Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/459

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OREGON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
393

ber 24, 1843, he reached and named Christmas Lake. This lake is much further southeast than the lake now known by that name, and there is but little doubt that it was what is now known as Hart Lake that Fremont christened. It is an important member of the Warner Lakes group, and near the central part of the valley. There is at present no information as to how the other Christmas Lake got its name, but it is some distance from Fremont's route, and there is no evidence that he ever knew of its existence.

The surveyor general of Oregon issued a map of the state in 1863 which shows Christmas Lake in the Warner Valley in the place where Fremont discovered and named it. It has been called Hart Lake for many years.

Clackamas County. This county, together with Clackamas River and other features in Oregon, received its name from the Clackamas Indians, a Chinookian tribe, living along the river. The remnants of the tribe were moved to the Grand Ronde reservation. They were formerly a large tribe. Besides the forms of the name given on page 162 of volume II, there are Klackamus, in George Wilkes' History of Oregon and on Charles Wilkes' map of 1841; Clackamus; Nekamus, in Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, volume I, page 320; Klackamas, in Townsend's Narrative; Akimmash, Clackamis, Clackamos, Clackemus, Clackemurs, Clackamers, Klackamat, Thlakeimas, Tlakimish, and many others.

Clackamas County was one of the original four districts of early Oregon, the other three being Twality, Yamhill and Champooick. It was created July 5, 1843, and at the present time has a land area of 1868 square miles. An excellent map of Clackamas County is published by the Bureau of Soils of the Department of Agriculture. For full information concerning the name and establishment of this county see Oregon Historical So-