Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/37

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History of the Counties of Oregon
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County; on the east by the Willamette River, its common boundary with Linn County; on the south by Lane County; and on the west by Lincoln County. Its county seat is Corvallis, originally named Marysville.

Linn County.

Linn County was created December 28, 1847, by the Provisional Legislature. (General and Special Laws of 1843-9, page 55). It comprised all that portion of the original Champooick District south of a line commencing in the middle of the channel of the Willamette River, opposite the mouth of the Santiam River, thence up the latter river to its north fork, thence up said north fork to the Cascade Mountains, thence due east to the summit of the Rocky Mountains. Its original southern boundary was a part of what are now the California and Nevada north lines.

By an Act of the Territorial Legislature, passed January 4, 185 1, a new southern line of Linn County was established. The description of this line in Section 1 of said Act is as follows:

"The south line of Linn County shall commence as follows: Commencing at west point, lying south of William, Vaughn's claim, and running a westerly course to a point of the Wallamet River, at a distance of eight miles below Jacob Spoors', [Spore's], then at the place of beginning, due east to the Rocky Mountains." (Local Laws of 1850-1, page 33).

It is named for Senator Lewis F. Linn, of Missouri, a great friend of Oregon, and the originator of the Oregon donation land law.

Linn County is now bounded: on the north by the Santiam River and Marion County; on the east by Crook County; on the south by Lane County; and on the west by the Willamette River, its common boundary with Benton County. Its county seat is Albany.