dated June 20, 1899. George W. Billings was to be the first postmaster. However, for some reason, the office never went into service and the order was rescinded September 15, 1902. In April, 1948, Mr. Billings wrote that the name Ekoms was made by spelling Smoke backward. The office was to be in the Rogue River area, and the method of getting a name may have been suggested by the method used to make the name Ragic for a post office further down stream. Ragic, or Cigar spelled backward, was the name of a post office on Rogue River near the mouth of Lobster Creek.
ELAM, Benton County. Elam is the post office name for a small community known as Harris, near Philomath. Postal authorities would not accept the name Harris for the post office because of similarity to Harrisburg in Linn County. Accordingly the office was named for Mrs. Gladys Elam, the first postmaster. See under HARRIS.
ELBOW LAKE, Douglas County. This little lake is about a mile east of the Pacific Ocean, just west of Tahkenitch Lake. It is known as Elbow Lake on account of its shape. See USGS map of Siltcoos Lake quadrangle.
ELDER CREEK, Josephine County. Elder Creek is about two miles east of Waldo. It was named for John Elder, a pioneer rancher.
ELDRIEDGE BAR, Marion County. Eldriedge Bar is on the Willamette River about three miles downstream from Wheatland. It got its name from Freeman E. Eldriedge, a pioneer settler on French Prairie. Eldriedge School, north of Waconda, was named for the same man. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1826 and came to Oregon by way of California in 1846-47. For a time during the 1850s Eldriedge rented his farm near the Willamette River and operated a grist mill at Parkersville about ten miles eastward. He was instrumental in having the Parkersville post office established and was the first postmaster.
ELDORADO, Malheur County. Eldorado, as a geographic name, is taken from the Spanish expression el dorado, meaning the gilded, and by analogy a golden or otherwise valuable object. It also means a legendary land abounding in gold. Its principal use in the West is in the Sierra Nevada of California, where it is applied to the county in which gold was discovered in 1848. The name has been used in many localities and may be found spelled El Dorado and also ElDorado. Modern usage tends toward Eldorado. The place called Eldorado in Shasta Gulch in what is now the extreme north part of Malheur County was a few miles northwest of the community of Malheur. It was named in the days of the eastern Oregon gold rush of the '60s, doubtless by some of the many Californians who took part in the excitement. Miners began to work the placers of Eldorado as early as 1865, and about 1868 a town was started. A writer in the Oregonian of about that time says that the embryo town rejoiced in the name El Dorado City and was indifferently supplied with everything but whisky. The place thrived for a few years, but when Eldorado ditch began to bring in the waters from upper Burnt River many miles away, it missed the town of Eldorado, which was abandoned in consequence. Early in the '70s many of the movable structures were taken to a new locality called Malheur City. El Dorado post office was established September 1, 1869, with Samuel B. Reeves first postmaster. The office was finally closed in November, 1879. Building Eldorado ditch was one of Oregon's remarkable construction enterprises. William ice estabird. He woperated driedge .
