Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/150

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Circlecular course Tillamoo Circle Cro Douglas Douglas Cowin eventuan Beach structure

CIRCLE CREEK, Clatsop County. Circle Creek and its tributaries drain a considerable part of Tillamook Head. The stream got its name because of its circular course, though it far from describes a complete circle. The Circle Creek bridge is a well-known structure on the Oregon Coast Highway southwest of Cannon Beach Junction, although a relocation of the highway will eventually eliminate the crossing Civil BEND, Douglas County. Civil Bend is one of the amusing place names of Douglas County because it was applied in derision-the locality was so uncivil. The Bend is a prominent reverse kink in South Umpqua River a little to the south west of Roseburg. The name is said to refer to the boisterous activities of visitors who came to see the horse races in early days. According to Israel B. Nichols, an old timer in the locality, in the Roseburg News-Review, May 7, 1948, "there was always lots of drinking and lots of fights, so they called it Civil Bend." Civil Bend post office was in service from September, 1881, to October, 1888, with James M. Dillard first postmaster. When the office was re-established in 1889, postal authorities objected to a name with two words. A new name, Brockway, was selected in honor of B. B. Brockway, a pioneer settler.

CLACKAMAS, Clackamas County. The Indian word Clackamas has been used as the name for two post offices in Clackamas County, at different times and places. The first of these offices, established September 29, 1852, with the name Clackemas and John Foster postmaster, was put on the Marion County list, but was changed to the Clackamas County list with the revised spelling Clackamas on March 22, 1853. It was discontinued October 18, 1853. Preston's map of 1856 shows the site of the office about two miles northwest of what was later Logan. When the Oregon and California began railroad service from Portland south on September 5, 1870, to the place then called Waconda, a station between Milwaukie and Oregon City was called Marshville and it is shown that way on the first time card. See Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume IV, page 30, for a facsimile of this time table. It is not clear just why the name Marshville was applied, as there is very good land drainage in the locality, though topographic maps show a small swampy area about a mile to the south. The name Marshville may have been named for a person, Marsh. There are references to the place by the name Marshfield, but that was not the railroad name. On December 8, 1873, a post office was established at the locality with the name Clackamas, and with Noah N. Matlock first postmaster. The railroad was not long in changing the station name from Marshville to Clackamas. All was then in harmony.

CLACKAMAS County. This county, together with Clackamas River and other features in Oregon, received its name from the Clackamas Indians, a Chinookan tribe, living along the river. The remnants of the tribe were moved to the Grand Ronde Reservation. It was formerly a large tribe. Lewis and Clark use the form Clackamus, and other forms are Klackamus, in George Wilkes' History of Oregon and on Charles Wilkes' map of 1841; Clackamus; Nekamus, in OHQ, volume I, page 320; Klackamas, in Townsend's Narrative; Akimmash, Clackamis, Clackamos, Clackemus, Clackemurs, Klackamat, Thlakeimas, Tlakimish, and many others. Clackamas County was one of the original four districts of early Oregon, the other three being Twality, Yamhill and Champooick. It was created July 5, 1843, and at present has a land area of 1890 square miles. An excellent map of Clackamas County is published by the