Pacific Cascade line about ten miles south of Chemult. The origin of the name of the railroad station is the same as that of the post office. Both are in Klamath County but some distance apart.
YAMSAY MOUNTAIN, Klamath and Lake counties. This is a well known geographic feature with an elevation of over 8000 feet, in the northeast part of the Klamath Indian Reservation. The mountain ​
and its extension to the south are drained to the west by Williamson River and its tributaries. The Klamath Indian name was Yamsi, a form of Yamash, the north wind, referring possibly to the abode of the north wind. The Weaslet was supposed to live at Yamsay Mountain. See under CHASKI BAY. Yamsay Mountain was also supposed to be the abode of Kmukamtch, the supreme being of Klamath mythology, who at times appeared as the Marten, elder brother of Weaslet.
YANKTON, Columbia County. This community was settled about 1890 by several families from the state of Maine. It was known as Yankeetown. About 1894 a post ofhce was petitioned for and local residents suggested the name Maineville. Postal authorities did not like this name, and when Yankeetown was suggested they shortened it to Yankton and Yankton it has been ever since.
YAQUINA BAY, Lincoln County. Yaquina Bay, Yaquina station and Yaquina River which heads near the Benton-Lincoln County line, and flows into the bay, bear the name of the Yaquina Indians. The Yaquinas were a small tribe of the Yakonan family, formerly living about Yaquina Bay. Hale gives the name as Iakon and Yakone, in Ethnography and Philology, 1846, page 218; Lewis and Clark give Youikeones and Youkone; Wilkes' Western America, 1849, gives Yacone. Another form of the word is Acona. (OHQ, volume I, page 320.)
YAQUINA JOHN POINT, Lincoln County. Yaquina John Point is on the south side of the entrance to Alsea Bay just southwest of Waldport. It was named for Yaquina John, a chief or councillor of the Yaquina Indians, who lived in the vicinity of Alsea Bay. YA WHEE PLATEAU, Klamath County. This plateau is on Klamath Indian Reservation, southwest of Saddle Mountain. The name is derived from a Klamath Indian word meaning eastern. Various forms have been in use, including ye-wat, yah-wa, etc. The name is properly written in two parts in order to indicate the proper pronunciation, as Yawhee, written in one word is not satisfactory.
YELLOWSTONE CREEK, Linn County. This stream flows into Quartzville Creek about twenty-five miles northeast of Sweet Home and bears a descriptive name. The creek was named in the early '90s when there was a good deal of mining excitement along Quartzville Creek. The miners became attracted by the abundance of a yellowish, quartz-like bedrock in the channel of a branch entering Quartzville Creek from the northwest and crossed by the old Quartzville trail near its mouth. This side stream became known as Yellowstone Creek, the name by which it is still called. Yellowstone Mountain was named in 1919 when it was first used as a forest lookout station. It was named for the creek. Yellowstone Mountain, elevation 4320 feet, is a little to the west of Yellowstone Creek.
YEON MOUNTAIN, Multnomah County. Yeon Mountain is a prominent point on the south bank of the Columbia River east of Saint Peters Dome and west of Tumalt Creek. It is conspicuous from the Columbia River Highway. It was named for John Baptiste Yeon, who was born in Canada on April 24, 1865. After working in various places, he came to Oregon in 1885, and began his career as a logger at $2.50 a day. He accumulated a large fortune, and for many years was interested in the good roads movement in Oregon. He was among those who developed the idea of the Columbia River Highway. He ​
served as roadmaster of Multnomah County, and also as state highway commissioner. He died on October 15, 1928. For obituary, see Oregonian, October 16; for editorial, ibid., October 17.
YEOVILLE, Grant County. All the available evidence shows that Yeoville was a post office in Bear Valley or vicinity, but old timers in the valley disclaim knowledge of the place. Yeoville post office was established February 23, 1887, with Aaron Wickiser first and only postmaster. The establishment did not last long, for it was closed out to Canyon City May 18, 1887. The reason for the unusual name is not known,
YOAKAM POINT, Coos County. For many decades this name has been applied to a small promontory about a mile west of Coos Head just south of the entrance to Coos Bay. It commemorates a family well known in the history of the county. John Yoakam settled in Coos County in the early fifties. He was the father of seven children, five of whom were killed by a large tree which fell one night, March 27, 1855, on the Yoakam cabin. This was the most unexpected and unusual tragedy in the early history of the county. It took place at a point sometimes called Yoakam Hill southwest of Coos Bay town and west of Libby. The family also lived for a time at Empire and also at other places in the county. Dodge in Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties mentions John Yoakam in several places and spells the name in several ways. George Bennett in OHQ, volume XXVIII, page 334, mentions John Yoakum, in the late '50s living near Coquille. In 1943 Mrs. Mary M. Randleman, authority on Coos County history, wrote the compiler that Yoakam was the correct spelling of the name. Yocum, Lake County. Yocum post office, in Yocum Valley, was in the extreme southwest corner of the county and was in service from August, 1917, to June, 1937, when it was closed to West Side. An earlier office called Kriegh was established March 8, 1915, with Margaret E. Kriegh postmaster. Belle Pardue became postmaster August 4, 1917, on which date the name of the office was changed to Yocum. Yocum Valley bears an old name, the history of which has not been unraveled by the writer. The name has been in use for well over fifty years, apparently to commemorate an early settler or squatter who departed long ago. There was once a cabin in the west end of Yocum Valley called Yocum cabin, and the owner of the name apparently lived there many years ago. Yocum Ridge, Clackamas County. This ridge is a western spur of Mount Hood. It bears the name of Oliver C. Yocum, who came to Oregon as a small boy with the emigration of 1847, and after residing in Yamhill County and in Portland for many years, he developed the Government Camp hotel and resort in 1900, and lived there for 22 years. He probably took more persons to the top of Mount Hood than any other guide, and was admired and respected because of his affection for the mountain. He returned to Yamhill County about 1922. Yocum Falls also bears his name. For additional information see editorial page, Oregon Journal, July 3, 4, 1927. YOper, Clackamas County. This place was named for a pioneer family. It was formerly known as Yoderville, but that form has fallen into disuse. Yoncalla, Douglas County. Yoncalla is in a small valley called Yoncalla Valley. It was famous for many years as being the home of ​the Applegate brothers. The valley and the town were named for a prominent bald mountain to the northwest, which was known by the Indians as Yoncalla, or the home of the eagles. Eagles made their nests and reared their young on this butte. It is said that Jesse Applegate applied the name to the community. Bancroft, in History of Oregon, volume II, page 225, footnote, says the word is composed of yonc, eagle, and calla or calla-calla meaning bird or fowl in the Indian dialect. The compiler has been unable to identify the word yonc in any Indian dictionary available. The Chinook jargon borrowed the word kal-lak'-a-la, meaning bird, from the Chinook Indian language. The accent given by George Gibbs is on the second syllable, but the compiler heard the word frequently in the Willamette Valley in the '80s and '90s pronounced as though spelled cully-cully, with the accent on the first syllable of each part. This word was used by Indians in referring to birds generally but more especially to game birds such as grouse and quail. It seems to have been the same word used by Applegate in his name Yoncalla. Yoncalla post ofhce was established on March 14, 1851, with James B. Riggs postmaster. Jesse Applegate became postmaster on September 15, 1851.
YONNA VALLEY, Klamath County. Yonna Valley was at one time known as Alkali Valley, but that name was abandoned some time ago for the Klamath Indian name. Yonna may come from yana, meaning below, or low down, referring to the lower altitude of the valley, or it may be from yaina, meaning mountain. There are mountains nearby. There was at one time a post office at Yonna, in Yonna Valley northeast of Dairy. Youngs BUTTE, Grant County. This butte, elevation 5330 feet, southwest of Dayville, was named for John M. Young, a Civil War veteran who lived on Youngs Creek, under the butte.
YOUNGS RIVER, Clatsop County. Lieutenant William Robert Broughton of Vancouver's expedition, discovered and explored Youngs Bay and Youngs River on October 22, 1792. He named Youngs River for Sir George Young of the royal navy. The bay took its name from the river. Lewis and Clark named the bay Meriwether Bay for Meriwether Lewis, just as they named Tongue Point William for William Clark, but neither of these new names was able to supplant the names attached to the features by Lieutenant Broughton in 1792. The Lewis and Clark maps indicate that Youngs River was called Kilhowanahkle River by the explorers, apparently from the Indian name, but Silas B. Smith is authority for the statement that this was the name of a place on the river and not of the river itself. Admiral Sir George Young was born in 1732 and became a midshipman in the royal navy in 1757. He served at various important stations and reached the position of flag captain to Sir Edward Vernon in the East Indies in 1777. He was knighted in 1781 and became an admiral in 1799. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and actively sup. ported a proposal of Jean Maria Matra for establishing a colony in New South Wales in 1784. He was the promoter and one of the first proprietors of the Sierra Leone Company in 1791. He died in 1810.
YOUTLKUT BUTTE, Lake County. This butte is just south of the Paulina Mountains. It was named by the Forest Service with the Chinook jargon word for long.