named because it was the home ranch of James Combs, whose lands extended north to the area now in the Ochoco Irrigation district reservoir. Norval Powell, scion of another pioneer Crook County family, now occupies the shrunken remnant of the Combs ranch, and there is a county road debouching from our well-known Ochoco Highway a few miles east of Prineville and connecting with the Crooked River Highway below Post." James Parker Combs was born in Indiana and was married to Jane Dyer of that state. The Combs came to Oregon in 1852 and settled first near Lebanon, moving in 1870 to what was later Crook County, For biographical information about several members of the family, see Crook County News of Prineville, August 4, 1930, and Prineville Central Oregonian, March 20, 1947. The name of the flat is sometimes spelled Coombs, which is wrong.
COMER, Grant County, Comer post office was near the junction of Comer Gulch and Dixie Creek, about eight miles north of Prairie City. It was named for R. H. J. Comer, Grant County pioneer printer and mining man, who lived on Dixie Creek and in Prairie City for many years. According to a letter of Mrs. Louise King, printed in the Canyon City Eagle, March 7, 1947, Comer came from Canada. He was an old time printer and printed the seven scattering numbers of The City Jour. nal, which appeared in Canyon City in 1868 and 1869. It is probable that he wrote most of the contents of the little sheets. Comer's main interest was in mining, and on September 6, 1869, he published the last issue of the Journal, which included the following paragraph: "With this issue we (i. e. the typo) withdraw from public life to more remunerative occupation of again swinging the pick and shovel. To a majority a newspaper is a very easy thing to run, but we cannot see it, so the outside world will remain in ignorance of the advantages of this section of Oregon." Comer is said to have been blown to bits many years ago in Prairie City by mine caps. Comer post office was established May 27, 1896, with Henry A. Hyde first postmaster. The compiler does not know when the office was closed.
COMPANY HOLLOW, Wasco County, Company Hollow is a little vale in section 12, township 1 north, range 14 east, about three miles south of Fairbanks School. In February 1949, Judge Fred W. Wilson of The Dalles wrote the compiler as follows: "Company Hollow got that name because prior to 1863 when J. C. Ainsworth and the Oregon Steam Navigation Company completed the portage railroad from The Dalles to Celilo, passengers, mail and freight had to be hauled by teams and the company used this hollow and surrounding country for pasturing its horses." Company Hollow was well known for its fine stand of bunchgrass. Wasco County has a road in this locality officially called Company Hollow road. English post office was near this hollow.
COMSTOCK, Douglas County. This station on the Southern Pacific Company line in the north part of the county was named for James J. Comstock, an early day sawmill operator.
CONANT BASIN, Crook County. Conant Basin and Conant Creek are on the north slopes of Maury Mountains southeast of Prineville. They bear the name of Ed G. Conant, pioneer stockman of the locality. See the Oregonian, September 18, 1927, section V, page 1. Conant was born in Cuba, but not of Cuban blood. He settled in Crook County in Novemher, 1869, and raised horses until his death in the '90s.
