ever, he came back to Oregon later. The Elk Flat post office was continued at various locations, and during the time James S. Brayton had it (1881-1886), it was at the Brayton place on Owenby Hill in section 10 of the township mentioned above, about five or six miles northeast of Elgin.
Elk Horn, Polk County. Elk Horn was one of the pioneer post offices of the county and as with many others it was not always in the same place. Without a doubt it was named for some incident connected with an elk's horn. Probably a pair was nailed over the door of the Buell home. Elk Horn post office was established November 16, 1869, with Cyrus Buell postmaster. Buell was a prominent settler on Mill Creek and was interested in the grist mill that gave the stream its name. For about five years the post office was at the Buell place about two miles south or upstream from the highway bridge and present location of the community called Buell. On May 18, 1874, Thomas R. Blair was appointed postmaster of Elk Horn and during his incumbency the office was about two miles north or down Mill Creek from what is now Buell. The office was closed October 4, 1882, but the locality, which is a little over four miles southwest of Sheridan by road, is still called Elk Horn.
Elk Lake, Deschutes County. Elk Lake is a fine body of water southwest of Bend, and Elk Lake post office is nearby. The lake was named in 1906 by Forest Ranger Roy Harvey of Eugene. The post office was established because the lake was and is extensively used for recreation purposes.
Elk Mountain, Deschutes and Lane counties. This prominent peak of the Cascade Range is south of South Sister and west of Elk Lake. The mountain and Elk Lake were named about 1906 by Roy Harvey. A band of elk came across the summit of the range every year from the west and spent most of the summer on the side of a butte, which Harvey called Elk Mountain. This is said to be the only place where elk range on the east slopes of the Cascade Range. Elk Point, Washington County. This is a prominent hill about 960 feet high, just west of the community of Sylvan. The Pointer family settled near this hill in pioneer days, and called it Elk Point because the animals browsed on the sides of the point in question. In later years this feature has been called Pointers Point, but this was not its original name and on June 3, 1925, the USGBN officially adopted the name Elk Point.
Elk River, Curry County. This is a well-known stream that flows into the Pacific Ocean between Cape Blanco and Port Orford. It has been known as Elk River since territorial days and was probably named during the gold rush to the beach placers in southwest Oregon. There were many elk in those parts. The style Elk River is used in an article by William V. Wells in Harper's Magazine, October, 1856, page 591, describing experiences in southwest Oregon in October, 1855.
Elkhead, Douglas County. The community and post office were named because they were near the head or source of Elk Creek in the western slopes of the Calapooya Mountains. A post office with the name Elk Head was established here on May 28, 1877, with R. J. Hendricks postmaster. Some years later the name was changed to Elkhead, and the office was discontinued March 31, 1926. The best available maps show the name in one word. Elkhead was sometimes called Shoestring.
