tractive mineral springs in the vicinity and Wilhoit took up the property on that account and operated a health and pleasure resort. The post office was established in 1882.
WILKESBORO, Washington County. The community of Wilkesboro was named about the time the United Railways was built through that part of Washington County. The post office was established in 1916, but the town was platted about four years before that. Wilkesboro was named for Peyton G. Wilkes, a pioneer of 1845, who settled at the present site of the community in pioneer days. Wilkins, Lane County. Wilkins is a station north of Coburg. It was named for Mitchell Wilkins, who settled near there in 1848. See OHQ, volume V, page 136.
WILLAMETTE, Clackamas County. This town is on the west bank of Willamette River at the mouth of the Tualatin. It takes its name from Willamette River, which see. The locality of Oregon City was first known as Willamette Falls, and in pioneer days a community was projected on the west bank of Willamette River not far from the mouth of Clackamas River, to be called Willamette. These two places should not be confused with the town now known as Willamette, which is farther south. See under WILLAMETTE River for information about the name. A post office named Willammette Forks was established on the Linn County list on January 10, 1851, with William Spore postmaster. It was changed to the Lane County list on March 4, 1852, with the style Willamette Forks, with Mitchell Wilkins postmaster. Preston's map of 1856 shows the place close to the foothills about three miles north of Coburg. The office was operated until about 1884. Willamette post office was established in Yamhill County March 14, 1851, with John M. Forest postmaster. It was discontinued July 27, 1852. A pencil correction in the postal records changes the spelling to Willammette. John M. Forrest, who spelled his name thus, had a claim at the north bend of Lambert Slough about four miles southeast of Dayton and the office was probably in that locality. A post office named Wallamette was established August 19, 1853, with Robert V. Short postmaster. It was on the Yamhill County list and was closed late in 1857. The Short claim was about a mile west of the present site of Wilsonville, in what is now Clackamas County.
WILLAMETTE River, Benton, Clackamas, Lane, Marion, Multnomah, Polk and Yamhill counties. This is the largest river entirely in the state of Oregon. Controversy over the spelling of the name continued many years. Wal-lamt was an Indian word, according to H. S. Lyman in OHQ, volume I, page 320, designating a place on the Willamette River near Oregon City, on the west bank. Three ways of spelling the name have had their respective champions: Willamette, Wallamette and Wallamet. Wilarmet is the form used in David Thompson's Narrative, Toronto, 1916, page 493, under date of July 9, 1811. Ross Cox, in his Adventures on the Columbia River, gives Wallamat (volume II, page 135), and Wallamut (volume II, page 164). Alexander Ross, in Fur Hunters of the Far West and First Settlers on the Oregon, gives Wallamitte; Franchere gives Wallamat and Willamett; Townsend's Narrative gives Wallammet; David Douglas, 1826, gives Willamette; Arrowsmith's map of North America, corrected to 1832-33, gives Wallamatte. A map of the Territory of Oregon, prepared by direction of Colonel J. J. Abert, U. S. Topographical Engineers, 1838, and attached to several government docu
