East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-01-12
FACTS ON ORIGIN OF
UMATILLA COUNTY
+. V. HOLMAN TELLS
SOME EAREY HISTORY
President of Oregon Historical Society
Narrates How this County Came
Into Existence. OF Its Name and
Other Incidents OF Early Times.
Frederick V. Holman. president OF

the oregon Historical society. in his
series OF articles for the Portland
Journal on the origin OF oregon coun-
ties. writes the following concerning
the early history OF Umatilla:
Umatilla county was created by the
state legislature September 81. 1862.
! General laws OF 1862. page el). 1t
comprised a part of Wasco county
east of the mouth Of Willow creek.
south of the Columbia river and the
north line of Oregon and west of the
summit of the Blue mountains. 1t
was bounded on the west by the divide
between the middle and south forks
OF John Day river. and the divide
between the latter river and Willow
creek.
II derives its name from the river
which flows through the county and
empties into the Columbia.
The first mention OF the name is in
the original journals of Lewis and
Clark, volume 4. page 327, under date
Of April %, 1906, on their return trip
east. up the Columbia river. II Is
there spelled Youmalolan. II Is
spelled in various ways in early books
on Oregon: Umatallow, by Ross in
his Adventures. page 125. under date
| of August II, 1911; Otillah, by Wyeth
| in the Journal OF his first expedition.
page 1874, under date of February Il,
1893; Utallah, by Townsend in his
Narrative. page 151. under date OF
September .. 1894; Umatilla, its pres
ent form. by Hastings in his Descrip-
ton. page SO; Umatilla, by Palmer, In
| his Journal. page 5s, under date Of
! September 10. 1S45: Umatilla, by
Farnham in his Travels in the Great
Western Prairies, page 2s4- Gusta-
vus Hines, in his Oregon. page 1863,
under date OF May s. 1S43. spells the
name Utilla. while in his summary.
page 322. he spells il Unatilla.
/ In the autumn OF 1884. Captain
| Louis Eulalie de Bonneville. L. 5. A..
known as Captain Bonneville, was al
the headwaters of the Umatilla river
On page 2o6 of volume of THE
Rocky Mountains" by Washington
Irving. published in 1887, and being
an account of the adventures OF Cap
tain Bonneville, the name of this river
is spelled OttOlais. On the map ~
this volume the river is shown ano
marked Ottalais river
II is popularly supposed that there
is a tribe. of Indians whose name !!
Umatnla This is erroneous. This
name, as applied to Indians, arise!
from the fact that Indians live on th'
Umatilla Indian reservation and arr
therefore called Umatillas. The tribe
whose habitat was partly on the Una
tilla river. was the Cayuse, n branci
of the Shahaptian family. This fam
lly includes the Nez Perce, Wall'
Walla and other tribes. The Cayus
was a powerful and treacherous trib
in early oregon days
Umatllla county Is now bounded oi
the north by the Columbia river am
the state of Washington, on the cas-
by Union county, on the south b
Grant county, and on the west D
Morrow county. Its county seat
Pendleton.
The Language Of the original act
as follows:
"All that portion OF Wasco count!
beginning in the middle of the chan
Il mel of the Columbia, opposite tn
mouth of Willow creek, thence up tn
middle of the channel of said rive
to the point where the 46th parable
of latitude crosses said river. thenc
east along said parallel to the sun
nit of the Blue mountains, thenc
southwest along the summit Of sal
mountain and south fork OF Jon
Days river, thence northwest alor
\ said divide to its intersection wit
the south fork Of John Days rive
thence down the channel of said riv'
to its junction with the north FORK
said river. and from thence northe
" along the ridge dividing the waite
of John Days and Willow creek
the place OF beginning. tGener
Laws OF 1862, page 91.)