Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/206

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River. Diamond Lake was not named because of its shape. The lake is inaccessible and a sheep herder named Diamond agreed to stock it with fish, which was a difficult task, owing to the rugged character of the surrounding country. The lake was named for him.

DIAMOND PEAK, Klamath and Lane counties. This is a fine peak of the Cascade Range, and has an elevation of 8750 feet according to the U. S. Geological Survey. For the geography of the region surrounding the mountain see the USGS map of the Waldo Lake quadrangle. The writer has been told that there is a small living glacieron Diamond Peak, but he has no direct knowledge of it. Diamond Peak was named in 1852 for John Diamond, a pioneer settler near Coburg, Oregon, who was a member of a party of road viewers opening a road between Middle Fork Willamette River and Idaho for an immigration route. The report is contained in the Journal of the Oregon territorial council, 1852-53, Appendix, pages 13-15. Other viewers were: William M. Macy, W. T. Walker, William Tandy, Alexander King, Joseph Meadows and J. Clarke. For additional references see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume IV, page 8. For information about John Diamond, see editorial page of the Oregon Journal, June 4, 1931.

DIAMOND PRAIRIE, Wallowa County. This little prairie is west of the town of Wallowa. It is said to be named because of its shape.

DIAMOND ROCKPILE, Lane County. This point is in the southeast corner of the county south of Diamond Peak and has an elevation of 6437 feet. It received its name because of its peculiar formation and its nearness to Diamond Peak.

DICKEY PRAIRIE, Clackamas County. Dickey Prairie is about four miles east-southeast of Molalla. The prairie was an old Molalla Indian campground. The property was homesteaded by one of the Dickey family and it was given his name by general usage.

DIFFIN, Grant County. Jimmy Diffin is said to have been the last surviving resident of the old mining town of Robisonville in the Blue Mountains south of Granite, and Diffin post office was probably named for him. Former County Judge R. R. McHaley of Prairie City has an interesting paragraph about Jimmy Diffin in a letter published in the Canyon City Eagle for March 7, 1947. Diffin preserved his independence till the very end and refused to be sent to the county farm as a public charge. He was frequently called "49 Jimmy." Diffin post office was established March 19, 1890, with John H. Mitchell the first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued April 10, 1891.

DILLARD, Douglas County. John Dillard, for whom the town of Dillard was named, was born in Missouri in 1813 and came to Oregon by ox team in 1850. In 1852 he settled on a donation land claim about 11 miles south of Roseburg and when the railroad was built through that part of the state about 1882 a station was established and named for Dillard, He continued to live on his claim until his death in 1892. See Down's A History of the Silverton Country, page 132, note 19. Diller GLACIER, Deschutes County. This is a large important glacier on the east slope of Middle Sister. It was named for Dr. Joseph Silas Diller, for many years connected with the U. S. Geological Survey, and the authority on the geology of western Oregon. He was the author of a number of important bulletins of the Geological Survey, and several geologic folios. His most popular work was the Geological Survey's ory of our live on station wailroad