Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/192



Clackamas County, wrote the compiler in September, 1945, that Damascus was named by Henry Pedigo, who did so because of a verse in the Bible. The compiler has not been able to identify the verse. Damascus post office was established August 26, 1867, with John S. Fisher first postmaster. It was closed in August, 1904.

DAMON CREEK, Grant County. This stream flows into John Day River from the north, west of Mount Vernon. Patsy Daly of Prairie City told the compiler it was named for Robert Damon, who settled nearby in the '60s.

DANGER Bay, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. Will G. Steel, the authority on Crater Lake, told the compiler that this name was ill chosen, as he never saw the time that danger befell anyone boating on Crater Lake. However, it is an old name, and will doubtless remain.

DANIELS CREEK, Coos County. This stream flows into South Fork Coos River about seven miles east of Coos Bay. It bears the name of an early settler, William Daniels, who lived near the mouth of the creek. S. B. Cathcart wrote in 1929 that Daniels left the locality many years ago.

DANNER, Malheur County. It is reported that this town was originally known as Ruby, but the postal authorities would not accept the name for a post office. Several other names were submitted including Danner, which was suggested in honor of J. H. Danner, one of the pioneer settlers in the community. Robert E. Danner, his son, was the first postmaster. The office was established April 3, 1920. DardaNELLES, Jackson County. Dardanelles was a place of importance in pioneer days in the Rogue River Valley, but the community passed into the discard. Dardanelles post office was established October 19, 1852, with William G. T'Vault postmaster. T'Vault was a prominent pioneer of southwest Oregon and started this settlement south of and across Rogue River from the present town of Gold Hill. At this point the river passes from a wider valley into a much more constricted section, with hills close on each hand. Apparently this natural setting suggested the Strait of the Dardanelles to T'Vault, although it could hardly be more than a suggestion. T'Vault was a newspaper editor of prominence and had a wide range of interests. The original Dardanelles gets its name from the city of Dardanus. It is said that the first quartz mill in southern Oregon was installed near Dardanelles in 1860. There are interesting references to this event in Walling's History of Southern Oregon, pages 329 and 379.

DARROW Rocks, Polk County. These rocks are in the Willamette River about five miles downstream from Salem, and Darrow Chute is just below the rocks. The name is spelled Darrough on some maps, but this does not seem to be correct. Hedda S. Swart of Salem kindly investigated the history of the name in 1943 and found that William and Marion Darrow conveyed some property at this locality to William McGee in 1874. This record is found in the deeds in volume 8, page 481, at the Polk County courthouse, Dallas. Swart had this spelling confirmed by Mr. and Mrs. John Schindler, local residents of long standing. Army engineers, in their work along the river, use the spelling Darrow and not Darrough.

DAVIDSON, Josephine County. Davidson post office was near Applegate River in the extreme east part of the county, about five miles southeast of Murphy. The office was named for J. E. Davidson, whose place