western tributaries of the Deschutes have their sources in giant springs, Metolius, Spring and Fall rivers, and of these three the Metolius is the largest and longest. It flows from the north base of Black Butte, full-bodied and icy cold, and after winding northward through beautiful pine forests, swings around the north end of Green Ridge through a canyon of great depth and majestic grandeur, joining the Deschutes just north of the mouth of Crooked River. The gorge of the Metolius is more than 1500 feet deep in places, with sides sufficiently precipitous to make a descent a real problem. As far as the writer knows, the first mention of Metolius is in the Pacific Railroad Surveys Reports, volume VI, where the name is given Mpto-ly-as. The army officers who compiled these reports visited the valley of the Deschutes in the latter part of 1855, and apparently heard the name from Indians at that time. Other early forms were Metoluis and Matoles, but modern use has standardized on Metolius. Around Bend there is a story to the effect that metolius is a Warm Springs Indian word meaning spawning salmon, but Warm Springs Indians have informed the writer that metolius means white fish, indicating by that expression that they meant a light colored salmon rather than a whitefish. The two translations may both be correct. There is a post office in Jefferson County named Metolius, for the river. Fremont forded what we now call the Metolius River on December 1, 1843, but gave it no name. His Indian guides told him it was a salmon-water.
Metzger, Washington County. Metzger townsite was laid out by Herman Metzger, a prominent pioneer merchant of Portland, who was born in Bavaria, and was in business in Portland for many years. The property was actively marketed in 1908-09. The post office was established in 1912, with C. C. Taylor first postmaster.
Miami River, Tillamook County. Miami River empties into Tillamook Bay at the lower end, that is, toward the ocean. In pioneer days the stream was referred to as Mi-me Chuck, a Chinook jargon expression meaning a tributary creek or river coming in downstream. George Gibbs in Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, 1863, gives mi-mie, meaning downstream, with accent on the first syllable. In 1927, T. B. Handley of the Portland bar wrote the compiler that Tillamook Indians and others used the expression Mime Chuck for the locality of the river down the bay, but the name has been corrupted into the style used in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere.
Middle Fork Willamette River, Douglas and Lane counties. This is the main tributary of Willamette River, and it has been known as Middle Fork since early pioneer days. It heads in Lake Timpanogas. The name is well established. It was named in contradistinction to Coast Fork and to McKenzie Fork, now McKenzie River. From time to time there have been efforts to change the name of Middle Fork Willamette River to that of the main stream, Willamette River. Popular sentiment has always been against the proposal.
Middle Santiam River, Linn County. This is the name given this stream by the USBGN, not Middle Fork. The largest tributary is Quartzville Creek, from the north. See under Santiam River.
Middleton, Washington County. Will G. Steel is authority for the statement that this place was once known as Stringtown. When the railroad was built the name was changed to Middleton because the station was about half way between Portland and Lafayette.
