WIYEAST BASIN, Hood River County. Wiyeast Basin is north of Mount Hood. Wiyeast is said to be a legendary name for Mount Hood, but the word does not appear in available books on Chinookan dialects. H. H. Riddle of Portland, an authority on the names of the Columbia River Gorge, told the compiler that he was unable to get facts about the origin of the name, but that it was used in Indian myths. Wiyeast Basin was named by an exploring party from Hood River in 1922, and that is the spelling used by USBGN. This information is from a letter from C. Edward Graves, Arcata, California, written in 1943. Graves was the organizer of the party and was in 1922 living in Hood River,
WIZARD ISLAND, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. This island in Crater Lake has a weird appearance, and was named on that account by Will G. Steel on August 17, 1885. The top of the island is 763 feet above the surface of the lake. Wocus Bay, Klamath County. Wocus Bay, near the southeast part of Klamath Marsh, is named with the English form of the Klamath Indian word used to describe the seed of the yellow pond lily, Nuphar advena. This seed was roasted and ground for food. The Indians pronounced the word as though spelled wokash.
WOLFCREEK, Josephine County. Wolfcreek is the post office for Wolf Creek community and railroad station. The place is generally referred to as two words. There were plenty of wolves in Oregon in early days, . and a number of streams are known as Wolf Creek. Wolf Creek community was the locality of the famous Six Bit House, frequently mentioned in pioneer history. In 1936 James T. Chinnock of Grants Pass wrote the compiler about this establishment, transmitting information from James Tuffs and George Riddle of Grants Pass, both familiar with the history of southern Oregon. The original Six Bit House was built during the Indian wars, probably about 1853, within the sharp hairpin curve of the Southern Pacific Company railroad about a mile east of town. It was at the mouth of a gulch on the old road location north of the present Pacific Highway. There are several stories about the origin of the name. The most probable explanation is that 75 cents was charged for a night's lodging, compared with a dollar charged elsewhere along the road. Another story is that the proprietor interrupted some white men who were hanging an Indian nearby and declined to let them proceed with the business until the melancholy brave paid the inn-keeper six bits, then past due. This story seems fanciful to the compiler because of the improbability that a local Indian ever had six bits in currency. The building has long since disappeared, but Mr. Tuffs recalled seeing the remains during his youth. The second Six Bit House, built of logs, was in the north part of the town, close to the railroad. Mr. Tuffs lived in it several years. The present Wolf Creek Tavern was built later and had no connection with either of the Six Bit houses.
WONDER, Josephine County. About 1902 a man by the name of John T. Robertson started a store at the present site of Wonder. He began to call this store Wonder store because neighbors wondered where he would get his trade as the territory was sparsely settled. Later postal authorities used the name of the store for the name of the post office, which was established in December, 1903. Wood LAKE, Wallowa County. According to J. H. Horner of Enterprise, this lake in township 3 south, range 43 east, was named for John
