# Oregon Geographic Names (1952)/D

​Dad Spring, Wallowa County. Dad Spring is in section 19, township 2 north, range 50 east. It was named for Elbert B. Wilson, who was generally known as Dad or Snake River Wilson. He came to Wallowa County in July, 1900, and ranged cattle near this spring in the summers. This spring was at one time known as Brigham Spring because it was on Mormon Flat.
Dairy, Klamath County. This place was named by William Roberts, pioneer settler. He is said to have lived in the Rogue River country and also in the Klamath country as early as 1865. He selected the word Dairy because he had previously lived in a community by that name in an eastern state. The post office of Dairy was first established May 8, 1876, with Roberts postmaster. The valley in which Dairy is situated was at one time known as Alkali Valley, but now bears its Klamath Indian name, Yonna Valley. See under that name.
Dairy Creek, Multnomah County. Dairy Creek is on the east part of Sauvie Island. It drains Marquam Lake into Columbia River. It was named for a small dairy operated nearby by a French-Canadian employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. This was in pioneer days. For additional data see under Marquam Lake.
Dairy Creek, Washington County. Dairy Creek and its tributaries are an important part of the Tualatin River drainage. The main stream is formed by two long branches which join a few miles northeast of Forest Grove. West Fork Dairy Creek rises near Buxton and East Fork Dairy Creek rises in the extreme south part of Columbia County north of Mountaindale. Dairy Creek has been so called for a long time. While the evidence is not positive, it is probable that the stream was named by employees of the Hudson's Bay Company during the fur trading period. The company operated a dairy on what is now Dairy Creek, but the compiler does not know the exact location. On July 5, 1882, George B. Roberts, retired Hudson's Bay Company employee, wrote to Mrs. Frances Fuller Victor: "Wyeth's Fort William ... was located with the view to easy communication with the Tualatin plains. Our people used that road over the hills and we had a dairy there on what is now called Dairy creek." Roberts is referring to the Logie Trail. The date the dairy was established is uncertain, but by inference it must have been prior to 1840.
Daley Creek, Jackson County. In September, 1847, Miss Venita Daley of Medford sent the compiler data about her grandfather, William Carter Daley, and the geographic features in the east part of Jackson ​
County named for him. These features include Daley Creek and Daley Prairie. The creek, which is about four miles long, starts at a spring in the south part of the prairie, and flows west to join Deadwood Creek. Daley Creek is in township 37 south, range 4 east. The creek and the prairie were named many years ago in memory of an elk hunting expedition organized by Daley, an Ashland pioneer of 1864, and his brotherin-law, Samuel B. Hamilton, a Jacksonville miner of 1856. These two built a hunting cabin near Daley Creek about 1873, and for several years packed in from Ashland. Daley shipped a considerable number of beaver and other pelts from Ashland to San Francisco, where there was a ready sale. Daley abandoned the campsite and cabin after game laws became effective and bought a ranch about a mile above Lakecreek post office, where he farmed for nearly 35 years. He died at his home in Eagle Point in 1930, aged 84. He was a well-known resident of the Little Butte Creek area.
DALEY LAKE, Tillamook County. This lake is near the ocean about two miles southwest of Oretown. It is known as Fletcher Lake and also Daley Lake. D. R. S. Daley was an Oregon pioneer. He came to Tillamook County in the '70s and took up a homestead near the south end of the lake. Fletcher Lake is a modern name and in the opinion of the writer is not the correct one.
DALLAS, Polk County. Dallas is said to have been called Cynthia Ann originally. It was settled in the '40s on the north side of Rickreall Creek, but was moved more than a mile south in 1856 because of inadequate water supply. It was named for George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864), vice-president of the United States from 1845 to 1849. Dallas was vice-president during Polk's administration, and when a name was needed for the county seat of Polk County, it was but natural that Dallas was chosen. A narrow gage railroad was built into Dallas in 1878-80 as a result of a county seat fight with Independence. Independence was after the county seat honor, but citizens of Dallas raised $17,000 and secured the branch line, and this settled the contest for the seat of government. Dallas post office was established October 22, 1852, with John E. Lyle postmaster. Attention is called to discrepancies in the available information about the early name of Dallas. It appears both as Cynthian and Cynthia Ann. An article in the Oregon Spectator, February 10, 1852, makes sarcastic reference to Cynthian. It is reported that this name was chosen by a Mrs. Lovelady in memory of a place in Kentucky, but the name in Kentucky is Cynthiana. Mrs. Harriet McArthur and Judge C. H. Carey of Portland and Captain O. C. Applegate of Klamath Falls informed the compiler in 1927 that the place was named for Mrs. Jesse Applegate, whose given name was Cynthia Ann. The Applegates lived in Polk County at the time the place was named.
DALREED BUTTE, Morrow County. Dalreed Butte is in the extreme west part of the county about two miles north of Willow Creek. Roy Scott, postmaster at Cecil, Oregon, wrote the compiler in 1927 that this butte received its name about 50 years previously. It was named for Dal Reed, who lived near the butte at that time.
DALY CREEK, Baker County. Daly Creek is south of Richland. The stream was named for an early settler. Dunham Wright of Medical Springs told the compiler that Daly came to Oregon in 1862. See also letter from H. E. Daly on editorial page, the Oregonian, October 7, 1927.
DAMASCUS, Clackamas County. Mrs. John C. Elliott of Clackamas, ​
Clackamas County, wrote the compiler in September, 1945, that Damascus was named by Henry Pedigo, who did so because of a verse in the Bible. The compiler has not been able to identify the verse. Damascus post office was established August 26, 1867, with John S. Fisher first postmaster. It was closed in August, 1904.
DAMON CREEK, Grant County. This stream flows into John Day River from the north, west of Mount Vernon. Patsy Daly of Prairie City told the compiler it was named for Robert Damon, who settled nearby in the '60s.
DANGER Bay, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Will G. Steel, the authority on Crater Lake, told the compiler that this name was ill chosen, as he never saw the time that danger befell anyone boating on Crater Lake. However, it is an old name, and will doubtless remain.
DANIELS CREEK, Coos County. This stream flows into South Fork Coos River about seven miles east of Coos Bay. It bears the name of an early settler, William Daniels, who lived near the mouth of the creek. S. B. Cathcart wrote in 1929 that Daniels left the locality many years ago.
DANNER, Malheur County. It is reported that this town was originally known as Ruby, but the postal authorities would not accept the name for a post office. Several other names were submitted including Danner, which was suggested in honor of J. H. Danner, one of the pioneer settlers in the community. Robert E. Danner, his son, was the first postmaster. The office was established April 3, 1920. DardaNELLES, Jackson County. Dardanelles was a place of importance in pioneer days in the Rogue River Valley, but the community passed into the discard. Dardanelles post office was established October 19, 1852, with William G. T'Vault postmaster. T'Vault was a prominent pioneer of southwest Oregon and started this settlement south of and across Rogue River from the present town of Gold Hill. At this point the river passes from a wider valley into a much more constricted section, with hills close on each hand. Apparently this natural setting suggested the Strait of the Dardanelles to T'Vault, although it could hardly be more than a suggestion. T'Vault was a newspaper editor of prominence and had a wide range of interests. The original Dardanelles gets its name from the city of Dardanus. It is said that the first quartz mill in southern Oregon was installed near Dardanelles in 1860. There are interesting references to this event in Walling's History of Southern Oregon, pages 329 and 379.
DARROW Rocks, Polk County. These rocks are in the Willamette River about five miles downstream from Salem, and Darrow Chute is just below the rocks. The name is spelled Darrough on some maps, but this does not seem to be correct. Hedda S. Swart of Salem kindly investigated the history of the name in 1943 and found that William and Marion Darrow conveyed some property at this locality to William McGee in 1874. This record is found in the deeds in volume 8, page 481, at the Polk County courthouse, Dallas. Swart had this spelling confirmed by Mr. and Mrs. John Schindler, local residents of long standing. Army engineers, in their work along the river, use the spelling Darrow and not Darrough.
DAVIDSON, Josephine County. Davidson post office was near Applegate River in the extreme east part of the county, about five miles southeast of Murphy. The office was named for J. E. Davidson, whose place ​
was next door to the post office. Davidson, a younger brother of Elijah J. Davidson the discoverer of the Oregon Caves, was born in Independence, Polk County, September 6, 1866, and in March, 1947, was living in Grants Pass. Davidson post office was established June 12, 1900, with Alice R. Bailey first and only postmaster. The office was closed to Murphy October 11, 1907. Mr. Davidson has informed the compiler that the office was kept in the country store of W. S. Bailey, and Mrs. Bailey was the official postmaster. The office was closed by the advent of rural free delivery.
DAVIDSON, Morrow County. On April 26, 1893, Davidson post office was established on the Morrow County list with Gamaliel Davidson first and only postmaster. The office was named for the postmaster, and after a relatively short life, it was closed August 27, 1897, with all papers to Eightmile. The post office was about ten miles west-northwest of Hardman and just north of Rock Creek.
DAVIDSON Hill, Hood River County. This is the hill on the west side of Hood River Valley north of Tucker Bridge. It was named for William Davidson, who settled at this point about 1880.
DAVIDSON Hill, Polk County. Davidson Hill is two miles west of Buena Vista. It was named for Carter T. Davidson, born in 1802, a pioneer of Oregon of 1852, who settled on a donation land claim nearby in the fall of the year he came to Oregon. It has an elevation of about 425 feet. Davin SPRING, Crook County. The spring is about six miles east of Paulina, and was named for John Davin, a Frenchman who came to Paulina from Nevada about 1890. The name is not connected in any way with that of John Devine, pioneer stockman of southeast Oregon. Davis CREEK, Deschutes County. Davis Creek is the official name given by USBGN to the outlet of Davis Lake. The stream flows underground beneath a superficial lava flow nearly two miles before coming to the surface. It is joined by the flow of other large springs, apparently not fed by the lake and is tributary to Deschutes River. Davis Creek will be below the water surface of Wickiup Reservoir at higher stages and will resume its flow only as the reservoir is drained. Davis CREEK, Grant County. This stream is just west of Austin. Patsy Daly of Prairie City wrote the compiler in 1927 that it was named for Jim Davis, an early day miner. Davis CREEK, Wallowa County. Davis Creek flows into Snake River in township 2 north, range 51 east. It was named for Ben Davis, who had a squatter's claim on its banks. Davis CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream, which is about ten miles long, Rows northward and joins Swamp Creek in the extreme southwest corner of township 4 north, range 45 east. It was named in the '70s for James Davis, hunter, trapper and Indian interpreter. Davis LAKE, Deschutes and Klamath counties. This is one of Oregon's important mountain lakes and has an area of a little over four square miles. It is fed principally by Odell and Moore creeks and the USGS gives its normal elevation as 4389 feet. The south shore of the lake is a grassy flat, but the north end is dammed by a rough flow of jagged lava. The outlet, Davis Creek, is subterranean for nearly two miles. After it comes to the surface, it is joined by streanis from other large springs, apparently not fed from the lake, ​
and makes its way to Deschutes River. Davis Lake was named for one "Button" Davis, a stockman of Prineville, who was formerly from Shedd in Linn County. He ran stock in the vicinity of the lake, according to information furnished in 1927 by W. P. Vandevert of Bend. Davis Mountain, just east of the lake, was named for the same man. The names were applied probably before 1880. Davis SPRING, Wallowa County. This spring is in section 29, township 3 north, range 47 east. It was named for Frank Davis, who ranged sheep there. Day, Sherman County. Day is a station on the line of the Union Pacific Railroad near the mouth of John Day River. It was originally known as John Day, but this name was confused with the station John Day in Clatsop County, and also with the post office John Day in Grant County, so the railroad cut the words in half. For the origin of the name see JOHN DAY RIVER. The name of the station in Clatsop County has been changed to Van Dusen.
DAY RIDGE, Wallowa County. Day Ridge is a well-known divide between Mud and Courtney creeks, southwest of Flora. It bears the name of Len and Foster Day, who homesteaded there in the early '90s. William Fornier was the first white settler on the ridge. Days CREEK, Douglas County. Walling, in his History of Southern Oregon, page 441, says this stream was named for Patrick and George Day who settled near the mouth of the creek in 1851. It is an important tributary of South Umpqua River northeast of Canyonville. The post office near the mouth of Days Creek was for some years called Day's Creek, but the name was changed to Days Creek about 1890.
DAYTON, Yamhill County. Dayton was settled in the winter of 1848-49 by Joel Palmer and Andrew Smith, and was named for Dayton, Ohio, the former home of Smith. Dayton post office was established on June 5, 1851, with Christopher Taylor postmaster. Edward L. Bill became postmaster on May 25, 1852; Joel Palmer on August 2, 1852; and Cyrus Jacobs on August 16, 1853. The principal landmark at Dayton is the Grand Ronde Blockhouse in the northwest corner of the City Park. This structure was built by Willamette Valley settlers on Fort Hill in the Grand Ronde Valley in 1855 and 1856. In 1856 federal troops established Fort Yamhill adjacent to Fort Hill. Among the famous officers stationed at this military establishment were P. H. Sheridan, A. J. Smith, D. A. Russell and W. B. Hazen. Fort Yamhill was abandoned as a military post in the '60s and the blockhouse was moved to Grand Ronde Agency. After Grand Ronde Agency was abandoned by the government the blockhouse fell into disrepair. John G. Lewis, a patriotic citizen of Dayton, fearing that the building would disappear, secured permission from authorities to move the logs to Dayton, which was done in 1911. The structure was rebuilt and dedicated to Joel Palmer, a founder of Dayton and donor of the City Park. General Palmer was one of Oregon's outstanding pioneer citizens and was superintendent of Indian affairs, 1853-57. See under PalMER PEAK.
DAYVILLE, Grant County. The original site of the Dayville post office was some three miles west of the present location. The first office was established December 8, 1868, with James N. Brackett first postmaster. The place was named for John Day River, which was named for John Day, a member of the Astor expedition. It is of interest to note that during a period of 50 years there were but three postmasters at Dayville, ​
the second being John W. Lewis and the third J. E. Snow. The present site of the community is at the mouth of South Fork John Day River.
DEAD INDIAN CREEK, Jackson County. This creek and Dead Indian Mountain are in Jackson County, and the Dead Indian Road extends from near Ashland past these two geographic features to Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County. It is said that about 1854 some settlers from Rogue River Valley found two dead Rogue River Indians in some deserted wigwams near the creek, and supposed that Klamath Indians had killed them in a fight. They named the stream for their discovery. For many years the road did not extend over the Cascade Range, but in 1870 Captain O. C. Applegate and a band of Klamath Indians opened the road all the way to Pelican Bay on Upper Klamath Lake. .
DEAD Point CREEK, Hood River County. This stream is a tributary of West Fork Hood River, not far from Dee. Various maps have shown it as Dry Point Creek and Burnt Creek. Ross Winans, an early resident of the vicinity, informed the compiler that the pioneer name of this stream was Dead Point Creek, and in his opinion that was the correct name. Winans never heard it called Burnt Creek. The stream was named in contradistinction to Green Point Creek nearby, as one creek rises on a point covered with green timber and the other on a point covered with dead timber.
DEADHORSE CANYON, Clackamas County. This canyon drains into North Fork Molalla River Dee Wright, a native of Molalla, told the compiler that in pioneer days several stray horses were lost in this canyon and perished, hence the name. Deadhorse Butte nearby took its name from the canyon.
DEADHORSE RIDGE, Wallowa County. Deadhorse Ridge is a prominent divide between Bear Gulch and Sheep Creek, and the northeast end is in township 1 south, range 48 east. Deadhorse Lake is on the ridge. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise this lake was named by George A. Wilson and James Simmons in the late '80s. They turned out a blooded stallion to range and the horse ran himself until too warm and was found dead in the lake.
DEADMAN CREEK, Wallowa County. This creek in township 5 south, range 46 east, does not seem to have been named for a corpse. The stream drains into Imnaha River, and according to J. H. Horner of Enterprise, it was named by James Dale in the early '90s, because he said he might just as well be dead as to be in such a lonesome place. He was a sheepherder for Aaron Wade. DEADMAN Pass, Umatilla County. Deadman Pass is a gap on Emigrant Hill southeast of Pendleton and its formation is shown at the east edge of the USGS map of the Pendleton quadrangle. This is not a pass for east-west travel on the Oregon Trail but is a transverse pass across the ridge, hence a dip on the highway. It gets its name as the result of an incident of the Bannock War, in July 1878, recounted by Fred Lockley on the editorial page of the Oregon Journal, August 8, 1931. George Coggans, a traveler en route from La Grande to Pendleton and four teamsters were killed by Indians in the vicinity of what is now known as Deadman Pass.
DEADMAN SPRING, Wasco County. This spring, in the northwest part of Warm Springs Indian Reservation, was named because an outlaw Indian was killed there many years ago by a posse.
DEADWOOD CREEK, Lane County. Deadwood Creek, which drains a ​
considerable area in the western part of the county, flows into Lake Creek which in turn flows into Siuslaw River. Deadwood Creek got its name in early days because of the dead timber snags adjacent to its banks, the result of extensive forest fires in the Coast Range. Deadwood post office, named for the stream, was established April 15, 1884, with Thomas Pope first postmaster. The office was near the mouth of Deadwood Creek. It was discontinued to Greenleaf June 15, 1914.
DEADY, Douglas County. This flag station on the Southern Pacific line north of Roseburg is the only geographic feature in Oregon to bear the name of one of the state's most distinguished citizens, Judge Matthew P. Deady, 1824-93, a pioneer of 1849, and for more than a half century a member of the bench and bar of his adopted state. He was president of the constitutional convention in 1857, and later prepared codes of civil and criminal procedures. He was for more than 30 years United States district judge for Oregon. For an estimate of his life by Harvey W. Scott, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume V, page 188. Deady Hall at the University of Oregon bears his name. He was president of the board of regents of the university for many years.
DEAN CREEK, Grant County. Dean Creek, east of Canyon City, was named for a man who operated a small sawmill there during the mining excitement of the '60s.
DEAN POINT, Tillamook County. Dean Point projects southward along the west side of Nehalem River just south of the town of Nehalem. It bears the name of George Dean, a well-known settler in the Nehalem area, who at one time owned land on the point.
DEARDORFF MOUNTAIN, Baker and Grant counties. Fleming Byars Deardorff settled in this part of eastern Oregon about 1870 and this mountain was named for him. It is 7207 feet high. There is a Deardorff Creek just southwest of the mountain, flowing into John Day River. The creek is in Grant County. Deardorff was a son of Joseph M. Deardorff, a pioneer of 1853, who settled near Oakland, Douglas County, where members of the family still reside.
DEATHBALL Rock, Lane County. This rock is southeast of Blue River. It received its name because of an attempt made by a surveying party cook to bake some biscuits. It appears that he was not entirely successful. Deathball Mountain is a little southwest of Deathball Rock and seems to have been named after the rock was named.
DEDMAN RANCH, Wheeler County. Robert H. Dedman owned this ranch, which is about ten miles southeast of Fossil. The style Deadman Ranch is wrong.
DEE, Hood River County. Dee was named for Thomas D. Dee, a business associate of the late David C. Eccles and a stockholder in the Oregon Lumber Company. The name was used when the lumber company mill was built at Dee in 1906.
DEER CREEK, Douglas County. This stream rises in the hills east of Roseburg and joins South Umpqua River at Roseburg. Its name dates back to pioneer days and the community of Roseburg was known as Deer Creek as late as 1854. The name of the place was subsequently changed to Roseburg because of the settlement of Aaron Rose, who settled at the site of the present city of Roseburg on September 23, 1851. He crossed the plains to Oregon from Michigan in that year. See under ROSEBURG. Dear do ARDOR MAMMU One George River jus2.can Poi
​DEER ISLAND, Columbia County. Deer Island, in the Columbia River, was named by Lewis and Clark. They first visited the island on November 5, 1805, on their way down the Columbia, and again on March 28, 1806, on their return. It was on the second visit that the party had good luck getting venison. Captain Lewis noted in his diary that the Indian name for the island was E-lal-lar, or Deer Island. The compiler is unable to identify this Indian word. The town of Deer Island, which is on the mainland, was named for the island.
DEERING, Josephine County. In June, 1948, Fred Ahlberg was kind enough to write the compiler that Deering post office was situated in the southeast quarter of section 11, township 41 south, range 9 west, in the extreme southwest part of Josephine County and about a mile and a half north of the California state line. This location is about a quarter-mile east of the Redwood Highway. The post office was established in November, 1902, and was discontinued in December, 1908. David S. Webb was the only postmaster. The compiler is of the opinion that Deering post office was named for the Deering school nearby and the school was named for a family of early settlers. In July, 1948, L. C. Moffitt, Josephine County school superintendent, wrote that he got this information from Lincoln Savage, who was superintendent about 1900.
DEL NORTE, Harney County. Del Norte is a Spanish expression meaning of or from the north. On July 12, 1888, a post office named Del Norte was established in Harney County, with Francis M. Jordan first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued July 20, 1889, with papers to Burns. In September, 1946, Archie McGowan of Burns told the compiler that Del Norte post office was in the vicinity of Saddle Butte a few miles northwest of Crane. The Jordan family lived at a place generally called the Crossing, on Malheur Slough, and moved away many years ago. No one in the locality appears to know just why the post office name was selected.
DELAINE, Lake County. Delaine post office was established August 5, 1912, with Walter S. Lyon first and only postmaster. The office was closed to Plush on August 15, 1913. The place was in section 9, township 35 south, range 26 east, and east of the Warner Valley. It is now in the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. This post office was named for the Delaine sheep, as Lyon ran sheep of that breed in the area. Dr. John Leonard Lyon of Lakeview was a partner in the enterprise and a brother of the postmaster. Delaine is a word that has been used to describe a number of things. It refers to a fine dress goods, and also to a superior type of soft wool. Delaine Merino sheep were developed in southwestern Pennsylvania and in areas in the neighboring states of West Virginia and Ohio.
DELAKE, Lincoln County. A. C. Deuel, postmaster at Delake in 1925, told the writer that Delake was the name agreed upon by himself and Judge Frank L. Mann, a Lincoln County resident, because it was the way many local Finnish people pronounced Devils Lake. Delake post office is near Devils Lake. It was established in January, 1924.
DELENA, Columbia County. Delena is on the Columbia River Highway east of Clatskanie. Postal records show that Delena post office was established April 22, 1892, with Lincoln J. Meserve first of nine postmasters. The office was discontinued March 15, 1922, although its operation was not continous for the three decades indicated. In November, 1947, W. N. Meserve of Grays River, Washington, wrote the compiler ​
that Lincoln J. Meserve, his brother, and the first postmaster at Delena, named the post office. W. N. Meserve says that his brother found the name in a classical dictionary or in a book on mythology. Stories that the place was named for a town in Nebraska are wrong, says Mr. Meserve. Also it has been reported that Delena was the name of a girl in the Meserve family, but Mr. Meserve says that this is not a fact. The compiler has been unable to find any trace of a place called Delena in Nebraska.
DELL, Malheur County. An army map of 1887 shows a place called Dell about 20 miles northwest up Willow Creek from Vale. Dell post office was established in June, 1881, with George W. Perkins first postmaster. The office continued in operation until February, 1911. The compiler does not know why it was named unless the title was descriptive of some locality on Willow Creek. The difficulty in getting localized information about a place like Dell is shown in the following quotation from the Illustrated History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties, page 553, written as of about 1902: "Dell is located at Cole's ranch ... on Willow Creek. It is simply a post office, which shifts from one ranch to another as the postmasters die or resign, or the national administration changes. In this portion of Willow Creek Valley are located some of the best hay and grain ranches in the county." To add to the difficulty about the history of the post office Dell is the fact that old postal records indicate the existence of an office called Snake that may have been a predecessor of Dell. Snake office was established April 5, 1881, with James S. Stark first postmaster. The records seem to show that the name was changed to Dell within a couple of months, but the date and nature of the change are not clear. The name Snake seems to indicate that the office was on or near Snake River. The office may have been moved from Snake River not far away to Willow Creek when the name was changed.
DELLMOOR, Clatsop County. Dellmoor is a station and locality about three miles north of Gearhart and just east of the Oregon Coast Highway. It was named for the late J. S. Dellinger of Astoria, editor of the Astorian. Dellinger, among other things, was interested in cranberry culture on Clatsop Plains, and it is probable that he devised the name Dellmoor himself. The style Delmoor is wrong and not in accord with the original spelling.
DELLWOOD, Coos County. Dellwood is a place on South Fork Coos River about 12 miles airline east of Coos Bay. The locality was formerly called Idlewood, but when the post office was established November 2, 1940, postal officials would not approve of that name because of possible confusion with Idleyld in Douglas County. Several new names were suggested, but the form Dellwood was chosen because it was not unlike the old name. Leo A. Lindros was the first postmaster and kindly sent the compiler the above information.
DELMAR, Coos County. Delmar is a well-known name for a place on Isthmus Slough a few miles south of Coos Bay and a little to the north of Coaledo. It is on the Oregon Coast Highway and is near the mouth of a drain coming in from the west that is sometimes called Delmar Creek or Delmar Gulch. The best available information is to the effect that Delmar was named for Delmar Hennessey. The Hennessey family was interested in a coal mine project near the head of the gulch. Del ​mar post office was established March 16, 1914, with Lemuel V. Cole first of five postmasters. The office was discontinued July 15, 1918, but there was still a store at Delmar in 1947 and a little commercial activity in the vicinity.
DELP CREEK, Lane County. This is a tributary of Fall Creek. It was named for a mining prospector, George Delp.
DEMENT CREEK, Coos County. This stream is a tributary from the west of South Fork Coquille River. It was named for Samuel M. Dement, who was said to have been the first white man who actually settled with his family in South Fork Valley. He was born in Ohio, October 5, 1822. He came to California in 1852, and settled in Oregon in 1853. He died in December, 1885.
DEMOCRAT GULCH, Josephine County. This is an historic place southeast of Kerby. It was named during the pioneer gold mining days of the Illinois Valley because of the political views of some of the prospectors. De Moss, Sherman County. De Moss is a station on the Union Pacific Railroad. There was at one time a post office there by the name of De Moss Springs. The station was named for a celebrated pioneer family of the county, members of which styled themselves the "Lyric Bards." They were musical entertainers, and made extended tours when wheat growing did not require their labors at home. They also operated a recreation park in connection with the springs. Professor James M. De Moss was the leader of the "Lyric Bards." He was born in Indiana May 15, 1837. He was reared in Iowa and in 1862 moved to Powder Valley, Oregon. He located in Sherman County in 1883. He is said to have been the founder of the town of North Powder, Baker County, where he kept the stage station.
DENCER, Marion County. Dencer post office was in operation for a few years in the Jacob Dencer home at a point about a mile or so southwest of the community called Liberty, and was named for the first postmaster. The office was established February 12, 1889, with Dencer postmaster and was continued until April 20, 1892, when the name was changed to Rosedale. When the name was changed the office was moved two miles southeast to the Rosedale community on Battle Creek.
DENIO, Harney County. Aaron Denio settled in this locality in 1885 and the place was named for him. The post office was established in September, 1888. Aaron Denio was born in Illinois in 1824 and after various rovings, emigrated to California in 1860. For twenty five years he engaged in milling, mining and farming in California and Nevada, then settled in the extreme south edge of Oregon. He died at Denio in 1907. For additional information about his ancestry and life see OHQ, June, 1946, pages 200-201.
DENMARK, Curry County. The writer was informed by the postmaster of this community in 1925 that the first settlers were natives of Denmark, hence the name adopted. He must refer to Captain N. C. Lorentzen, who settled there in 1878, according to Dodge's Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties. Lorentzen and his daughter Lena were drowned near Humboldt Bay in December, 1892, at the time of the wreck of the barge Majestic.
DENT, Columbia County. Dent was the name used for a post office from June, 1892, to October, 1898. Frances M. Fuller was the only post ​master. This office was a few miles west of Rainier and close to Beaver Creek. It was closed out to Delena. W. N. Meserve wrote in November, 1947, that the place was apparently given the family name of Mrs. U. S. Grant, but Mr. Meserve could give no reason except that the name Dent was terse. Members of the Meserve family were reared at Delena on Beaver Creek and their opinions about the history of the area are doubtless reliable.
DENVER, Clatsop County. Denver, a locality in the Nehalem Valley, was not named for the Colorado city of the Plains, but for William J. Denver the postmaster. The post office was established May 26, 1884, and discontinued October 31, 1888. The business was turned over to the Jewell office, and little remains in the place.
DENZER, Lincoln County. This post office was named for its first postmaster, Frederick C. Denzer. It was established April 10, 1909.
DEPOE BAY, Lincoln County. Depoe Bay is a popular place on the Oregon Coast Highway. The exact origin of the name has been obscured by time, although there is a general knowledge of the matter. The bay and other geographic features in Lincoln County, including a creek flowing into Yaquina River near Toledo, appear to have been named for an Indian who was associated in some way with an early-day army or Indian supply depot in the Siletz territory. He assumed or was given the name Depot, but it appears to have been entered on the records as Depoe, and that is the form now universally used. The spelling Depoe has been adopted by USBGN for the community, bay and two streams. The name is generally pronounced without stress on either syllable. For editorial comment about the name Depoe Bay, see the Oregonian, September 9, 1936, where it is said that the bay was named for William DePoe, a Siletz Indian. He was also known as "Old Charley' and his wife's name was Matilda. An interesting item about the bay appears under a Pendleton dateline in the Oregon Journal for November 8, 1935, and recounts the fact that Dr. F. W. Vincent of Pendleton and his grandfather cruised up the Oregon coast north from Newport in 1878 and observed a break in the shoreline. Lowering the sails of their 40-foot boat, they finally rowed it into the little harbor. "We found there the anchor chains of a sea-going craft, two headlights and the letters 'U.S.,' so we named the little spot 'Wreckers Cove'," said Dr. Vincent. That name has not prevailed.
DERBY, Jackson County. Derby, a locality northeast of Eagle Point, was named for William H. Derby, a well-known local settler. The post office was established January 23, 1892, with Derby first of a series of five postmasters. The office was closed May 15, 1919, with papers to Eagle Point. The locality name continues in use, even though the post office has been closed.
DERRY, Polk County. This station on the line of the Southern Pacific Company just east of Rickreall, was named by James W. Nesmith shortly after the railroad was built, for Derry, New Hampshire, where his family had resided. In 1912 an effort was made to change the name of Derry to Loganberry. For editorial on the subject, see the Oregonian, August 12, 1912. See also news items and letters, ibid., August 13, 14, 1912.
DESCHUTES, Deschutes, Sherman and Wasco counties. There have been several post offices and localities in Oregon named Deschutes, in ​
compliment to Deschutes River. In 1943 the name was used for a place between Redmond and Bend, no longer a post office. A post office named Deschutes Bridge was in operation from March 3, 1860, to December 6, 1860, with John Moran postmaster. It was on the Wasco County list, but Fred W. Wilson of The Dalles has informed the writer that the office was doubtless at the east end of the old toll bridge over Deschutes River, near the mouth, and therefore in what is now Sherman County. A post office named Deschutes was established in July, 1868, with Ezra L. Hemingway postmaster. Hemingway owned land at what is now known as Sherars Bridge and at one time owned the bridge itself. This post office was in that place. Joseph H. Sherar became postmaster on January 11, 1872, and the name was changed to Sherars Bridge January 4, 1883. An office called Deschutes was established February 20, 1888, with Rosa Burrell postmaster. This office operated until October 14, 1893, and according to Judge Wilson was probably at the east end of the bridge at the mouth of the river, in the same location as the Deschutes Bridge office first mentioned above. In later years a railroad station named Deschutes was established at the mouth of Deschutes River and when the railroad was built up the Deschutes Canyon a station called Deschutes Junction was established about a mile and a half east of Deschutes. When the railroad reached central Oregon, Fred S. Stanley asked that the name Deschutes be given a station between Redmond and Bend. Stanley was accommodated and the two older stations at the mouth of the river were changed. Deschutes was named Miller and Deschutes Junction was named Sherman, which was changed to Ainsworth in October, 1930. In the meantime Bend post office was established January 18, 1886, with John Sisemore postmaster. This office was probably in the Sisemore cabin in the south part of what is now Bend. Sisemore asked for the name Farewell Bend, but postal authorities objected to two words. After some other incumbents, William H. Staats became postmaster of the Bend office on April 18, 1899. The records are not quite clear from this point. Staats apparently tried to change the name of the office to Pilot Butte, and this was ordered May 13, 1901, but for some reason the new name was not actually used. Staats' next move was to get the name of the Bend office changed to Deschutes on December 30, 1902. It is reported that Staats took the office away from the Sisemore place to his own locality further downstream, but the date of this move cannot be determined from the records. On March 7, 1904, a new Bend office was established near the present Pilot Butte Inn and began to compete with Staats' Deschutes office. The Deschutes office operated until June, 1906, when it was discontinued. The name Deschutes was given to the office between Redmond and Bend in July, 1911.
DESCHUTES County. This county was created December 13, 1916, out of a part of Crook County. Bend is the county seat. Deschutes County was named for Deschutes River which was known during the period of fur trading as Riviere des Chutes or River of the Falls. For derivation of the name see under DESCHUTES RIVER. The county has a land area of 3041 square miles.
DESCHUTES RIVER, Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath, Sherman and Wasco counties. Lewis and Clark discovered the Deschutes River on Tuesday, October 22, 1805, and referred to it by an Indian name Towornehiooks. See Thwaites' Original Journals of the Lewis and ​
Clark Expedition, volume III, page 147. However, on their return journey the explorers called the stream Clarks River, presumably for William Clark. (Ibid., volume IV, page 292, and also atlas volume, map 32, part I, and map 40.) Neither of these names prevailed. The Klamath Indians apparently referred to the Deschutes as Kolamkeni Koke. Koke was a general name for stream, while kolam referred to a wild root used for food, possibly a species of Aralia. Keni was a suffix meaning place. A literal translation would be stream of the place where the kolam grew. In the fur trading period the stream was known as Riviere des Chutes or Riviere aux Chutes, meaning River of the Falls. As a result of the modern tendency to simplify geographic names, the expression is now universally written Deschutes. The trappers applied their name because the river flowed into the Columbia near the falls of that river and not because of any falls in the Deschutes itself. The following two quotations show this very clearly: "... I lost no time in joining Mr. Finan McDonalds party who I found encamped on the River of the Falls of the Columbia, about four days march from the Main stream." Peter Skene Ogden under date of October 10, 1826, in Fur Trade and Empire, page 281. . . "3. Mr. Ogden Hunted last winter in the Space of country Bounded on the north by the Head waters of the River of the Columbia falls, on the west by the Umqua, from thence East to the River Malheur in the Snake Country." John McLoughlin, August 11, 1827, in The Letters of John McLoughlin, First Series, page 49. F. N. Blanchet, in Historic Notes, 1883, page 14, has a paragraph about the name La Riviere des Chutes and says that it was for the Chutes in the Columbia River and not for the falls in the stream itself. The Rev. A. F. Waller, in his diary under date of May 8, 1845, refers to the Deschutes River by an Indian name, Wanawont. The diary gives no explanation of the name.
DESERT, Jefferson County. Desert post office was established June 21, 1890, with William G. Rogers first postmaster. It was named for the surroundings. The office was closed in April, 1892. The record shows that an effort was made to revive the office in May, 1904, with James O. Colb postmaster, but apparently the revival was not completed. It is possible that the 1904 office was in a different location from the earlier office. According to information sent by Devere Helfrich of Klamath Falls, Desert post office was in the northwest part of township 13 south, range 14 east, near Gray Butte School. According to Mr. Helfrich it is probable that Desert post office was at different times in sections 5 and 6 of the township mentioned above, and very close to the first location of Lamonta post office. Mr. Helfrich was born in the immediate neighborhood. Desert and Lamonta post offices were between ten and twelve miles airline southward of Madras
DESERT CONE, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Desert Cone is north of Crater Lake, and has an elevation of 6651 feet. It is at the west edge of Pumice Desert, and is named on that account.
DESERT Ridge, Crater Lake National Park, Douglas and Klamath counties. This ridge is north of Crater Lake, and has an elevation of 6941 feet at its highest point. It is about a mile long. It gets its name because it is just west of Pumice Desert.
DESPAIN GULCH, Umatilla County. Despain Gulch is east of Hermiston, and the intermittent stream therein flows into Cold Springs Reser ​voir. This gulch was named for Jerry DeSpain, a prominent Umatilla County pioneer.
DETER, Jackson County. Deter post office was named for the David M. Deter family. This family owned a cattle ranch near the present site of the post office. Deter is a flag station on the Southern Pacific Company line in the Siskiyou Mountains south of Ashland. The post office was established July 15, 1920.
DETROIT, Marion County. Charles C. Giebeler, the well-known postmaster and packer of Detroit, wrote the compiler in 1925 that the first name suggested for this community was Coe, but the post office authorities disapproved of the name because it was too much like Cove in eastern Oregon. Detroit was the name then selected because of the presence in the community of a number of Michigan people. Detroit post office was established October 16, 1891, with Vanness G. Danforth first postmaster. Devils BACKBONE, Clackamas County. This is a narrow divide between Sandy and Bull Run rivers. It was named in pioneer days because of the great difficulty emigrants experienced in getting their wagons past the place. Devils BACKBONE, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Well named. This is a gigantic series of serrated rocks forming a vertical backbone on the inside rim of Crater Lake. Its name is imaginative. Devils CANYON, Gilliam County. There are a number of canyons of this name in the state, at least two of which are in Gilliam County, opening into the canyon of John Day River. They are so called on account of the unusual rock formations suggestive of satanic influences, and also because they are so difficult to get through.
DEVILS GARDEN, Lake County. Devils Garden is northeast of Fort Rock. It is an irregular area of several square miles, with a growth of juniper trees, and it is surrounded by extensive lava flows, which form a striking contrast to the enclosed tract which is mostly of ordinary soil. The surrounding lava has given the place its name.
DEVILS HORN, Deschutes County. This butte of peculiar color is in the south part of Paulina Mountains. It is composed of lava of a reddish hue, and its shape is suggestive of the name that has been given it. It is several hundred feet high. Devils LAKE, Lincoln County. Devils Lake is near the Pacific Ocean in the northwestern part of the county. It was named because of an Indian legend which is to the effect that a giant fish or marine monster lived in the lake and occasionally came to the surface to attack some hapless native. There are several versions of the story but this one is sufficient to indicate the origin of the name. The post office nearby is called Delake, a corruption of Devils Lake. See also under NEOTSU.
DEVILS LAKE FORK, Tillamook and Washington counties. Devils Lake Fork, one of the larger tributaries to Wilson River, heads in the extreme west edge of Washington County and flows northwest to join the main stream near Wilson River Highway. The fork has become well known in recent years because of the conspicuous steel viaduct that carries the highway over the stream. Devils Lake Fork takes its name from the fact that it drains a small body of water called Devils Lake, so called as a result of Indian nomenclature. The Indians, particularly of the Coast Range region, were fearful of a number of lakes and localities ​
that were supposed to be inhabited by skookums, or evil wood-spirits. Some of the lakes are still called Skookum lakes, others are called Devils lakes. The general run of Indians avoided these places, and considered them haunted.
DEVILS PULPIT, Hood River County. This is a prominent shelf or bench on the east slope of Preachers Peak, at the summit of the Cascade Range, south of Lost Lake. It was named because of fancied resemblances to the type of pulpit that the devil might occupy. There is a legend about this pulpit and Preachers Peak, but the compiler has been unable to find it. Devils Run, Wallowa County. Devils Run is a stream flowing into Chesnimnus Creek in the southwest corner of township 4 north, range 47 east. It was named because of the roughness and swiftness of the water.
DEVINE CANYON, Harney County. Devine Canyon is north of Burns, and is traversed by the Canyon City-Burns Highway. The canyon bears the name of John Devine, noted Harney County pioneer. John S. Devine was born in Richmond, Virginia, in November, 1839, and settled in Harney County in 1868, where he made his home until his death in Burns, September, 1901. The firm of Todhunter & Devine established the famous Whitehorse Ranch in the south end of the county, and the partners were among the so-called cattle barons, around whom gathered so much controversy. The John Devine monument in Devine Canyon was dedicated on July 22, 1928. For description of exercises and address by John W. Biggs of Burns, see OHQ, volume XXIX, page 236.
DEVITT, Benton County. This community got its name from the two Devitt brothers who operated a sawmill nearby for a number of years.
DEWEY, Yamhill County. Dewey is a crossroads locality about five miles northeast of Yamhill and near the north end of Ribbon Ridge. The Lakeview School is in the same general locality. Dewey post office was established on June 21, 1898, with P. W. Watkins postmaster. The country was ringing with praise for Admiral George Dewey at the time because of his victory at the battle of Manila Bay, and the office was named in his honor. The office was discontinued on September 30, 1904. Lakeview School was so named because it overlooks Wapato Lake to the north.
DEXTER, Lane County. Dexter post office was established in May, 1872, and was first called Butte Disappointment. This name was derived from a local landmark which was so named by pioneers in 1848. On July 19, 1875, the post office name was changed to Dexter. Samuel Handsaker, the postmaster, had the name changed because the old name was inconvenient but no one in the vicinity knows why he selected the name Dexter. Diablo MOUNTAIN, Lake County. Diablo is the Spanish word for devil. Diablo Mountain is east of the north end of Summer Lake, and has an elevation of 6145 feet, according to the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Diablo Canyon is nearby. It is said that the canyon was named first, because it was rough and difficult to travel, and the name, Diablo Mountain, came later. The name, Mount Diablo, appears to be wrong.
DIAMOND, Harney County. Diamond post office and Diamond Craters both get their names from the Diamond Ranch, which was established in pioneer days by Mace McCoy. This ranch used a diamond ​
shaped brand. Mrs. Dolly Kiger applied the name of the ranch to the community about 1874, according to information given the writer by C. H. Smyth, postmaster at Diamond in 1925. Diamond Craters are about six miles northwest of Diamond post office. There are about 20 of them occupying an area of some five square miles, described in USGS Bulletin 217. In 1927 Mrs. Minerva J. Kiger, of Corvallis, wrote the compiler that she was the Dolly Kiger referred to above. She confirmed the history of the name Diamond as given herein.
DIAMOND Hill, Linn County. Diamond Hill is on the east edge of the Willamette Valley about six miles north of the south line of Linn County, and about ten miles north of Coburg, Lane County. The compiler is of the opinion that Diamond Hill was named for John Diamond, prominent Lane County pioneer, whose home was near Coburg. Diamond Peak and Diamond Lake in the Cascade Range were named for the same man. John Diamond was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1815, and emigrated to New York in 1833. He lived at times in the states of New York, Michigan, and Illinois, and emigrated to Oregon in 1847. He took up a claim where the town of Coburg now stands. He sold the property in 1858, and after three years of traveling, settled just east of Coburg. For additional biographical information, see Walling's History of Lane County, page 488. Along with other pioneers, he made explorations into the Cascade Range, which accounts for the application of his name to geographical features in that area. The compiler does not know the circumstances of the naming of Diamond Hill. It seems certain that Diamond did not live in the locality, which was about ten miles north of his homesteads. He may have had some business interests there, or possibly pastured stock there. John Diamond was a sturdy citizen and neighbors may have complimented him on that account. Diamond Hill post office was established on the Linn County list on September 16, 1858, with James H. Pierce first postmaster. This office was closed September 28, 1869. An office with the name Diamond was in service from April 23, 1887, to October 4, 1887, with David H. Pierce postmaster. It was doubtless in the same community.
DIAMOND LAKE, Douglas County. This is one of the important mountain lakes of Oregon, and lies in the southeast part of the county between Mt. Thielsen and Mt. Bailey. It has an elevation of 5182 feet. About 1927 George H. Kelly of Portland and Wm. P. Vandevert of Bend, both of whom were familiar with the history of the middle Cascade Range, informed the compiler that Diamond Lake was named for John Diamond. This was the same man for whom Diamond Peak was named. Diamond discovered the lake from the summit of Diamond Peak in 1852. The name has nothing to do with the shape of the lake. See under DIAMOND HILL.
DIAMOND Lake, Klamath County. Diamond Lake is a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific just northeast of Beaver Marsh. It was named for the large lake about twenty miles westward. When the railroad was built, the station was named Lonroth for Elias Lonnrot. 1802-1884, Finnish philologist and discoverer of the Kalevala, the great epic of Finland. Shortly after the Cascade line was built, the railroad changed the name from Lonroth to Diamond Lake. This was about 1926.
DIAMOND LAKE, Union County. Diamond Lake is in township 5 south, range 43 east, and drains into Elk Creek, a tributary of Minam ​
River. Diamond Lake was not named because of its shape. The lake is inaccessible and a sheep herder named Diamond agreed to stock it with fish, which was a difficult task, owing to the rugged character of the surrounding country. The lake was named for him.
DIAMOND PEAK, Klamath and Lane counties. This is a fine peak of the Cascade Range, and has an elevation of 8750 feet according to the U. S. Geological Survey. For the geography of the region surrounding the mountain see the USGS map of the Waldo Lake quadrangle. The writer has been told that there is a small living glacieron Diamond Peak, but he has no direct knowledge of it. Diamond Peak was named in 1852 for John Diamond, a pioneer settler near Coburg, Oregon, who was a member of a party of road viewers opening a road between Middle Fork Willamette River and Idaho for an immigration route. The report is contained in the Journal of the Oregon territorial council, 1852-53, Appendix, pages 13-15. Other viewers were: William M. Macy, W. T. Walker, William Tandy, Alexander King, Joseph Meadows and J. Clarke. For additional references see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume IV, page 8. For information about John Diamond, see editorial page of the Oregon Journal, June 4, 1931.
DIAMOND PRAIRIE, Wallowa County. This little prairie is west of the town of Wallowa. It is said to be named because of its shape.
DIAMOND ROCKPILE, Lane County. This point is in the southeast corner of the county south of Diamond Peak and has an elevation of 6437 feet. It received its name because of its peculiar formation and its nearness to Diamond Peak.
DICKEY PRAIRIE, Clackamas County. Dickey Prairie is about four miles east-southeast of Molalla. The prairie was an old Molalla Indian campground. The property was homesteaded by one of the Dickey family and it was given his name by general usage.
DIFFIN, Grant County. Jimmy Diffin is said to have been the last surviving resident of the old mining town of Robisonville in the Blue Mountains south of Granite, and Diffin post office was probably named for him. Former County Judge R. R. McHaley of Prairie City has an interesting paragraph about Jimmy Diffin in a letter published in the Canyon City Eagle for March 7, 1947. Diffin preserved his independence till the very end and refused to be sent to the county farm as a public charge. He was frequently called "49 Jimmy." Diffin post office was established March 19, 1890, with John H. Mitchell the first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued April 10, 1891.
DILLARD, Douglas County. John Dillard, for whom the town of Dillard was named, was born in Missouri in 1813 and came to Oregon by ox team in 1850. In 1852 he settled on a donation land claim about 11 miles south of Roseburg and when the railroad was built through that part of the state about 1882 a station was established and named for Dillard, He continued to live on his claim until his death in 1892. See Down's A History of the Silverton Country, page 132, note 19. Diller GLACIER, Deschutes County. This is a large important glacier on the east slope of Middle Sister. It was named for Dr. Joseph Silas Diller, for many years connected with the U. S. Geological Survey, and the authority on the geology of western Oregon. He was the author of a number of important bulletins of the Geological Survey, and several geologic folios. His most popular work was the Geological Survey's ory of our live on station wailroad ​
Guidebook of the Western United States, Part D, The Shasta Route. The name Diller Glacier seems to have been applied by Dr. I. C. Russell of the USGS in August, 1903. See USGS Bulletin 252, page 125. Dr. Diller was born in Pennsylvania in 1850 and graduated from Harvard (Lawrence) in 1879. He joined the USGS in 1883 and was a valued member of the organization until his retirement in 1923. Most of his field-work was in southwest Oregon and north California and his knowledge of the geology of those areas was profound. He died at Washington, D. C., November 13, 1928.
DILLEY, Washington County. Dilley was named for Milton E. Dilley, a pioneer resident.
DILLON, Wasco County. This is a station on the railroad near the Celilo Canal. It was named for an army officer, Captain Theo. H. Dillon, who was a member of the engineer corps and assisted in the construction of the canal. One of the construction camps was known as Dillon's Camp, which the railroad company called Dillon.
DINGER LAKE, Clackamas County. Forest Ranger Joe Graham of Clackamas Lake is authority for the statement that this lake was named because Mack Holloman caught fine trout therein, calling them "humdingers." Only the last part of the word was applied to the lake.
DINNER CREEK, Clackamas County. Dinner Creek is a small stream tributary to Clackamas River about two miles above Roaring River. W. C. Elliott, a well-known civil engineer of Portland, told the writer that he named the stream in 1897 because his surveying party stopped there for dinner.
DINWIDDIE VALLEY, Linn County. C. H. Stewart of Albany wrote the compiler in 1927 as follows: "This valley, in the hills southwest of Brownsville, I am told was named for a little old bowlegged Scotchman named Hugh Dinwiddie, who for many years was secretary of the Brownsville Woolen Mills."
DISCOVERY POINT, Klamath County. Crater Lake was discovered on June 12, 1853, by John W. Hillman and a party of prospectors. The party first came on the lake at a point on the southwest rim. This place has since been called Discovery Point to commemorate the event.
DISSTON, Lane County. Disston post office was established October 25, 1906, with Cranston H. Jones first postmaster. The writer has been unable to learn the origin of the name, Lena M. Carr, postmaster at Disston in 1926, wrote that some people in the neighborhood said the place was named for the Disston saws that were used in the sawmills in the town.
DIVIDE, Douglas and Lane counties. Divide is a natural name for a station on the Southern Pacific a few miles southwest of Cottage Grove on the watershed between the Willamette and the Umpqua rivers. Eastward the drainage is toward Coast Fork Willamette River and to the west is Pass Creek, a tributary to Elk Creek. Divide station is in Lane County and it has an elevation of about 625 feet. Just west of Divide station the Pacific Highway crosses over the railroad on a viaduct, and the Lane-Douglas county line is less than a mile west of this overpass. Divide post office was established to serve this neighborhood on May 31, 1900, with Edna Hedrick first postmaster. This office was on the Douglas County post office list. The office is shown on the Lane County list as of May 10, 1909, and it was discontinued January 15, 1921. The tershed" "hern Pacific counties ​
office may have actually been moved from one county to the other, the writer thinks it probable that a relocation of the county boundary brought about the change. Divide, Wallowa County. Divide was the name of a post office that operated in Wallowa County from January, 1891, until November, 1893, with Annie E. Shaw first postmaster. This office was situated in what is called the Divide country between Sheep Creek on the east and Little Sheep Creek on the west. When Annie E. Shaw had the office it was in section 11, township 3 south, range 46 east, and during the rest of its existence it was not far away. When the office was first asked for, it was suggested by Joe Wasson that it be named Threebuck because it was near the headwaters of that stream, but it was decided that the name was too cumbersome.
DIXIE, Baker County. Dixie, a locality on Burnt River about five miles north of Lime, was named because it was near the confluence of Burnt River and Dixie Creek, which flows in from the west. Dixie Creek was named in the mining days because of the prevalence of southerners on its upper reaches. Dixie post office was established March 21, 1913, and was discontinued April 30, 1924. The post office was not in the mining area, but close to the railroad along Burnt River.
DIXIE, Washington County. Dixie post office was established in the extreme northeast corner of Washington County on November 21, 1887, with John Dix first of four postmasters. It seems obvious that the office was named for the family of the postmaster and not for Dixie, the land of the magnolia and the mocking bird. The office was five or six miles southwest of Scappoose, and when it was closed May 4, 1905, it was closed to that office. The name Dixie Mountain is still used for a prominent ridge in that part of the state. The fact that the office was named for the family was confirmed by a letter dated February 2, 1948, signed by W. D. Moreland of the Skyland Land Company, which operates in Multnomah and Washington counties. Mr. Moreland says that when real estate in this area was put on the market in 1933 it became desirable to adopt a locality name. The property was near Wallace school, but that name was considered rather unsatisfactory. A community picnic was held about 1936-37 at the John Tannock picnic grounds. There was a good deal of discussion about a place name. When a formal vote was taken nearly eighty percent of those present were in favor of Dixie to commemorate the old Dixie post office and John Dix, its postmaster. Dixie CREEK, Grant County. This stream fows into John Day River near Prairie City. Patsy Daly of Prairie City told the compiler in 1927 that the stream was named during the mining excitement of the early '60s because there were so many southerners mining along its banks. Dixie JETT GULCH, Wallowa County. Dixie Jett Gulch drains into Sheep Creek in township 2 south, range 47 east. The name is an odd one, and was applied to commemorate a settler who built a cabin in the canyon. The compiler has been furnished with several spellings of this man's name, all purporting to be the veritable form. These include: Dick Se Jett, Dixie Jett and Dick Surjett. The man himself, a prospector and hunter, went his way many years ago. The Forest Service uses the spelling Dixie Jett because it is the simplest and is in general use. Dixon CREEK, Benton County. Dixon Creek, north of Corvallis, was named for William F. Dixon, a pioneer of Oregon, who took up a dona office elas the fake has low co ​tion land claim nearby. For information about him see land office certificate 903.
DIXONVILLE, Douglas County. Dixonville is about five miles east of Roseburg. The post office was established September 16, 1901, and named for R. B. Dixon who owned the land where the post office and other buildings were situated.
DOANE LAKE, Multnomah County. Doane Lake is an overflow lake on the west bank of the Willamette River near the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway bridge. Doane Point is in the same neighborhood. These two features were named for Milton Doane, who took up a donation land claim there, his certificate being numbered 1392. Doane's name has been spelled several ways, and it appears as Done on land office plats, but he could not read and write, hence the variety of styles. Doane is the form in general use, and is the name adopted by the
USBGN. The lake has been filled with material dredged from the river. * Doc CANYON, Wallowa County. This canyon drains into Bear Creek, south of Wallowa. It was named for one "Doc" Cussins who herded sheep and prospected there.
DODGE, Clackamas County. Dodge, a place about four miles southeast of Springwater, was named for a local family. The post office was established March 25, 1896, with Almon T. Dodge first of five postmasters. The office was closed May 31, 1914.
DODGE CANYON, Douglas County. Dodge Canyon, west of Oakland, was named for J. R. Dodge, who took up a donation land claim near its mouth.
DODGE ISLAND, Clackamas County. Dodge Island is in Bull Run Lake. It was named in honor of Frank T. Dodge, superintendent of Portland Water Works, 1889-1913. A metal tablet was installed on a rock on this small islet in September, 1918. For a photograph of the tablet, see the Oregonian, May 12, 1918. For article about the dedication of the tablet, ibid., September 15, 1918.
DODSON, Multnomah County. Dodson is a railroad station just west of the post office of Warrendale. The name of the station comes from Ira Dodson, an early settler in that part of the county. Dodson station has been moved several times and was once near the present location of Warrendale.
DODSON MOUNTAIN, Douglas County. Dodson Mountain is an important peak east of Dillard, with an elevation of about 3200 feet. It was named for Samuel Dodson, a pioneer stockman who settled nearby. His land was still owned in 1926 intact by his son, Samuel Dodson, Jr. Dog LAKE, Lake County. Dog Lake is west of Goose Lake and was formerly called Dogleg Lake because its outline on a map is strongly suggestive of a dog's hind leg. The name has become contracted as a matter of convenience. Dog Mountain to the north takes its name from the lake. Dog RIVER, Hood River County. In pioneer days Hood River was known as Dog River because a party of travelers ate dog meat there in preference to starving. Mrs. Nathaniel Coe of Hood River Valley objected to the name, and secured a change to Hood River, on account of Mount Hood. The name Dog River is now applied to a stream heading in Brooks Meadows southeast of Parkdale, and flowing into East Fork Hood River. It is the source of The Dalles water supply. See under HooD RIVER.
​DOGHOUSE GULCH, Grant County. Doghouse Gulch, which drains into South Fork John Day River about 15 miles south of Dayville, got its name as a result of a sarcastic reference to a shanty occupied by a sheepherder. The structure apparently was short of some of the modern conveniences.
Dogwood CREEK, Clatsop County. This stream is about 18 miles east of Astoria. It was at one time known as Hall Creek, after an early settler, but the name did not persist. There are few trees of the forest that are held in such affectionate esteem as the dogwood, and yet the name of the tree is almost never used for a geographic feature. At least that is the situation in Oregon, where hundreds of place-names have been applied for firs, cedars, pines, oaks, willows and cottonwoods. The Pacific dogwood, Cornus nuttallii, is a lovely tree and should not be neglected.
DOLLAR LAKE, Hood River County. This lake is near the north end of Barrett Spur, north of Mount Hood. The name is descriptive. Richard J. Grace of Portland wrote the compiler: "Dollar Lake is apt, as the lake is very small for a permanent one and is almost perfectly round."
DOLLAR LAKE, Wallowa County. Dollar Lake is in the Wallowa Mountains in township 4 south, range 45 east, and was named by J. Fred McClain because it was so nearly circular.
DOLPH, Tillamook County. This community was named for Joseph N. Dolph, who came to Portland in 1862. He served as city attorney and as United States attorney and also in the state legislature. He served as United States senator from Oregon in 1883-95, and had large influence in the Senate and was a close friend of President Harrison. He was born in New York in 1835 and died in Portland in 1897, See the Oregonian for March 1l and March 19, 1897. Dolph was named for him while he was in the Senate. It was for a time a post office,
DOMINIC, Marion County. This was a station northeast of Mount Angel. It was named for Father P. Dominic, O. S. B., for many years a moving spirit in the activities of Mount Angel College.
Donaca LAKE, Linn County. Donaca Lake is south of Detroit, and drains through Donaca Creek into Middle Santiam River. W. B. Donaca came to Oregon in 1852 and settled in Linn County in 1861. For a good many years he was a merchant in Lebanon. This lake and the creek were named for him or for some member of his family.
DONALD, Marion County. Donald is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway, on French Prairie, northwest of Woodburn, and was named for the late R. L. Donald, of Portland, who was an official of the construction company that built the railway.
DONNER UND BLITZEN RIVER, Harney County. This stream was named during the Snake War of 1864, when troops under the command of Colonel George B. Currey crossed it during a thunder storm, and gave it the German name for thunder and lightning. The river is frequently called simply Blitzen.
DONNYBROOK, Jefferson County. This name is now applied to a school in the east end of the county, but some years ago Donnybrook referred to the whole community, Phil Brogan, in the Bend Bulletin, April 20, 1943, discusses the name with sympathetic understanding as follows: "It was in the community's range epoch that a group of Celts, celebrating some undetermined occasion at a sheep cabin in Calf gulch, just over the ridge from Axhandle, did the thing in true Donnybrook ​style. There was no fair, but one fine fight. Joe Brannon heard of the party and with typical Irish wit, called the locality Donnybrook. And gradually that name spread to the community, and the county school, below Axhandle spring, was named the Donnybrook school. For many years the community was known as Donnybrook far and wide. Then came the homesteading era. Across Currant Creek and near the shadow of Coyote mountain, Jesse Kilts homesteaded. Eventually, as homesteaders moved in, a postoffice was obtained, and postal officials named the community after the postmaster. Since then the community, Axhandle of pioneer days and Donnybrook of the ranch era, has been known, at least to Uncle Sam, as Kilts." The original Donnybrook is a suburb in the southeast part of Dublin, famous for a fair held under license from King John in 1204. The entertainment furnished at the fair reached such specialized disorder that the institution was abolished in 1855. Phil Brogan reports that he has seen the name of the Oregon school called Donnybrooke. If this is true, and it probably is, the compiler thinks the authorities in Jefferson County better put a stop to such nonsense.
DOOLEY MOUNTAIN, Baker County. This is a prominent point south of Baker, near the Baker-Unity Highway. It bears the name of a wellknown eastern Oregon pioneer, John J. Dooley, who came to the vicinity of Baker in 1862. For many years he was connected with various mining and construction enterprises in Oregon and Idaho, and built a toll road near the mountain which bears his name. A letter by J. C. Bowen is printed on the editorial page of the Oregon Journal, June 7, 1929, and it recounts some of the history of John J. Dooley and his kindly wife. At that time the Dooleys were 92 and 89 years of age, respectively, and lived in Baker.
Dora, Coos County. Dora post office was established August 10, 1874, with John H. Roach postmaster. It has been reported that the place was named for Dora Roach, apparently the small daughter of the first postmaster.
DORENA, Lane County. This post office was established in 1899 with Alfred H. Bigelow first postmaster. The place was named for Dora Burnette and Rena Martin, by consolidating parts of their first names.
DORMAN, Umatilla County. Dorman post office was in the south part of the county, probably not far from Ukiah. It was established October 3, 1887, and named for James W. Dorman, the first postmaster. The subsequent history of this post office is not clear. The name was changed to Dale on November 11, 1891, but whether the office was moved at that time is not certain. In any event, the office was shown on the Grant County list in 1903 with the name Dale. The compiler has been to Dale several times and finds it hard to fit the name to the geography, although the man who selected the word may not have had the same difficulty. This part of Oregon is deeply cut by canyons. It does not seem that the name Dale describes them very accurately. The name Dale as applied to this locality may have had a significance other than topographic.
Dosch Road, Multnomah County. Few Oregon pioneers have been so greatly respected as Colonel Henry E. Dosch. His contributions to the development of the state were substantial, and his character such as to win him a host of friends. He was born in Germany June 17, 1841. ​
He emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, in January, 1860, and had been in the United States but little more than a year when he enlisted in the northern army, and finally reached the rank of acting colonel of volunteers. In 1863 he crossed the plains, and after visiting California arrived in The Dalles in 1864. After various mercantile experiences in eastern Oregon and elsewhere, he retired in 1890, and devoted the remainder of his life to horticulture. His knowledge of the state and its products was profound. He represented Oregon at every important exposition beginning at the World's Columbian Exposition held at Chicago in 1893. For many years he resided near Hillsdale, and the country road between Green Hills and Hillsdale was named for him. There was also a station on the Southern Pacific west of Bertha called Dosch. Colonel Dosch died at Portland in 1925.
DOTHAN, Douglas County. Dothan post office was established in March, 1896, to serve the locality of West Fork station on the Southern Pacific Company railroad in Cow Creek Canyon. It is said that the station agent, one Hudson, thought that the name of the post office should be different from the station name in order to avoid confusion in accounts. He suggested the name Dothan which he found in biblical history. Dothan was a place near Samaria in Palestine. Dothan post office in Oregon was closed in 1942. The post office list for Douglas County shows an office named Herman, established April 15, 1886, with James W. Gilmore postmaster. The office was discontinued December 13, 1887. The compiler has been told that this office served the locality of West Fork railroad station. It is possible that the office was named in compliment to Binger Hermann, then Oregon's representative in Congress, who may have assisted in getting it established. It will be noted that there is a discrepancy in the spelling.
DOTYVILLE, Linn County. The early-day post office called Dotyville in Linn County was named in compliment to the Doty family, local residents. Dotyville was near the south line of township 10 south, range 1 west, and just a little to the southeast of Scio. The office was established October 3, 1884, with J. A. Richardson first postmaster. The office continued in operation until October 6, 1890. The place is not shown on modern maps.
DOUGHERTY SLOUGH, Tillamook County. This slough flows westward under the Oregon Coast Highway about a half mile north of Tillamook and empties into Hoquarten Slough. It bears the name of Nathaniel Dougherty, one of the first white settlers in the vicinity of Tillamook Bay and an esteemed and prominent pioneer of the county.
DOUGHERTY SPRING, Wallowa County. This spring, in the northeast part of township 4 north, range 46 east, was named for William Dougherty, who herded sheep there and established a camp for Hayes and Kernan about 1902.
DOUGHTY CREEK, Tillamook County. This stream was named for William Thomas Doughty, who settled in Tillamook County in 1870. It rises about two miles east of Bay City and flows south, thence west into Tillamook Bay. Its mouth is just north of Kilchis Point.
DOUGLAS COUNTY. On January 24, 1851, the territorial legislature created Umpqua County and named it for the Umpqua River. It is said that the short life of Umpqua County was due to political troubles. In any event, on January 7, 1852, the territorial legislature created ​
Douglas County out of the eastern part of Umpqua County. Another part of Umpqua County was added to Coos County in December, 1853, and the remainder was given to Douglas County in 1862. Douglas County was named for Stephen Arnold Douglas (1813-1861), distinguished American politician and Democratic candidate for the presidency in 1860. He was a strong supporter of Oregon in the Congress, and at the time Douglas County was named for him. He was in the United States Senate from Illinois. According to the Bureau of the Census, Douglas County has a land area of 5062 square miles.
DOUTY, Tillamook County. Douty post office was in the extreme northeast part of the county, established to serve the Douty Lumber Company. This enterprise was situated just a little northeast and over the county line from Cochran, Washington County. The Douty Lumber Company was named for one of its owners, F. A. Douty. There was a Southern Pacific Company railroad station called Douty but it did not have an agent. Douty post office was established January 19, 1921, and was ordered discontinued August 7, 1924. James M. White was the only postmaster.
DOVER, Clackamas County. Dover post office was established June 16, 1890, with Frederick R. French first of a series of nine postmasters. The office was closed August 31, 1911, so that the number of postmasters was large for a total service of twenty-one years. Dover was a few miles southeast of Sandy. The first location is said to have been in section 32, township 2 south, range 5 east, but the USGS map of the Estacada quadrangle shows it a mile or so further south, toward the end of its service. In July, 1947, William H. Stanley of Gresham, sent in some of the early history of Dover, secured from Mrs. Joel Jarl, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Roberts, third postmaster at Dover. According to Mrs. Jarl the first postmaster, Frederick French, was either a native of England, or of English descent and named the office for the locality in England where he himself or his forebears came from. In 1917 the old Dover area in Clackamas County was served by a rural carrier from Eagle Creek. Doves Bar, Marion County. This bar is near the east bank of Willamette River southwest of Salem. It was named for Bethuel Dove, who owned a nearby donation land claim on the west bank of the river in Polk County. Dove lived on what is known as Hayden Island. Dovre PEAK, Tillamook County. This point is in the northeast part of township 3 south, range 7 west, in the east part of the county. It bears the name of geographic features in the Province of Christiansand, Norway. It was named by USBGN about 1930 at the suggestion of F. E. Berg, a homesteader who lived in the vicinity of the peak.
DOWNEY GULCH, Wallowa County. This gulch is in township 5 north, range 47 east, and is in the extreme northeast corner of the county. It was named for R. M. Downey, a pioneer resident and at one time county assessor. Downey Gulch is tributary to Cook Creek. Downey Saddle in the same township was also named for R. M. Downey. There is a much smaller Downey Gulch in the north part of township 2 south, range 47 east, named for the same man. Downs, Marion County. This is a station about two miles north of Silverton. It was named for James Down, a native of Saltash, Devonshire, England. He was born in 1835, came to the United States during the Civil War, and settled in Oregon in 1864. He engaged in the hop and ​
untryjas County. This placenation land chadell. He sold ithe grain business. He died May 28, 1898. See Down's A History of the Silverton Country, chapter XXII.
DRAIN, Douglas County. This place was named for Charles Drain, a pioneer settler in the locality. The donation land claim on which the town of Drain is situated was taken up by Warren Goodell. He sold it to Jesse Applegate, and some time about 1850 Jesse Applegate sold the property to Charles Drain. Drain was once a member of the legislature, and his son, J. C. Drain, was also in the legislature and was speaker of the house. For additional information about the Drain family, see article by Fred Lockley on editorial page of the Oregon Journal, August 8, 1927.
DRAKE PEAK, Lake County. Drake Peak, with an elevation of 8402 feet, is a prominent point in the mountains northeast of Lakeview. It was named for John M. Drake, a well-known officer in several campaigns against the Snake Indians in south central Oregon. He reached the rank of colonel toward the conclusion of the Snake War. For information about his activities in this territory see Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, page 488, et seq. Drake Butte and Drake Peak, in the Maury Mountains in Crook County, are also named for Colonel Drake.
DRAPER, Jackson County. This place, southwest of Gold Hill, was named for Silas Draper, a miner. Draper post office was established February 9, 1882, with Draper first postmaster. The office was closed in October, 1912.
DREAD AND TERROR RIDGE, Douglas County. This ridge is on the south side of North Umpqua River in the northeast part of the county. It is about four miles long and has an elevation of 4896 feet. The name was applied by District Ranger C. V. Oden of the Forest Service in 1908 because of the dense thickets of thorns and other brush which made the prospects of fire fighting in that section extremely disagreeable.
DREADNOUGHT ISLAND, Klamath County. This island, in the west end of Crescent Lake, was named by F. W. Cleator of the Forest Service in 1925 because it resembled a dreadnought battleship.
DREW, Douglas County. This place is said to have been named for a local resident, Robert Drew. Drew CREEK, Lake County. This stream drains into Goose Lake. It was named for Lieutenant-Colonel C. S. Drew, in command of the Owhyee Reconnaissance of the First Oregon Cavalry in 1864. The stream has been dammed for irrigation storage.
DREWSEY, Harney County. Abner Robbins started a store at this place in the summer of 1883 and called it Gouge Eye, apparently to commemorate the frontier method of settling disputes. About a year later Robbins applied for a post office but postal authorities were reluctant to accept the original name, so he substituted a new name, Drusy. Eventually the office was named Drewsey. Oregon, End of the Trail (Oregon Guide), page 468, says the new name was in compliment to Drewsey Miller, the daughter of a rancher. In 1926 the compiler was told that the name submitted to Washington was Drusy, which authorities changed to Drewsey. Drusy seems more like a girl's name. The Oregon Guide calls the name Gouge Eye unpleasant, but the compiler thinks it a stout, picturesque bit of nomenclature, much better than some of the gutless expressions of today.
DRIFT CREEK, Lincoln County. Drift Creek post office was one of the very first in the southwest part of what is now Lincoln County, then ​
Benton. It was established August 6, 1874, with Matthew Brand postmaster, and was named for the stream flowing into Alsea Bay. The creek was named for the accumulations of driftwood on its banks. There is also a Drift Creek in Lincoln County flowing into Siletz Bay. The name of the office was changed to Collins in January, 1876, in honor of a local family. The name of this office was changed to Waldport in June, 1881, and back to Collins in February, 1882. This post office called Waldport may have been on the north side of Alsea Bay, not on the south side. Collins was changed to Lutgens in May, 1890, and Lutgens was changed to Stanford in July, 1893. Stanford it remained until June, 1897, when it became Lutgens again. The name of the office was changed to Nice in April, 1917, and was closed in November, 1919. This post office had eight names during its forty-five years of service, a record in the opinion of the compiler. No other Oregon office seems to have approached this mark. It is obvious that the office was moved a number of times. However, the offices mentioned above were all in the general vicinity of Alsea Bay. Lutgens was named for Albert H. Lutgens, also spelled Lutjens, and Nice was named for Harry Nice. Both of these men were local residents. The compiler has been unable to learn why Stanford post office was so named. Drift CREEK, Marion County. This stream was named Drift Creek in early days because of the accumulation of driftwood along its banks. Its upper reaches were in heavily wooded country.
DRURY CREEK, Lane County. This stream, a tributary to Mohawk River from the northwest, was named for a family of early settlers. The post office and community Mable, situated a little to the south of the mouth of the stream was named for Miss Mable Drury. Dry River, Crook and Deschutes counties. This is the bed of an ancient river that once drained the High Desert. The course of the channel is well marked from the west end of the desert to Crooked River, a distance of more than 50 miles. In some places the dry bed is in a canyon, and in other places in a narrow defile between abrupt basalt walls. The Ochoco highway between Redmond and Prineville crosses this defile at a point where an excellent view may be had of it. In many places water may be uncovered by digging in the gravel bed.
DRYDEN, Josephine County. Dryden, in the Deer Creek Valley east of Selma, was named for John Dryden, famous English poet, playwright and critic, who lived from 1631 to 1700. Mrs. Alma Harmon Kiphart of Eugene, a native of the Deer Creek country, sent this information, which has been confirmed by other sources. A paragraph from Mrs. Kiphart's letter of March 20, 1947, is as follows: "Dryden post office was named by J. P. (Perry) Mills, a Deer Creek Valley pioneer, for John Dryden the poet. Mr. Mills was a great reader and had in his possession many good books. It was through his influence that the post office was established. Early in 1900 he went to the Soldiers' Home at Roseburg, where he spent his last days. The establishment of this office is one of my fondest recollections." Dryden post office was established February 8, 1892, with Mary E. Tolin first of a long line of postmasters. In the summer of 1946 the compiler drove up Deer Creek to satisfy his curiosity about this isolated office and found it still in service and in good order.
DRYLAKE, Crook County. This post office was in the south part of Crook County. There is a small lake nearby which fills with water in the ​
early spring, but is generally dry during the late summer. For many years the stockmen have referred to this as Dry Lake or Dry Lake Flat. When the post office was established in September, 1913, the name Dry Lake was selected by local residents, but the post office authorities telescoped this name into one word and it has been so known ever since. The office was closed in January, 1937.
DUCKWORTH, Lane County. Duckworth was apparently named for a local family, but the compiler does not know for which one. Isaac W. Duckworth was postmaster at Long Tom office as early as 1859, and there may have been others of the name. Duckworth post office was established March 4, 1884, with Gilbert D. Chamberlain first postmaster. Byron Ellmaker was appointed November 25, 1884, and lost no time getting the name changed to Elmira on December 22, 1884. See also under
ELMIRA.
DUDLEY, Jackson County. Dudley was a post office in the mountains about six miles north of Butte Falls. It was established April 2, 1909, with Theresa E. Spencer first and only postmaster. The office was closed October 31, 1912, with papers to Butte Falls. In February, 1947, Judge J. B. Coleman of Medford wrote the compiler that Dudley post office was named for a Mr. Dudley who at one time owned or controlled what was known as the Dudley timber tract north of Butte Falls. Dudley post office was in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer in section 12, township 34 south, range 2 east. A few years ago the old Spencer cabin was still standing with the mail boxes still in place therein, according to Judge Coleman. Durur, Wasco County. According to the History of Central Oregon, the first settler in the neighborhood of Dufur was Lewis P. Henderson, who established a home about four miles from the present site of the community in 1852. During the next three years Messrs. Reynolds, Marsh and Brown, stockmen, established ranches nearby. In 1863 David Imbler built a farmhouse where the town of Dufur now stands. In 1872 Andrew J. and E. Burnham Dufur bought a farm where Dufur is now situated. These two men were members of a well-known Wasco County pioneer family which came from New England by way of Panama to Oregon in 1859. On January 11, 1878, the post office was established and named for the Dufur family. Chauncey A. Williams was first postmaster, and is said to have selected the name of the office.
DUKES VALLEY, Hood River County. This is a sort of natural cove on the north slope of Booth Hill between the Mount Hood Loop Highway and Hood River. There seem to be plenty of legends as to how the valley got its name. The compiler is of the belief that it was named for a man named Duke who lived in the valley in the '60s. There is a story, however, to the effect that it was named for a well-known ox, used by Peter Neal in logging operations, which much preferred wandering off into the secluded pastures of Dukes Valley to hauling logs. In 1886 Captain J. H. Dukes, a veteran of the Civil War, came to the Hood River Valley, and the compiler has been told that Dukes Valley was named for him, although there is nothing to indicate that he actually lived in Dukes Valley, but in the town of Hood River, except for a short time when he lived near Oak Grove.
DUMBBELL LAKE, Lane County. Dumbbell Lake is in the Cascade Range about two miles south of Horse Mountain. According to Forest Service records it was named by Dee Wright because of it ​s shape.
DUNCAN, Umatilla County. Ida M. Wilbur, postmaster at Duncan in 1925, told the writer that the community was named for Isaac Duncan, a veteran of the Civil War. He lived in the neighborhood for many years, and the name of Duncan was proposed for the place in 1899. The post office was established October 28, 1899.
DUNCAN CREEK, Lane County. Duncan Creek is near Silver Lake. It was named for George C. Duncan who first settled on the land where the stream emptied into Silver Lake. The Duncan family arrived in the Silver Lake Valley about 1873.
DUNCANVILLE, Grant County. Duncanville was a post office in the west or upper end of Bear Valley, southwest of Canyon City. Postal records show that the office was established September 27, 1897, with Wesley P. Duncan postmaster. The office was discontinued May 15, 1902, with all mail to Canyon City. It was named for the postmaster.
DUNDEE, Yamhill County. William Reid came to Oregon in 1874 from Dundee, Scotland. Among other things he became interested in Willamette Valley railroad construction, and he assisted in organizing the Oregonian Railway Company, Limited, a corporation of Dundee, Scotland, which succeeded to the interest of The Oregon Railway Company in 1880. The Oregon Company had previously taken over property of the Willamette Valley Railroad Company, which had gotten into financial difficulties. The Oregonian Railway Company made several narrow gage extensions on the west side of the Willamette Valley, and an east side extension from Dundee. The town of Dundee was established and named for Reid's home in Scotland. For details of Reid's history and of the construction of the railroad mentioned above, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country. The post office history of Dundee is a little more complicated than ordinary. An office named Ekins was established there in 1881 which ran until the summer of 1882 when the name was changed to Dundee in commemoration of Reid's birthplace. The name Dundee was used for the post office name from July 25, 1882, until June 30, 1885, when the postal business was turned over to Lafayette. On April 16, 1887, a new post office with the name Dundee Junction was established with Frank D. McCain, first postmaster. The name Dundee Junction was used because there had been a good deal of talk about building a railroad bridge over Willamette River from Fulquartz Landing on the Yamhill County side to Rays Landing on the Marion County side. The east side narrow gage line would thus be brought to Dundee where a junction would be made with the west side line and also a connection to Portland. The writer is of the opinion that the name Dundee Junction was in use by the railroad company prior to the time that Dundee Junction post office was established. In any event, the name Dundee Junction for the post office prevailed until February 13, 1897, when it was changed to Dundee, the present style. The bridge has not been built.
DUNDON Bridge, Lincoln County. Dundon Bridge is just west of Toledo, and the name is frequently misspelled. Alonzo T. M. Dundon was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1852, and came to Oregon with his parents in 1864 in the train of Captain Frank Shedd. In 1866 the Dundon family settled near what is now Toledo. Alonzo Dundon ran a brickyard and also a freight line from Corvallis to the coast. He died December 27, 1940. For obituary, see Toledo Leader, January 2, 1941.
DUNLAP Lake, Marion County. This lake, northeast of Detroit, was on. 11 23 0 ​
named for Harry Dunlap, a prospector, who located a prospect nearby. The name was first applied about 1906, according to information furnished by Charles C. Giebeler of Detroit.
DURBIN, Marion County. Durbin is a railroad station east of Salem. It was named for F. W. Durbin of Salem, who had a switch put in so that he could load cordwood at this point. For information about the Durbin family, see the Oregonian, August 1, 1926, section 1, page 12.
DURHAM, Washington County. Albert Alonzo Durham came to Oregon in 1847. He built a sawmill below Oregon City, which he sold. Then he built a sawmill at Oswego, where he did a large business until 1869. See advertisement of his sawmill at Oswego in the Oregonian in 1850-51. He named Oswego for Oswego, New York. After operating at Oswego, he moved into Washington County and built a sawmill and a flour mill on Fanno Creek. These mills were operated by waterpower, and for a number of years the place was known as Durhams Mills. When the Oregon Electric Railway was built the station at this point was called Durham. A. A. Durham was born in Genesee County, New York, March 15, 1814; died in Washington County, Oregon, April 4, 1898.
DURKEE, Baker County. The community Durkee was named for a family of early settlers. The first post office in the locality was called Express Ranch, with C. W. Durkee first postmaster. It was established April 21, 1865, but was later moved to Weatherby. See under EXPRESS Ranch for the history of this office. The existing post office Durkee was established February 26, 1902, probably by change of name from another office called Express. Dusty, Benton County. In February, 1946, Robert Johnson of Corvallis wrote the compiler as follows: "Frank Elgin opened a country store five miles northwest of Monroe and a post office was established therein with Helen Elgin, his daughter, postmaster. The storekeeper suggested the name Elgin for the new office but as many residents of the community came from Bellefontaine, Ohio, they wanted it named for their native heath. No agreement could be reached and as the store was located on dusty crossroads, the name Dusty was adopted. But the people of the community were not satisfied until the name was changed to Bellfountain and Bellfountain today is surrounded by a prosperous community." The post office at Dusty was established December 6, 1895, with Helen Elgin first postmaster. Whatever the local argument may have been about the name of the office, the real reason why Elgin was not selected was because there was already an Elgin in Oregon and duplications were not allowed. Postal records are not entirely clear, but it seems probable that the name of the office Dusty was changed to Bellfountain on July 31, 1902. Dutch Flat, W'asco County. In the early '70s a German settled on the plateau east of and above Mill Creek. His home was known as Dutchman's Cabin and the flat has been called Dutch Flat ever since. Dutch OVEN CAMP, Lane County. Dutch Oven Camp is on South Fork McKenzie River. S. L. Tavlor of McKenzie Bridge is authority for the story of origin of the name. A burro, packed for a fishing party, fell over a cliff at this point and was killed. About the only part of the pack that was undamaged was a demijohn of whisky, but an iron Dutch oven · was badly broken and the rest of the pack ruined. The remains of the oven lay in the vicinity for several years and caused the application of the name,
​DUTCHMAN Flat, Deschutes County. Judge H. C. Ellis of Bend gives the following history of this name: A German sheepherder and party discovered the flat years ago while bringing a band of sheep across the Cascade Range. They were blocked by snow at Sparks Lake and were obliged to spend the winter there. A log barn was built by them on the northeast side of the lake. Parts of this barn were remaining in 1927. Due to this herder being a German, the sand flat east of Sparks Lake has been since known as Dutchman Flat. The small creek flowing from the glacier on Bachelor Butte is known as Dutchman Creek. The sheep belonged to Thomas Hamilton of Ashwood.
DUTTON CLIFF, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This cliff is at the southeast corner of Crater Lake at an elevation of 8150 feet. It was named by Will G. Steel in 1886 for Captain Clarence E. Dutton, U. S. A.
DUWEE CANYON, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This canyon lies to the south of Crater Lake, and is remarkable for its unusual spires and pinnacles. The name is from the Klamath Indian word ti-wi, indicating the rushing noise made by a cascade. A waterfall in the canyon has the same name. The spelling Duwee has been adopted by USBGN, and the style Dewie is obsolete.
DYAR Rock, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This rock is on the south rim of Crater Lake, and has an elevation of 7880 feet. It was named in 1872 by Captain (. C. Applegate for Leroy S. Dyar, of Ontario, California, then Indian agent on the Klamath Indian Reservation, and later a member of the Modoc Peace Commission. Dyar was the only member of the commission who escaped uninjured when attacked by Captain Jack and his band of Indians in the Lava Beds April 11, 1873, at which time General E. R. S. Canby and Dr. E. Thomas were killed and chairman A. B. Meacham was wounded and left for dead.
EAGLE BUTTE, Hood River and Multnomah counties. This butte was formerly called Eagle Creek Butte, because it was near the headwaters of the creek, but the name was cumbersome and the Forest Service has adopted the shorter form.
Eagle Cap, Wallowa County. This peak was for many years thought to be the highest mountain in eastern Oregon. In early days the Wallowa Mountains had a variety of names, including Eagle Mountains, and Eagle Cap was supposed to be the top of them all, hence the name. While there is no exact measurement of its altitude, barometric observations by Clyde B. Aitchison indicate a height of about 9675 feet. Apparently there are other peaks in the Wallowa Mountains that are higher.
EAGLE CREEK, Baker and Union counties. There are a good many geographic features in Oregon named for the eagle, including mountains, streams and places. One of the most important is Eagle Creek which rises on the south slopes of the Wallowa Mountains and flows southeastward into Powder River. This stream has played a prominent part both in the mining and in the irrigation history of northeast Oregon. An account of the naming of this stream is given by Isaac Hiatt in his book Thirty-one Years in Baker County, page 30. Knight and Abbott were herding cattle in the Powder River Valley in 1861, and coming to a considerable tributary, they shot an eagle. That circumstance gave the name Eagle Creek to the stream.