East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-02-04
QUEER NAMES Or OREGON POSTOFFICES
and when the office was named a
great many shakes. a kind of shingle,
were manufactured there.

and when the office was named a
great many shakes. kind of shingle,
were manufactured there.
Bridal Veil From Falls.
Bridal Veil might hint of ro-
nance. But there is no tradition to
live up to the name The postoffice
stands near a beautiful waterfall in
eastern Multnomah county resemble
ing a spreading white veil.
Steamboat is also a misnomer, for
it stands on a creek not big enough
TO float canoe. But in early min,
ing days the creek was named Steam
boat creek ana the postoffice name
came from that of the creek.
There was a village in oregon
named Push. 1t was a misnomer.
too. for If any town ever lacked push
it was this one. Approaching that
fact and believing that possibly the
name was a hoodoo. residents have
changed the name Of the town to Ma
canicum, after a river on which it is
situated
Asbestos is the name of a thriving
Oregon settlement and one might
suppose it to be the hottest town in
the state. But it stands well up in
the mountains of Josephine county,
and secured its name from the as
hestos mine near by. Other Oregon
towns which were named after near
by mines are Greenhorn. Greenback
and Lucky Boy. There are also Min
eral, Promise, Agate, Nugget, Ore
town and Prospect.
Grants Pass. =.
\ historic name is Grants Pass,
county seat of Josephine county.
When U. S Grant was a young lieu
tenant in the regular army he led a
detachment of soldiers from Califor-
MIA northward through oregon to
Vancouver barracks. In crossing the
southern oregon mountains the sol
diers wandered away from the regu-
lar trail and found their way down
out of the mountains through a new
pass. In later years when Grant led
| the Union armies to victory and be-
came famous his name became as
sociated With this pass, and the city
which grew up in the pass between
the hills took his name.
In early days the settlers, in order
to be near wood and water, went we'll
land claims, ignoring the rich valley
lands which are now the scene of
trade and wealth. A party thus
seeking new homes found a pleasant
little valley in what is now the east
ern part of Linn county. Believing
they had found Utopia, so far as
natural conditions were concerned
they named their settlement Sweet
Home. But though thriving cities
now dot the valleys far below it,
Sweet Home is yet a foOthll village
Acme Is Not City.
San Francisco capitalists founded a
town near the mouth of the Siuslaw
river. and, thinking they had an ideal
location for a sawmlll town, both in
timber supply and shipping facilities
they named it Acme. 1t has never
attained the dignity Of city.
Anidem secured its name in an un-
usual way. When a postoffice was
established in the Quartzvllle min
ing district in Linn county Lawler,
the London capitalist who owned the
mines, wanted It named for his friend
Medina. But this name was so SINH
lar to Mecham, which is only a few
miles away. that the postoffice de-
partment rejected it. Lawler revers-
ed the letters and called the postof-
flee Anidem.
Corvallis. county seat of Benton
county, is Latin in origin, meaning
the heart of the Valley. 1t was orig
the heart of the valley 1t was orig
this town and Salem, the capital of
Oregon, and Albany, the county seat
Of Linn county, desired names which
were not so common. Marysville be-
came Corvallis, Albany changed to
Taknah and Salem became Cheme-
keta The first town kept its new
name. but the latter two soon chang
ed back to the old names.
Blllsburg got its name thus "A few
years ago only seven men lived there,
all being miners or homesteaders
They met one evening to choose
name for their settlement, and 1t was
then discovered that the first name
OF all seven Of the men was William.
That settled the discussion of a name
and BiHsburg was at once adopted.