Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/495



PAXTON, Jefferson County. Paxton is a station north of Madras named for G. L. Paxton, a nearby land owner.

PAYN, Clackamas County. Payn post office was on the extreme north edge of Clackamas County just about south of Lents and close to the west base of Mount Scott. It was named for the postmaster, William S. Payn. This office was established April 6, 1898, and was closed January 12, 1904. As with so many other small offices, its death was caused by the advent of rural free delivery.

PAYNESVILLE, Clackamas County. Paynesville was about three miles north of Sandy and a little to the west of the Bluff Road. The post office was established December 31, 1885, with John G. P. Lawlor first and only postmaster. The office was closed June 6, 1888. Paynesville was named for a local landowner who owned property adjacent to Lawlor. Later Lewis Hoaglum acquired some or all of this property. The site of the post office was said to be owned by a man named Pratt in 1947. Peach, Malheur County. This Union Pacific Railroad station was named for a peach orchard nearby. The place was about nine miles east of Juntura, and in 1943 it was reported that the station was no longer in service.

PEAK, Benton County. Peak post office was a few miles northwest of Marys Peak and was named for the mountain. It was on the extreme west edge of Benton County in the Coast Range and was relatively isolated. The office was established October 11, 1899, with Virgie Davidson postmaster. Peak post office was discontinued October 15, 1917.

PEAK, Washington County. A post office with the name Peak was established in Washington County on March 13, 1874, with Bentley George postmaster. It was discontinued June 9, 1876. Peak post office was two or three miles northwest of Forest Grove and near Gales Creek. It was named for Gales Peak, a prominent feature a little to the northwest.

PEARCY ISLAND, Multnomah County. This island is in the angle formed by the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. South of the island is Pearcy Slough. These features bear the name of Nathan Pearcy, a pioneer of Oregon, who took up a donation land claim on the island in 1850. Drainage and reclamation projects are changing the character of islands and sloughs in this locality.

PEBBLE CREEK, Columbia and Washington counties. Pebble Creek, which bears a descriptive name, rises in the extreme north part of Washington County, and after crossing the Columbia County line flows northward to join the Nehalem River in the east part of Vernonia. It has been called Pebble Creek since pioneer times. Pebble post office was established January 31, 1891, with Richard J. Tyacke postmaster. It was on the Pebble Creek road about three miles south of Vernonia, on the Tyacke property. The office was in operation until December, 1895, when its affairs were turned over to the Vernonia office. The Pebble Creek road or trail was one of the first routes of travel into the upper Nehalem Valley, and many pioneer settlers went in that way from the Willamette Valley. See Fred Lockley's interview with Mrs. Sarah Spencer on editorial page of the Oregon Journal, August 18, 1928.

PECK, Douglas County. When the Oregon and California Railroad was built south of Roseburg in the early eighties a station called Nichols was established thirteen miles southwest of Riddle. This station was