Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/383

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was established in March, 1895, with Peter Jossy postmaster. This office was about a mile south of what is now Helvetia and about a half a mile north of Germantown road. It was a little south of the center of section 10, township 1 north, range 2 west. The office operated until August 4, 1903.

LENT CANYON, Wallowa County. Lent Canyon empties into Cottonwood Creek in the northeast part of the county in township 5 north, range 46 east. It bears the name of one Joe Lent, who squatted on a claim in the canyon and built a cabin near the canyon mouth.

LENTS, Multnomah County. Oliver P. Lent settled where the town of Lents stands in 1866, on a tract of 190 acres. He was born near Marietta, Ohio, August 31, 1830; died at Mount Tabor, Portland, April 22, 1899. His wife, Martha A. Buckley, was born at Parkersburg, Virginia, March 19, 1833; died April 5, 1905. Soon after arriving in Oregon, about 1852, Lent settled on the site of Sycamore, east of Lents. During many years he engaged in the sawmill business. He was a prominent and resourceful man, and served as school director, road supervisor and justice of the peace.

LENZ, Klamath County. Lenz, a station on the Cascade line of the Southern Pacific Company, was named for a nearby settler.

LEONA, Douglas County. The town of Leona was named for a young girl, Leona Perkins. This was about 1900. In earlier years the place was called Hudson, and a post office with that name was in operation from June, 1889, until October, 1890. Leonard M. Perkins was the first postmaster. When it was planned to revive this office, it was found that the old name, Hudson, could not be used because of duplication. Leona post office was established February 14, 1901, with Thomas E. Bledsoe first postmaster. Miss Leona Perkins was the granddaughter of Newt Mulvaney, a prominent local resident.

LESLIE CANYON, Malheur County. The Rev. Melville T. Wire, in the Oregonian, December 5, 1926, section 5, page 5, gives the story of the name of this feature. The canyon originally drained into Owyhee River from the east not far from the old post office called Watson. The canyon now drains into Owyhee Reservoir. It bears the name of a cattleman, one Leslie, who was killed there by lightning about 1880. For illustrated story about Mazama expedition to Leslie Canyon, see magazine section, Sunday Oregonian, August 17, 1947. Lewis, Wallowa County. Postal authorities inform the compiler that this post office was established September 11, 1913, with Alta E. Lewis first postmaster. She was the wife of Frank Lewis, and the post office was apparently named for the family. J. H. Horner of Enterprise told the compiler that the name of the office was suggested by a neighbor, Herbert L. Dunbar.

LEWIS AND CLARK River, Clatsop County. Lewis and Clark mentioned this stream as Netul River. This was on December 7, 1805. Their winter quarters for 1805-06 were on this river, and were called by them Fort Clatsop. Since that time the Indian name has been abandoned, and the form Lewis and Clark River is universally accepted. It was named in honor of the explorers. The earliest use of the modern name that has come to the compiler's attention is in Lee and Frost, Ten Years in Oregon, 1844, page 15. Silas B. Smith, the authority on Clatsop County history, says that the name Netul referred to a point on the bank of the Dunbar.