A Place-NameHistoryandGazetteer of the Rogue River National Forest FROM ABBOTT BU1TE TO ZIMMERMAN BURN: A PLACE-NAME HISTORY AND GAZITEER OF THE ROGUE RIVER NA11ONAL FOREST C.R. Job AR-I 48 (RRNF-HRC item B-66) Compiled by: Jeff LaLande Forest Archaeologist April 1995 This 1995 edition of From Abbott Butte to Zimmerman Bum updates the 1991 version of the gazetteer, which was a major revision of past versions. In the time since the first edition of this place-name history/gazetteer was compiled in 1980, research has resutted in additions and changes. Local residents and other persons interested in southwestern Oregon history have generously passed along to me both corrections and suggestions for added place-name history items. I hope that readers will continue to do this, and that From Abbott Butte.., can be kept 'up-to-date." I can be contacted at Rogue River National Forest, P.O. Box 520, Medford, OR 97501. J.L 1995 ROGUE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST RIVERS AND STREAMS FROM ABBOTT BUTTE TO ZIMMERMAN BURN: A GAZETrEER OF THE ROGUE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST What's in a name? What is the history behind a geographicname like "Bear Pan Spring' or "Slickear Gulch'1 In some place-names theremay be a bit of humor or legend; in other names, there may be a dose of personal ego - or more often, simply puzzlement for the present-day resident. Whatever their origin, place-names can tell us much about the history of a region. This gazetteer, or "place-name history" glossary (updated froman initial version in the Forest's 1980 Cultural Resource Overview), lists most of the named natural and cultural landmarks within the Rogue River National Forest, and it attempts to give brief discussions of "why and when" each onewas named. Some of the names are no longer in use; a few have been used for less than five years. The historical information for many place-names is basedon at least one written or personal source; these are cited in brackets at the end of the entry. The information for many others is not based on specific references, but is considered to be commonly accepted within the "public domain" of local and regional history. In some cases, the historical background given here is only speculative, but this is made clear in the wording for each entry. (* A few entries haveinformation based largely on my past, casual conversations with long-time local residents, but which can not be recalled definitely as to name or date of the interview; rather than eliminate this information from the gazetteer due to lack of documention, it has been included and is noted with an asterisk at the end of the entry.) The designations in parantheses refer to the Ranger District in which each feature is located; the abbreviations indicate the county: Applegate Do:Douglas Ashland Ja:Jackson Butte Falis Jo:Josephine 06: Prospect K: Kiamath Si: Siskiyou Who gave the peaks and streams these names? In reviewing the following "names on the landscape," it becomesapparent that virtually no Native American-applied names have survived into currentusage. Early place-names like "Indian Creek" and "Squaw Lakes"were bestowed by Euroamencan settlers- and often probably well after the last aboriginal inhabitants had disappeared from the area. (See Takelma Indian place-names listed under: Bear Creek, page 8.) This reflects the rapid obliteration of native cultures in the upper Rogue River drainage during the I 850s; most Indian survivors were removed from the area by 1857, and their centunes-old geographic names disappeared with them. The Rogue River National Forest is divided into two separate sections: the Siskiyou Mountains and the Cascade Range. A very few place-names date from the second quarter of the nineteenth century, the period of initial exploration by trappers and other Euro-Americans. A significant number of place-names in the historic mining districts of the Siskiyou Mountains date from the third quarter of the nineteenth century, the initial "gold rush" period. Similarly, a large portion of the place-names in the Cascade Range section of the National Forest were evidently given to the various streams and mountains during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. This reflects the historical sequence of settlement in these two geographically distinct areas. However, by far the greatest percentage of place-names for the highest elevation sections of the Rogue River National Forest were bestowed by Forest Ser,iice employees between 1907 and 1930. This period witnessed the first detailed mapping of these remote areas, when names were needed for the scores of small creeks and not-so-prominent peaks whick had escaped naming during previous decades. Some of the names honored current Forest Service employees and their wives; others were more imaginative. Probably over eighty percent of all place-names for the Rogue River National Forest date between 1880 and 1920; a few of them post-date 1930. A post-1980 trend is the adoption of new place-names commemorating Native American groups and "chiefs" or long-time area settlers. The practice of naming natural features after Forest Service employees, for the most part ended by the 1 930s- due in part to stricter regulations governing the official approval of new place-names. There remains a surprisingly large number of secondary streams and peaks within the National Forest boundary which still have no official or even informal name. Whatever the future may bring in the way of geographic names, it is doubtful that we shall again see the likes of "Middle-of-Hell Creek" or "Dead Dog Gulch." Abbott Butte, Creek, Prairie: Named for Hiram G. Abbott, sub-agent for the Kiamath Indians in the 1 850s and a settler on the upper Rogue River. He prospected and hunted along the Rogue-Umpqua DMde during the 1860s. The August 13, 1866 issue of the Jacksonville Oregon Sentinel mentions Mr. Abbott's return to the Valley from a hunting expedition in the "upper Rogue River country"; he arrived well stocked with dried elk meat after 'the best shooting of the season." (06-Do, Ja) (McArthur; OS] Abney Butte: According to long-time Applegate District Ranger Lee Port this peak was named in about 1910, after USFS Ranger Bill Fruit lost his abney (a slope-percentage measuring instrument) on the north side of the mountain. The August 7, 1869 Oregon Sentinel mentionsa John Adney as lMng in Jacksonville, but Port's name-origin is probably reliable. (01-Si) [Port; OS] Alex Creek, Hole, Camp: Probably named for Alex Ward, miner of the 1850$, or possibly Alex Conover, a miner and swineherd of the same period. (01 -Si) [JC Census 1860] Alkali Creek, Meadow: A Ca. 1900 sheepherder'scamp, Alkali Camp, is located at the meadow. A number of sheepmen of thisera came each year from central Oregon, where alkali lakes and "flats" arecommon. This is a puzzling name; no alkali (or high salt content) areas are known for thisarea. (06-Do) Alsarena MIne: Originally called the Applegate Mine and Elk Creek Mine, it was also known as the "Buzzard Mine" soon after 1900. The mine was purchased by new owners around World War II who remaned the operation, combining the syllables of their first names (Alfred, Sarah, and Rena McDonald) into the word "Alsarena." The decade-tong controversy over timber-cuttingon the mineral daims, documented in lengthy Congressional hearings, contibuted to passage of the Multiple-Use Mining Act of 1955. (06-Ja) [RRNF-HRC] Afta Lake: One of the lakes in the Seven Lakes Basin, Sky Lakes Wilderness, said to be named by an early Forest Service Ranger after a young lady whom he admired, Miss Alta Allen of the Butte Falls area. (03-Ki) [J. Henshaw] 4 Anderson Camp, Mountain: A turn-of-the-century sheepherders'camp (also known as "Minter's Camp") was located here. Thename evidently commemo- rates an early sheepman, Frank Anderson. "Andersons Springs," (located in Crater Lake National Park) was named in 1888 by 0. C. Applegate,also to commemorate Frank N. Anderson. An 0. F. (Frank?) Anderson homesteaded near Woodruff Meadows and the name may have resutted from his use of the area. (06-Do) (McArthur; Wynd; RRNF-Ho] Annie Creek: A recent, unofficial name applied to a tributary of Ashland Creek by two Forest Service geologists; both of their middle nameswere "Annie." (This name may be historically appropriate because the first female employee on the Crater National Forest was Annie 0. O'Brien.) (02-Ja) (Brown-I; personal knowledge] Applegate River: Named in the late 1 840s for Lindsay and for Jesse Applegate, who are said to have stopped at the mouth of the river when laying out the Southern Emigrant Road in 1846 (or for Lindsay Applegate duringa 1848 trip through the area). The Takelma Indians called it "S'bink" (Beaver) River and the Shastas termed it "ltskatawayeki." The Athapascans called it "Ta'khoo-pe" (meaning uncertain, but it may translateas "pretty place"), which is the origin of the word Dakubetede. (01 -Ja, J0, Si) (Walling; Sapir; Harnngton] Armstrong Gulch: Thought to be named for Reuben Armstrong, Canadian-born miner and pioneer lumberman of the Applegate Valley, 1860s-1880s. The Oregon Sentinel for this period mentionsa number of men with this surname. (01 -Ja) (JC Census 1860-80; OS] Arrasmith Gulch: Early 20th century name (not shown on current maps) for a south-draining tributary of Squaw Creek, located about one-half mile downstream from Dividend Bar (at the present concrete bridge) .AMr. Arrasmith (or Arrowsmith) and his Indian wife (who is recalledashaving a tatooed chin) lived in a small cabin at the mouth of the gulch.