Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/506

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OREGON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

turned over to Coburg. It was doubtless moved from time to time but was always in the same general neighborhood.

PINE CREEK, Baker County. Pine Creek heads on the northeast slopes of Elkhorn Ridge of the Blue Mountains and flows generally eastward and northeastward to join Powder River near Haines. This stream was named in the gold excitement of the '60s because of the prominent yellowpine trees near its banks. In 1862 John McLain laid out a town called Pine City on or near this stream with the intention of providing facilities for traveling miners. Before it was well established, Pine City was moved to and consolidated with Pocahontas. See under that heading. See also Hiatt's Thirty-one Years in Baker County, pages 34 and 35.

PINE CREEK, Umatilla County. This stream rises in the western slopes of the Blue Mountains and flows northward through Weston and thence into Walla Walla County, Washington. N. W. Durham says it is probably the Te-hoto-nim-me of Steptoe. (Spokane and the Inland Empire, page 222.)

PiNE GROVE, Umatilla County. It is not surprising that many geographic names in Oregon include references to the pine tree, generally by implication to the western yellowpine, Pinus ponderosa, or to use its trade name, Pondosa pine. Pine Grove in Umatilla County was a post office ten or a dozen miles south of Pilot Rock on one of the branches of Birch Creek. Pine Grove post ofhce was established January 20, 1911, with Maud Warner first postmaster. The office was discontinued August 9, 1934.

PINE Ridge, Klamath County. A descriptive name. The place was first known as Aspgrove, presumably for a grove of quaking aspen trees nearby.

PINEHURST, Jackson County. Pinehurst is a place on the Green Springs Highway in the east part of the county between Ashland and Klamath Falls. The name is a combination of the word pine with the old English word hurst, referring to a wooded eminence or just woods. The name is appropriate to the locality. Old maps show an early post office in this vicinity with the name Pioneer. This office was established March 26, 1878, with James Purvis postmaster. John Van Horn became postmaster December 29, 1880, and the office was closed December 19, 1882. The compiler does not know its exact location. The next post office to serve this area was called Shake. It was established in August, 1886, with George W. Bailey first postmaster. This office operated until November, 1911, when the name was changed to Pinehurst. Pinehurst ofhce is said to be about a mile southwest of the old locality Shake. The name Shake was applied to this locality in early days because it was a place where shakes were riven from sugarpine bolts. These shakes were used extensively in the Rogue River Valley for various types of buildings.

PINEY, Lane County. Piney post office was established July 6, 1852. with Benjamin Richardson postmaster. The office was discontinued November 18, 1852. The place was a little northeast of Elmira and was apparently named by someone interested in trees.

PINTO MOUNTAIN, Lane County. Pinto Mountain, elevation 6355 feet, is in the Cascade Range near the headwaters of South Fork Salt Creek. Dee Wright of Eugene told the compiler that the mountain