and John Baker who had a hunting camp there in the '90s. They were the sons of James T. Baker of Arkansas Hollow
Bakersfield, Washington County. Bakersfield post office was about five miles northwest of Thatcher. It was named in compliment to the family of the only postmaster, Sylvia S. Baker. The office was established December 2, 1899, and was ordered closed to Thatcher, December 16, 1901.
Balch Creek, Multnomah County. Danford Balch settled near what is now Willamette Heights in Portland in 1850. Balch was hanged October 17, 1859, for killing his son-in-law, Mortimer Stump, on the Stark Street ferry. For history of the tragedy of the Balch family, see Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume III, page 352, and also story in Oregonian August 14, 1938, magazine section. Balch creek was named for this family. At one time the creek furnished the city water supply.
Bald Mountain, Curry County. Bald Mountain, elevation 2967 feet, is a prominent point about ten miles airline southeast of Port Orford, and has been so called since the days of the mining excitement in the '50s. Glisan in Journal of Army Life uses the name on March 15, 1856, and it is apparent that the name was in vogue before that date. On modern maps, Bald Mountain is the northwest end of a prominent ridge and Rocky Peak, elevation 3023 feet, is at the southeast end and about a mile away. It is possible that in early days the name Bald Mountain was applied to the ridge rather than to either of the two points. Davidson, in Coast Pilot, 1889, describes these features, though the wording is not entirely clear. He seems to call the northwest peak Pilot Knob and the southeast point Bald Peak, with an elevation of 3056 feet. He describes the ridge as a double peak above all the immediate mountains, and says the Indian name was Chus-suggel. In early days the expression Pilot Knob was used by mariners to describe all of the ridge referred to at the beginning of this paragraph. Preston's Map of Oregon, 1856, has the name Pilot Knob applied to the entire ridge, but that does not agree with Glisan.
Bald Mountain, Polk County. This is one of the higher peaks of the Coast Range, and is in the south part of the county. It bears a descriptive name, and has an elevation of 3246 feet, according to U. S. Army maps. It was formerly listed as Monmouth Peak. It is not now known by that name. There is probably a Bald Mountain in every county in the state, and more than one in some. The ease with which this descriptive name was applied does not speak well for the geographic imagination or ingenuity of early settlers.
Bald Peter, Jefferson County. Bald Peter, elevation 6540 feet, is a conspicuous landmark on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation about six miles east of Mount Jefferson. This mountain bears a descriptive name sometimes applied by surveyors to points, rocky at the top and bare of timber. While this name may be derived directly from the Latin word petrus, meaning rock, it is more probably an allusion to Saint Peter, the rock on which the church was founded. There is another point called Bald Peter Butte, elevation 3725 feet, on the north boundary of the reservation in Wasco County, doubtless named for the same reason.
Baldock Slough, Baker County, Baldock Slough is one of the
