Mitchell. The writer has been unable to get data about this office, why it was named, or where it was situated. A map of 1889 shows the place about 35 miles east of Prineville, but there are no details.
CRESCENT, Deschutes County. B. J. Pengra settled in the upper Deschutes Valley probably in the '80s and undertook the development of some of his holdings. He was instrumental in having a post office established on April 10, 1893, with the name Crescent. This office was closed on April 6, 1895. Details about Crescent have been hard to gather. Pengra had a place on Little Deschutes River near the mouth of Paulina Creek and this may have been the location of Crescent post ofhce. There is nothing to indicate that the office was at or even near the present community of Crescent. Pengra had named Crescent Lake in the Cascade Range in 1865 and the name may have stuck in his mind. There had already been a Crescent post office in eastern Crook County, but it had no connection with Pengra's office. See also under the headings LAVA,
PENGRA and ROSLAND.
CRESCENT, Klamath County. This town, with an elevation of 4452 feet, is an important trading point on The Dalles-California Highway about 50 miles south of Bend. It was at this place that the proposed junction of the Harriman north and south and east and west railroads was to have been situated, with the name of Odell, for Odell Lake. There was another Odell in the state, in the Hood River Valley, so the promoters of the townsite changed the name to Crescent for Crescent Lake, one of the large lakes of the Cascade Range located 15 miles to the west.
CRESCENT LAKE, Klamath County. This is one of the impressive mountain lakes of Oregon, on the east slope of the Cascade Range just southeast of Diamond Peak. It is fed principally by Summit Creek, and its outlet is Crescent Creek, which flows into Little Deschutes River. Its south shore is skirted by the old Oregon Central Military Road, and the Southern Pacific Cascade line passes a little to the east of the lake. It is named because of its shape. The normal elevation is about 4837 feet, but there is some variation due to water storage. USGS Professional Paper 9 describes this lake in detail. The geography of the lake and its immediate surroundings are shown on the USGS maps of the Chemult, Diamond Lake and Maiden Peak quadrangles. Crescent Lake was named in July, 1865, by B. J. Pengra and W. H. Odell, while making a reconnaissance for the Oregon Central Military Road. Pengra's report, dated November 29, 1865, is in part on file at the Oregon Historical Society.
CRESCENT LAKE, Klamath County. When the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company was constructed, a station called Simax was established near the north end of Crescent Lake. See under
SIMAX Bay. The railroad company later changed the name of the station Simax to Crescent Lake for the lake a half a mile to the south.
CRESCENT MOUNTAIN, Linn County. Crescent Mountain is about 20 miles east of Cascadia and four miles north of the South Santiam Highway. The name is descriptive and has been in use for a very long time. The mountain, as seen from the air, is a well-defined ridge, shaped like a horseshoe, open to the east. Crescent Creek, which flows eastward, drains the horseshoe. The highest point is on the southwest turn, elevation 5761 feet.
CRESTON, Malheur County. Creston is a descriptive name and was given because the post office was on a divide or crest east of South Fork Malheur River. The name was proposed by T. R. Beers in 1910.
