Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/103

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OREGON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
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This activity was of no great consequence in the cold months of the year, but in summer, the resulting stench aroused local residents to indignation. A septic tank was installed, but it overflowed. Farmers carried away the surplus milk for hog feed, but they could not carry away the odor. A "Smelling Committee" was appointed by the council, but as is frequently the case with committees, little was done. Finally the creamery got into financial trouble and closed, thus bringing an end to the business. The name Buttermilk Creek remains, however.

Butteville, Marion County. Butteville is on the east bank of the Willamette River in the extreme north part of the county and has an elevation of 103 feet. It was named for a well-known hill about a mile to the southwest, called by the early settlers on French Prairie La Butte, a form of name still used by the U. S. Geological Survey on its map of the Tualatin quadrangle, which shows the geography of this region. La Butte has an elevation of 427 feet. Butteville was laid out prior to 1850 by Abernethy and Beers. The Oregon Electric Railway has a station called Butteville about two miles east of the town. This station was formerly called Chopunnish, a northwest Indian name, but was changed to Butteville to avoid confusion. Postal officials inform the compiler that Butteville post office was established with the name Chainpoeg on April 9, 1850, with F. X. Matthieu first postmaster. The name was changed to Buteville September 9, 1850, and to Butteville probably in the '60s, although the date of this change is not clear in the records. The office was discontinued in the summer of 1905.

Button Springs, Lake County. Lee Button was a pioneer homesteader northeast of Fort Rock. He is mentioned in Charles H. Sternberg's Life of a Fossil Hunter. Sternberg was in the locality in 1877. Button Springs are in township 23 south, range 16 east, and they have given their name to the Button Springs Ranch, which is well known in Lake County. The springs were not named because of their size or shape.

Buxton, Washington County. Henry T. Buxton settled in this place in 1884, and was appointed its first postmaster in 1886. He was a son of Henry Buxton, a pioneer of 1841, and the town was named for his family.

Byars Creek, Marion County. This creek flows into Breitenbush River northeast of Detroit. Byars Creek and Byars Mountain nearby were named for W, H, Byars, surveyor general for Oregon from 1890 to 1894.

Bybee Bridge, Jackson County. This bridge crosses Rogue River not far from Upper Table Rock. It was named for William Bybee who operated a ferry at this point for many years.

Bybee Lake, Multnomah County. This is a small overflow lake on the south bank of Columbia River north of St. Johns. It was named for James Bybee. According to land office certificate 2234, Bybee was born in Kentucky on December 1, 1827, and arrived in Oregon in the fall of 1850. He settled on his claim near Columbia River in the fall of 1853, and made final proof in November, 1859, and was then unmarried. The lake was largely on his property, and not on that of James F. Bybee, a pioneer of 1845, who was a nearby settler.


Cabbage Hill, Umatilla County. The notion that the Oregon Trail comes down Cabbage Hill into Umatilla Valley east of Pendleton does not seem to be borne out by facts. The highway traverses and descends Emigrant Hill and is not on Cabbage Hill at all. Cabbage Hill is a long spur extending southwest from Emigrant Hill, ending at Table Rock not far fro merry at thultnomala Riverd Office