Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/611



TEASER CREEK, Wallowa County. This creek, which was named for a stallion that ranged thereabouts, flows into Deep Creek in township 3 north, range 50 east.

TECHUMTAS ISLAND, Umatilla County. This is the Indian name for an island in the Columbia River east of Umatilla. It is also known as Switzler or McComas Island, for men who have owned land on it. In the fall of 1940 the compiler mentioned this name to William Switzler of Umatilla, and was told that Techumtas was the name given by the Cayuse Indians to J. B. Switzler, father of William Switzler, and one-time owner of the island. J. B. Switzler always referred to the island as Techumtas Island, not Switzler Island, and that was the family custom. On December 4, 1941, USBGN adopted the official name Techumtas for the island.

TECUMSEH CREEK, Klamath County. Tecumseh Creek is a stream about one and one-half miles north of Klamath Agency. It is sometimes erroneously known as Spring Creek, which is unsatisfactory because this duplicates the name of a stream not far to the east. Klamath County pioneers used the expression Tecumseh Creek because a wellknown Klamath Indian, Tecumseh, was found dead near the stream many years ago in circumstances that indicated that he had been mur. dered. He was of course named for the famous chief in Ohio.

TELLURIUM PEAK, Douglas County. Tellurium is a rare, metallic element, generally found associated with other elements such as silver and gold. This peak, just southwest of Canyonville, was so named because tellurium has been found thereon.

TELOCASET, Union County. This place was once called Antelope stage station. When the railroad was built through the Blue Mountains, Dr. William C. McKay was asked to suggest new names for stations that had names duplicating others in Oregon. Among those he suggested was Telocaset. This word is from the Nez Perce language and means a thing at the top, or put on top, such as a tree growing on a hill, summit or plateau, overlooking a valley. The Indians pronounced the word Taule karset, according to O. H. Lipps, of Fort Lapwai Indian Agency, Idaho, in a letter dated March 2, 1927. Telocaset post office was established February 25, 1885, with William A. Cates first postmaster.

TEMPERANCE CREEK, Wallowa County. This stream flows into Snake River in township 1 north, range 50 east. It was named by Ben Johnson and others with him as a result of the coffee giving out. The party had nothing but water to drink and named the stream on that account.

TEMPLETON, Coos County. Templeton post office was established June 21, 1898, and was discontinued February 28, 1917. Albina Coleman was the first of five postmasters. When a petition was circulated asking for a post office Robert Templeton, a local resident, sponsored the document and the office was thereupon named in his honor. Templeton was in the extreme north end of the county, east of Tenmile Lake. It was in several locations, at least twice on Benson Creek and twice on Johnson Creek, but as far as the compiler knows it was always in township 23 south, range 12 west.

TENASILLAHE ISLAND, Clatsop County. The name Tenasillahe is composed of two Chinook jargon words, tenas meaning small or little, and illahe, meaning land, hence, "little land." There are many ways