PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION, 1944
Very early in 1928 the compiler of this volume published a book with the title Oregon Geographic Names. Material was gathered over a long period of time, in many out of the way places and often in peculiar circumstances. The work was laborious at times, but the effort was more than repaid by the friendships that developed, and not
infrequently by the picturesque history that transpired. The book seems to have filled a public demand, for it has long been out of print.
The compiler had on hand at the date of publication much material that could not be prepared for the printer, largely because time was not available to verify all the data. In the 16 years that have intervened since the book was published, information has been accumulated about hundreds of additional names, both old and new. In addition to all this, a number of corrections have come to light that apply to the items in the book, Entertaining correspondence has been carried on with scores of persons in many parts of the country. Newspaper comments about geographic names continue unabated, and clippings have been gathered to the point of becoming a burden.
Starting with the Oregon Historical Quarterly for December, 1942, six installments of new, supplementary and revised material were printed. Information has been assembled about most of the military forts and camps, old and new, in various parts of Oregon. More than half of the first edition of the book has been revised. All this material has now been consolidated for a new edition.
The origin of geographic names in Oregon may be traced roughly to six periods in the history of the state, and in most instances the names themselves indicate approximately the epoch in which they were applied. The six periods may be described as follows:
First – The period of aboriginal Indian life, which is reflected in Oregon by the existence of a considerable number of Indian place names, some of which were applied by Indians themselves, and some later on by the whites.
Second – The period of exploration by sea along the Oregon coast, with resulting names strongly Spanish in flavor with an English admixture.
Third – The period of overland exploration, extending into the era of the fur trade, with the application of French, Indian, and additional names of English and American origin.
Fourth – The pioneer period, resulting in the application of a large number of eastern place names to Oregon communities, generally for sen-
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