CAME 337 Kells of 577 southan old Was which Fone Emp e H. mas 2 at Keno in January, 1926, informed the writer that her father surveyed and platted the townsite, and called it Doten. This name was objected to for a post office because of the similarity to Dayton. According to her version, the name Keno was then adopted for the office on account of Captain Ferree's bird-dog. Keno, the dog, was named after the popular card game of earlier days.
KENT, Sherman County. J. E. Norton, postmaster at Kent in 1926, wrote the compiler that a petition was circulated in January, 1887, for a post office where the community of Kent is now situated. In order to select a name a number of persons wrote their preferences on slips of paper, which were subsequently stirred in a hat. The name, Kent, was drawn and was the one suggested by R. C. Bennett, M. H. Bennett was the first postmaster. The only reason R. C. Bennett gave for the selection of the word Kent was that it was "nice and short."
KENT STATION, Douglas County. Kent Station was a military establishment of sorts during the Indian disturbances of 1855-56. It was at the L. D. Kent place on Tenmile Prairie, and was for the protection of the settlers beween Roseburg and Coos Bay. Captain W. W. Chapman stationed thirty men there. See Victor's Early Indian Wars of Oregon, pages 368-69.
KENTON, Multnomah County. This post office is now a branch of the Portland main post office. Kenton community was established by Geo. F. Heusner. Heusner platted this addition to the city of Portland for an industrial section in 1905. He originally intended to name the addition Kenwood, but found he could not do this because there had been an addition to the city dedicated with that name. He then selected the name Kenton. He told the writer that the name had no particular significance.
KENTUCK SLOUGH, Coos County, Kentuck Slough is fed by Kentuck Creek, and flows into Coos Bay from the east. It was named for George W. Thomas, a native of Kentucky, who settled on the slough in pioneer days. He was generally called Kentuck. About 1860 he had a contract to furnish elk meat to Charles Merchant for the North Bend mill. See Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, page 358.
KERBY, Josephine County. Kerby is a very old community in Oregon, and was established in the days of gold mining in the southwest part of the state. It was named for James Kerby or Kerbey, who was not consistent in the way he spelled his last name. The name of the community has had even more variations. Josephine County was established by an act passed January 22, 1856, and it was provided that the county seat was to be selected at the next county election. Among the poling places was listed Kirbey's Ranch. Kerby and Samuel Hicks were in the general mercantile and supply business, and according to James T. Chinnock of Grants Pass, in a letter in the Grants Pass Courier, December 21, 1928, probably founded a town for the county seat race. The election was held in June, 1857, and Kerbyville was selected. In 1857-58 Dr. D. S. Holton got a large interest in the town of Kerbyville. He was probably responsible for an act of the legislature December 18, 1856, changing the name from Kirbeyville to Napoleon. This was either because of the association of the name of the county and the Empress Josephine, or because Holton was an admirer of Napoleon III. The new name was not popular, and an effort was made to get a bill through the next legislature to adopt the to ent 121
