Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/239

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the railroad changed the station name to Armet because Eula was too much like Eola, Polk County. Armet was selected arbitrarily by the company. It is the name of a form of head armor used in the middle ages. Properly the word is accentuated on the first syllable, but not so at Armet.

EUREKA, Wallowa County. Eureka post office was established in August, 1903, and operated until July, 1906. Thos. E. Alyea was the first postmaster. The office was near the southwest bank of Snake River in township 4 north, range 48 east, and was established to serve the Eureka mines which were being developed in the vicinity. There was mining activity at various points between the Imnaha River and the stream called Eureka Creek which flows into Snake River about three quarters of a mile farther down stream. The office and presumably the creek were named for the Eureka mines. The writer does not know the exact location of the office, possibly it was on the river between the two tributaries. Eureka is a Greek expression meaning "I have found it," and the word is frequently applied to mines and other enterprises where there are high hopes of success. There is a bar in Snake River just below the mouth of the Imnaha, and this is known as Eureka Bar. In 1945 it was reported that mining activity in the locality appeared to have ceased many years before. Eustis, Wallowa County. This post office was named for Harry R. Eustis, a nearby homesteader. It was situated in section 15, township 3 north, range 41 east. The office was established February 29, 1904, with Charles H. Campbell first postmaster and it was in operation until May, 1907, at a point about ten miles north of Minam.

EVANS, Wallowa County. R. L. Forsythe of Enterprise wrote the compiler in 1927 as follows: "When the branch line railroad was built from Elgin to Joseph in about the year 1909, the railroad people agreed to run the railroad through Lostine if that city would pay a bonus of $1500, the cost of the additional construction by reason of a cut that would have to be made through a small hill east of Lostine. One man, Mr. James Haun, prominent citizen of Lostine, was strongly in favor of paying the sum but a majority was against him and the proposition was lost. As a result the railroad missed Lostine by about one mile and a depot was established a mile away and named Lostine by the railroad company. Mr. Haun had said that he would leave the town if it failed to land the railroad. This he did by moving two good residence buildings out of Lostine and onto land that he owned near the depot. He, together with John McDonald and S. W. Miles, laid out a new townsite at this point, and the name of Evans was selected (in honor of Mrs. Sam Wade). The settlement soon grew to include ten or twelve houses, a couple of store buildings, three wheat warehouses, a church and school house, as well as a few other smaller buildings. Later a post office was established at the new townsite with the name of Evans. The last few years has shown a decline in the place, one store building having recently been torn down and hauled away and a number of the residences and buildings stand vacant. Locally the place has always been known as Jim Town, Jim being Mr. Haun's first name. There is, of course, a post office at the original town of Lostine and also one at Evans. The railroad has never recognized the name of Evans and it is still called Lostine on its map even though the station is actually at Evans." Evans CREEK, Jackson County. Evans Creek was named for a pio