Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/536



Rock CREEK, Hood River and Wasco counties. This stream is west and south of Wamic. Joel Palmer crossed a stream in this vicinity on October 4, 1845, and named it Rock Creek. See his Journal of Travels. While exact identification is impossible, it may be assumed that the stream now called Rock Creek is the one Palmer named. Rock CREEK, Jackson County. This stream is north of Lower Table Rock and flows westward into Sams Creek. It has been known in the past as Table Rock Creek, but in 1937 Paul B. Rynning recommended that the name Rock Creek was more suitable and that is the form used on the Medford topographic map of the USGS. See also under SNIDER CREEK. Rock CREEK, Washington County. Early maps show the stream as Stony Creek, but for many years Rock Creek has been the universally accepted name. The name Dawson Creek, applied to the lower part of the stream, is incorrect, and was ruled against by the USBGN on October 6, 1926.

ROCK MESA, Lane County. The word mesa is Spanish for table, and is used in geographic nomenclature to describe hills and peaks with more or less flat tops. Rock Mesa is south of the Three Sisters. Rock POINT, Jackson County. Rock Point is now principally famous because of a fine concrete arch over Rogue River carrying the Pacific Highway. It is two miles west of Gold Hill, and is named because of the geological formation. In pioneer days this general locality was known as Dardanelles, and there was a post office by that name established October 19, 1852, with William G. T'Vault first postmaster. It was also an important travelers' station. The T'Vault place was on the south bank of the river about two miles east of the Rock Point bridge. Dardanelles post office operated intermittently until December, 1878. There was also a post office named Rock Point, established in November, 1859, with John B. White first postmaster. This office operated until October, 1912. Early writers sometimes referred to this locality as Point of Rocks. RockAWAY, Tillamook County. Rockaway is north of Tillamook Bay. The Rockaway Beach Company projected this summer resort and named the townsite. The place is obviously named for Rockaway, Long Island, New York, a famous eastern seashore resort.

ROCKCREEK, Gilliam County. Rockcreek takes the name of the longest creek in the county. The name of the creek is accurately descriptive. The community name is generally used in two words, but the post office uses the form Rockcreek,

ROCKFORD, Hood River County. This is a community on the west side of Hood River Valley and is said to have been named because of the rocky character of the surroundings.

ROCKLAND, Douglas County, Rockland post ofhce was given a name descriptive of the surroundings. It was a few miles southeast of Dixonville, and in the southeast quarter of township 27 south, range 4 east. The office was established June 28, 1910, with Alfred Mathews first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued to Dixonville on October 15, 1913. Rockville, Gilliam County. Rockville was a place on Rock Creek not far above the mouth, probably not more than two or three miles and not as far as the railroad station now known as Rock Creek. The