THE HEADING "Information Please" is quite suitable for this
installment of Oregon Geographic Names. More than half
of the items contain requests for additional informat
-historical or geographical.
This installment contains paragraphs about mor
place names in Oregon. These names are scattered t
parts of the state and every county is represented. So
names are strange and deserve an explanation. It is
readers of the Quarterly will be willing to go
list carefully and submit additional information. L
be addressed to Lewis A. McArthur, Public Servic
Portland 4, Oregon.
Among the names of mysterious origin are: A
Adamsville, Auburn, Barite, Box, Camp Carson, Crook County, Eckley, Idleyld Park, New Castle Joppa, Jordan Point, Orleans, Nonpareil, Ragic, Re Scissorsville and Vale.
ABBERDEEN, Linn County. Efforts to learn the reason f
name for a Linn County post office have not been fru
Aberdonian would waste the extra letter in the spelling, an
must have been selected by someone other than a Scot. Abberdeen post office was established June 13, 1892, Flauger postmaster. The office was closed April 24, 18 business turned over to Lacomb post office. This record ply that the office was northeast of Lebanon. The comp know the exact location of this office or why it was so and information will be greatly appreciated. After the above information was set in type, the co informed by Z. E. Merrill of Albany that about 1890 one J er started a store at his home about eight miles east o and applied for a post office which was supposed to hav in compliment to a former home, Aberdeen, Michigan got his information from Joel Mayer of Lebanon. The been unable to find a place called Aberdeen, Michigan, able records, but there may have been one about 1890 noted that there is a discrepancy between the spellings of
name submitted by Mr. Mayer and by the postal authori
crepancy of rather slight importance. ADAMSVILLE, Morrow County. The compiler has received a r for information about the origin of the name of a post of Adamsville, and about the history of the place. Adamsville established April 15, 1884 with Silas W. Miles first postmaster discontinued June 30, 1885. Old maps show the place in the vi the present site of Hardman. Historical information about will be appreciated.
ALPINE, Morrow County. Just what there was to suggest th
Alpine for a post office in eastern Morrow County about
north of Heppner the compiler cannot imagine, but that is th
This office was established October 3, 1884, with G. H. Par
postmaster. It continued in service until July 27, 1894, wh
closed out to Galloway, a nearby office. A directory for
Alpine was a special supply post office, but there is no expl
the term. The compiler's recollection of the locality is tha
alpine in character, and the name may have been brough
elsewhere.
As of 1940 a diagram of- Morrow County shows a precinct called
Alpine in the northeast part of the county.
ALSEA, Benton County. A request has been received for information about the community called Alsea on the upper reaches of Alsea River.
The name Alseya Settlement appears on the Surveyor General's
map of 1855. The legend stretches along the river, and the center of
the settlement is a little to the west of the present community Alsea. This is the earliest appearance of the name for the place that the compiler has been able to locate.
It was not until July, 1871, that Alsea post office was established, with Thomas Russell postmaster. The early history of the locality is largely concerned with the difficulties of communication and transportation. Some of these problems are set out in an article in OHQ, vol ume XLIV, page 56, by J. F. Santee and F. B. Warfield, with the title "Account of Early Pioneering in the Alsea Valley." Paul V. Wustrow became postmaster on March 30, 1876, and held the position until May 28, 1898, nearly a quarter of a century. Colonel Wustrow was a well-known character in the Alsea Valley and was of European birth and up-bringing, but whether Russian or German, the compiler cannot learn. He is said to have coined the name Wald port at the request of David Ruble, who founded that community. See OGN, 1944 edition, page 536. For information about the origin of the name Alsea see under ALSEA RIVER, in OGN, 1944 edition, page 10.