Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/597



Channel of the Willamette River. Now the upper part of Gilbert River has been cut off from flowing through Sturgeon Lake, but the lake still has its Gilbert River outlet to Multnomah Channel. Originally Sturgeon Lake was of sufficient importance that it had its Little Sturgeon Lake, which has been taken from it by the levee above mentioned." Sturgeon Lake was named in very early days, but the exact circumstances of the event are not known to the compiler. The white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, is the largest fish found in fresh water in North America. The biggest specimen on record was taken from the Columbia River near Vancouver in 1929. It was over twelve feet long and weighed 1285 pounds. These big sturgeon in the Columbia River are largely a thing of the past, and the fish now caught seldom exceed five feet in length. Sturgeon is much appreciated locally as a food fish, but is relatively scarce. Squire Spencer's letter contains a lively tradition that Sauvie Island sturgeon came ashore from the lake and stripped the fruit from the nearby apple trees. A fish weighing 1285 pounds might be able to do anything, even reach up into an apple tree.

STURGILL, Baker County. In 1925 railroad company officials wrote that this station was named for an early settler and prospector.

STURGILL PEAK, Wallowa County. Sturgill Peak in the Wallowa Mountains was named for Jake Sturgill.

STURGIS Fork, Jackson and Josephine counties. This stream is a tributary of Carberry Creek, and is named for an old settler. Sturges is wrong.

STURTEVANT CREEK, Lane County. This stream flows into Coyote Creek not far from Crow. It was named for Joseph K. Sturtevant, an early settler.

SUBLIMITY, Marion County. According to information furnished the writer Sublimity was named by James M. Denny who established the town and said he called it Sublimity "for the sublime scenery in the hills around the town." Sublimity post office was established September 29, 1852. Denny was the first postmaster.

SUBSTITUTE POINT, Lane County. Substitute Point, elevation 6340 feet, is just west of the Three Sisters. It was named in 1916 by a USGS party in charge of J. G. Staack,which was extending triangulation in that part of the Cascade Range Two unnamed peaks were selected for possible stations, where but one was to be used. The other peak was called Proxy Point. See under that heading. The station was installed on Substitute Point and later a lookout was established there.

SUCKER CREEK, Josephine County. Sucker Creek flows into East Fork Illinois River. Walling, in his History of Southern Oregon, page 454, says the stream was named on account of some Illinois miners who prospected nearby. Illinois is known as the Sucker State.

SUCKER CREEK, Malheur County. There has been a good deal of controversy over this name, and some people think it should be Succor Creek. The stream rises north of Sheaville and flows northward near the east border of the county, then northeast into Idaho, where it empties into Snake River near Homedale. The decision in favor of Sucker Creek was made by USBGN on June 6, 1906. Postal history recently made available shows that there was a post office called Sucker established on the lower reaches of the stream on October 4, 1895, with Sara McConnell postmaster. This office was close to the Idaho line. It was closed October