Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/534



ROBERTS, Linn County. Roberts is a place on Quartzville Creek not far above the mouth. It seems to have been named for John Roberts, a miner and prospector, who lived beside the stream for many years, mining at various localities. For an account of his activities, see Sweet Home New Era, July 3, 1941.

ROBERTS, Marion County. Roberts is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway four miles southwest of Salem. When the railway was built south of Salem about 1911, the station was named Livesley in compliment to T. A. Livesley, a prominent hop grower of the locality. Livesley was associated with John J. Roberts and the style of the firm was T. A. Livesley & Company. In 1925 Roberts bought the Livesley interest and the firm became John J. Roberts & Company. The name of the station was changed to Roberts at that time.

ROBERTS, Yamhill County. Roberts post office was in service in the north part of the county from April 5, 1892, to August 28, 1895. It was about east of Wapato and near the south end of Wapato Lake. James H. Robertson was the first postmaster of Roberts post office and the name of the office is said to have been derived by abbreviation from the postmaster's family name.

ROBERTS BUTTE, Wallowa County. This butte is about 14 miles north of Enterprise and was named for Mrs. Nellie (Stillwell) Roberts Averill, who ranged stock nearby about 1885.

ROBERTS MOUNTAIN, Douglas County. This mountain, and Roberts Creek, just to the north, were named for Jesse Roberts, a pioneer landowner. The mountain is important because of the fact that for many years the stage road passed through a gap on its summit, and the steep grade and narrow road resulted in many accidents and not a few deaths.

ROBINETTE, Baker County, James E. Robinette, born in Maryland in 1852, emigrated to Nevada about 1870 and came to Union County, Oregon, in 1884. He was associated with various mining enterprises, and in October, 1887, settled at what is now Robinette on the west bank of Snake River. When the railroad was built from Huntington down Snake River about 1909, a station and a townsite were named for Robinette. A post office was established about the time the railroad was built. For biography of James E. Robinette, see Gaston's Centennial History of Oregon, volume III, page 715. The spelling Robinett is wrong.

ROBINS NEST, Clackamas County. Robert Moore, who came to Oregon from Illinois with the Peoria party in 1840 used the name Robins Nest for his little settlement on the west bank of the Willamette River across from Oregon City. The place was later called Linn City and now is known as West Linn. On December 20, 1945, Ernest E. East of the Illinois Historical Society wrote the Oregon Historical Society as follows: "It is not impossible that Robert Moore got the poetic inspiration for 'Robin's Nest from the name of the log house in which lived Philander Chase, first bishop of the diocese of Illinois, Protestant Episcopal Church. Chase bought land in the valley of Kickapoo Creek about 12 miles west of Peoria and established Jubilee College. His first house was called Robin's Nest,' because, as he said, it was built of mud and sticks, and filled with young ones.' Robin's Nest was a United States post office. Philander Chase was the first postmaster. Robin's Nest Farm today occupies part of the original Jubilee College farm. The chapel and dor