Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/63

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BEAVER Hill, Coos County. For well over half a century Beaver Hill has been a well-known name in western Oregon because of its application to the Beaver Hill coal mine about 12 miles airline south of the city of Coos Bay. The mining community Beaver Hill had a railroad, but never had a post office with its own name. The place is shown with fidelity on the Geological Survey atlas sheet of the Coos Bay area mapped in 1895-96, but there is nothing on the map to indicate that the name was used for a hill or other topographic feature. The name was obviously applied because the mine is or was on one of the upper tributaries of Beaver Slough which drains south into Coquille River. There is a good deal of interesting information about the mine in the Nineteenth Annual Report of the USGS, from the pen of Dr. J. S. Diller. In 1942-43 the Coos Bay area was remapped by the Geological Survey and the locality of Beaver Hill mine is shown on the northeast part of the Bandon atlas sheet, but the topographic engineers report that little is left of the place, and the only thing to identify it is a bench mark in the east part of section 17, township 27 south, range 13 west. It is about two miles airline west of Coaledo. If the mine is ever reopened doubtless it will be in the news. Mrs. Mary M. Randleman of Coquille, authority on the history of that part of Oregon, calls attention to the fact that Preuss post office was established at the mining community of Beaver Hill, April 17, 1917, with Cora E. Holmes first of two postmasters. The office was discontinued February 15, 1924. Preuss post office was named for Rosa Preuss, a school teacher of the neighborhood. It is probable that the post office department would not accept the name Beaver Hill because of possible confusion with other post offices such as Beaverton, Beavercreek, et al.

BEAVER LANDING, Columbia County. Beaver Landing was the name of a short-lived post office established March 21, 1879, and discontinued on May 1 of the same year. Jacob S. Rinearson was the only postmaster and it may be assumed that the post office was somewhere near the Rinearson place northwest of Rainier. There has been a railway station in this locality called Rinearson and of course Rinéarson Slough is well known. Beaver Landing was doubtless named because it provided an easy way of getting from the Columbia River up to the headwaters of Beaver Creek in the hills above the river.

BEAVER Marsh, Klamath County. Beaver Marsh is a place on The Dalles-California Highway about six miles south of Chemult, prominent since the days of stagecoaches and freight wagons in central Oregon. The topographic feature bears a descriptive name. The community has never had a robust growth, as may be seen from its postal history. Beaver Marsh post office was established June 30, 1927, and was discontinued August 22, 1928. William Zumbrunn was the only postmaster. Miller Creek flows through the place.

BEAVERTON, Washington County. Beaverton received its name because of the existence nearby of a large body of beaverdam land. Soil of this character was sought for by pioneer settlers because of its productivity. The town was laid out in 1869 by George Betts, Joshua Welch, Charles Angel, W. P. Watson and others. Beaverton post office was established in March, 1872, with George W. Betts, first postmaster.

BECKLEY, Harney County. Beckley is in Catlow Valley, and in 1911 Charles D. Beckley started a general store where the post office was established in April, 1912. The community was named for Beckley.