Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/513



of Oregat congresne fancied fact. act was passed on December 9, 1847, and was approved December 23, 1847.

POLY TOP BUTTE, Deschutes and Lake counties. This butte southeast of Paulina Mountains has several tops, hence the name.

POMPADOUR BLUFF, Jackson County. This bluff is a peculiar, basaltic rock formation in the valley east of Ashland. It resembles, in a general way, the style of haircut made famous by the Marquise de Pompadour and by Jim Corbett. It was probably named about the time Corbett was the world's champion.

POMPEII, Clackamas County. Pompeii post office came as the result of the activities of Oliver C. Yocum, for many years a guide at Mount Hood. He started a community near the present site of Government Camp and chose the name Pompeii because of the volcanic soil in the vicinity. The office was established October 15, 1902, but available records do not give the closing date. It probably was never in service.

PONDOSA, Union County. Pondosa is a lumber town not far from Medical Springs. It was named with the word Pondosa, the trade name for lumber from the western yellowpine tree, Pinus ponderosa. The post office was established September 28, 1927, with Holger M. Larsen first postmaster, to serve the Grande Ronde Pine Company, millers of western yellowpine. The office was still in service in the summer of 1947.

PONY BUTTE, Jefferson County. Pony Butte is a landmark in the eastern part of the county in the Ashwood country. Phil Brogan of Bend, who was reared in that part of Oregon, says the point was named because of the many range horses that congregated there in earlier days. That the butte was named because of some fancied resemblance to a pony or to a pony's head does not seem to be a fact.

POOLES SLOUGH, Lincoln County. According to information received from Andrew L. Porter of Newport in 1945, Pooles Slough was named for a homesteader who settled on the west bank, near the mouth. He was an oysterman at times.

POPCORN SCHOOL, Polk County. Popcorn School in the Eola Hills about five miles northwest of Salem has borne its unusual name for a great many years. The only explanation that the writer has been able to get about the name is to the effect that in early days a group of rebellious children locked their teacher in the schoolhouse. Fortunately he had some popcorn with him and this he proceeded to pop. The youngsters opened the building to share the treat and thus liberated the resourceful pedagogue. How the teacher happened to have the popping corn and why he did not climb out a window have not been explained to the satisfaction of the writer. However, there are so many strange stories about geographical names that this one seems quite credible. Poplar. Wheeler County. Poplar post office was established April 10, 1894, with Zachariah J. Martin first postmaster, and was discontinued September 22. 1899. A map of 1897 shows the office on Haystack Creek about a mile north of and upstream from John Day River. The office is said to have been named for some poplar trees on a nearby ranch.

PORT ORFORD, Curry County. On April 24, 1792, Captain George Vancouver sighted what we now know as Cape Blanco, and named it Cape Orford in honor of George, Earl of Orford, his "much respected friend." For history of the name Cape Blanco, see under that heading. Cape Blanco is about seven miles north of Port Orford. McArthur's