the company, and new directors were elected, ibid., August 7, 1852. An earlier road, built by F. W. Pettygrove, passed through what is now Washington Park.
Canyonville, Douglas County. Canyonville is an historic community of Oregon, and is situated at the north end of Canyon Creek Canyon, where this defile opens into the valley of the South Umpqua River. It was in this canyon that the immigrants of 1846 had such great hardships on their way into the Willamette Valley. The canyon was known in pioneer days as Umpqua Canyon. For a graphic description of the difficulties experienced here by the pioneers of 1846 see Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume I, page 563. For information concerning the proposed location of a railroad in the canyon see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume IV, page 5. The railroad route finally selected ascended Cow Creek from Riddle and joined the old stage road not far from Glendale. The stage route for many years continued up Canyon Creek and today travelers over the Pacific Highway may see where there have been earlier routes through the canyon. The total descent from the pass at the head of Canyon Creek to Canyonville is nearly 1300 feet, most of which occurs in the south part of the canyon. Canyonville was for many years known as North Canyonville, the post office having been established with that name July 6, 1852, with John T. Boyle, postmaster. There was a locality farther south known as South Canyonville, but this was not a post office. The post office name was changed to Canvonville June 1, 1892. Canyon Creek is erronously supposed by many to be Cow Creek. The Pacific Highway does not follow the canyon of Cow Creek although it does traverse that stream through a wide valley east of Glendale. The pass at the head of Canyon Creek is about 2020 feet in elevation. Canyonville has an elevation of 747 feet. Those who have visited this part of the state will realize that Canyon Creek and Canyonville are appropriate names.
Cape Arago, Coos County. Cape Arago is the western point of a large headland just south of the mouth of Coos Bay. The northern point of this headland is Coos Head. Captain James Cook sighted it on March 12, 1778, and named it Cape Gregory for the saint of that day. Since 1850 this cape has been called Cape Arago, and is officially so known by the USBGN. Dominique Francois Jean Arago (1786-1853) was a great French physicist and geographer. He was the intimate of Alexander von Humboldt, and his friendship with Humboldt "lasted over forty years without a single cloud ever having troubled it." The name Cape Arago first appeared on the U.S. Coast Survey chart prepared by William P. Mc. Arthur in 1850, and issued the following year. It seems apparent that McArthur applied the name Arago as the result of the naming of Humboldt Bay, California, which took place about the same time. Humboldt Bay was named in 1850 during the visit of a company of miners styled the Laura Virginia company or association. A. J. Bledsoe, in Indian Wars of the Northwest, 1885, page 118, gives an account of the exploration of the Laura Virginia expedition in the ship Laura Virginia, and he says that Humboldt Bay was named at the solicitation of a member of the party who was an admirer of the great scientist. Elsewhere it is reported that the name was selected by Lieutenant Douglass Ottinger, captain of the Laura Virginia, but this does not agree with Bledsoe. McArthur visited Humboldt Bay and mapped it in 1850 and a few weeks later chart-
