Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/189



The name of the office was changed to Currinsville on January 8, 1884, with George J. Currin postmaster. The office was closed February 16, 1906. Zion post office was obviously named by a biblical enthusiast.

CURRY COUNTY. Curry County was created December 18, 1855, and was taken from the south part of Coos County. It was named for George Law Curry, who was born at Philadelphia July 2, 1820; died Portland July 28, 1878. On arrival at Oregon City he acted as editor of the Oregon Spectator from October 1, 1846, until the end of 1847, and in April, 1848, published the Oregon Free Press. He represented Clackamas County in the provisional legislature of 1848-49, served as chief clerk of the territorial council of 1850-51, and represented Clackamas in the house of the territorial legislature in 1851. In 1853, President Pierce appointed Curry secretary of the territory of Oregon. A few days after taking that office, he became acting governor through resignation of Governor Joseph Lane. In December, 1853, Governor John W. Davis arrived, but in August, 1854, Davis resigned, and Curry was acting governor until appointed governor a few months later. He served as governor until the territory became a state, in 1859. "He was of singularly amiable disposition, honorable, and gifted with a versatility of such degree that whatever he undertook was well performed." (OPA Transactions for 1878, page 80.) He was editor of the Portland Advertiser, the third daily newspaper at Portland, first published January 1, 1861, and the Evening Journal, January 25 to April 25, 1876. For biography of himself and his wife, Chloe Boone Curry, see the Oregonian, February 12, 1899. For his narrative of early history of Oregon, ibid., March 15, 1872, page 3; February 28, 1872, page 3. Curry was territorial governor when Curry County was created. For early history of Curry County, see the Oregonian for February 14, 1886, by O. W. Olney. See also Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume V, page 222, for a tribute to Curry. The Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, edited by Orvil Dodge, contains much interesting material about early days in Curry County. Bancroft, in History of Oregon, volume II, page 415, says it was first proposed to name this county Tichenor, for Captain William Tichenor of Port Orford, a member of the legislative council from Coos County. Tichenor declined this honor saying that his constituents wanted the new county named for Governor Curry.

CURTIN, Douglas County. This place was named for Daniel Curtin, who operated a sawmill there in the early '90s. Curtin is on the Southern Pacific railroad about seven miles northeast of Drain.

CUSHMAN, Lane County. Cushman is a station and post office on the Coos Bay line of the Southern Pacific Company, and is on the north bank of the Siuslaw River. It is about a mile east of Cushman community, which was formerly Acme. It was named by the railroad company for C. C. and I. B. Cushman, local residents. The company already had an Acme on its lines and did not wish to duplicate that name, and after the station was changed, the post office authorities followed suit. The name Acme was originally applied by Mrs. W. A. Cox, an early settler. It is said that Mrs. Cox dreamed she was to live in a place called Acme, so when her husband platted a townsite in Lane County, the place was called Acme.

CUSTER, Coos County. Custer post office in the south part of the county was named for Custer M. Hermann, son of Cass M. Hermann,