Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/253

This page needs to be proofread.

A. Grettum of Baker in December, 1945, indicates that was not the source of the title. According to Mr. Grettum, Flickbar was about ten miles up Snake River from Robinette, just north of Quicksand Creek and between the old stations Titus and Park. A man named Flick owned a ranch there and did some placer mining on a bar in Snake River, When the post office was established, it was named in compliment to Flick and his gravel bar. Irving L. Rand of Portland informs the compiler that it is his understanding that the geographic feature called Flicks Bar was on the Idaho side of Snake River and not in Oregon.

FLORA, Wallowa County. Flora is a post office in the extreme north part of Wallowa County. It was named for the daughter of the first postmaster in that district, A. D. Buzzard. This information was given the compiler by N. J. Hansen, postmaster at Flora in 1925. He wrote that the name was applied in the fall of 1890.

FLORAS CREEK, Curry County. Floras Creek is a well-known stream in the north end of the county, flowing into the Pacific Ocean north of Cape Blanco. About 1910 William H. Packwood told the compiler that in the summer of 1852 he was a member of Lieutenant H. W. Stanton's command which was ordered to cut a trail from Fort Orford up Rogue River to the Rogue River Valley. They had with them a civilian named Fred Flora, who had been engaged in mining near the coast and Floras Creek was named for him. An editorial in the Curry County Reporter, printed in 1939, mentions this man, but spells his name Fred Florey. It says that Florey had opened up a trail along Floras Creek before 1855. It seems possible that miners from California, who were familiar with Spanish, changed the spelling from Floreys Creek to Floras Creek. The compiler has never seen any evidence that Floras Creek was named for the pilot of a Spanish expedition along the coast. Martin de Aguilar is said to have had a pilot named Flores, but there is nothing to show that his expedition ever saw Oregon.

FLORENCE, Lane County. Florence is on the north bank of Siuslaw River near the mouth. The town is said to have been named for A. B. Florence, who was a member of the state senate at the sessions of 1858, 1859 and 1860, representing Lane County. According to another story (Oregonian, October 7, 1903, by Lionel Johnson), the town was named for a French vessel, wrecked about 1873, at the mouth of Siuslaw River. There are several versions of the ship story, dealing with various ships of different nationalities. A board bearing the painted name of one of these ships is said to have been on display at Florence for many years.

FLOUNCE Rock, Jackson County. Flounce Rock is a peculiar geological formation north of Rogue River between Trail and Prospect. It bears a fancied resemblance to the flounces on a woman's dress. It was so named at a time when flounces were worn, by Hiram Abbott, a pioneer resident of the neighborhood.

FLOURNOY VALLEY, Douglas County. Flournoy Valley, a couple of miles west of Lookingglass, was named for H. B. Flournoy, who settled there in 1850. Fort Flournoy blockhouse was built in the valley in 1855. See Walling's History of Southern Oregon, page 419.

FOLEY, Tillamook County. A post office with the name Folley was established near Foley Creek on June 7, 1888, with Frank Worthington first postmaster. This office was out of service for a short time in the latter part of 1893. The name of the office was changed to Foley on