Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/641

 munity about 1908 because of a small fall in Chewaucan River a mile or so to the north. Valley Falls post office was established on June 25, 1909, with Ernest L. H. Meyer postmaster, but Jennings later took over the position. The office was first situated near the base of Abert Rim, about a mile east of its location in 1942, but was moved westward so as to be on the Fremont Highway at the junction with the highway northeast to Burns.

VALSETZ, Polk County. Valsetz is a made-up name composed of parts of the title of the Valley & Siletz Railroad. Valsetz is the terminus of this road. The name was selected by officials of the railroad company.

VAN, Harney County. The postmaster at Van wrote the compiler in December, 1926, that the office was named for Van Middlesworth, a local settler.

VAN HORN BUTTE, Hood River County. This hill was originally called Julia Butte for Mrs. Peter Neal, but in 1906 the Van Horn brothers purchased the surrounding property and it has been called Van Horn Butte ever since. Willes and Bert Van Horn were residents of Buffalo, and in the cold storage business there. Willes moved to Hood River Valley and built a home on top of Van Horn Butte. There is a nearby railroad station named Van Horn,

VANDEVERT RANCH, Deschutes County. Vandevert ranch is on the old stage road south of Bend. It was for many years the home of William P. Vandevert. He was born near the place now known as Saginaw, Lane County, on April 22, 1854. His father, J. J. Vandevert, was a native of Ohio and came to Oregon in 1848. W. P. Vandevert was a forest ranger, rancher and stockman and an early settler in Deschutes Valley. He died February 24, 1944. For biography, see the Bend Bulletin, February 24, 1944.

VANNOY CREEK, Josephine County. James N. Vannoy took up a donation land claim near this stream, five miles west of what is now Grants Pass, about 1851. He operated Vannoy ferry across Rogue River. Bancroft, in History of Oregon, volume II, page 184, says that Perkins and Long operated ferries before Vannoy near this point. The spelling Vanoy is wrong. See also under FORT VANNOY. Vannoy post office was established September 4, 1856, with James N. Vannoy postmaster. The office was discontinued October 11, 1859.

VANORA, Jefferson County. The name Vanora was coined from the first two names of Ora Van Tassel. Vanora is a place on the east bank of Deschutes River about eight miles airline northwest of Madras. When the Oregon Trunk line was built through the area, there was a Vanora station in service, but the track in that locality has been torn out. Vanora post office was established March 22, 1911, with John T. Dizney first of four postmasters. The office was closed December 15, 1920, with mail to Madras. Ora l'an Tassel was a real estate man and a farmer of the lands where Vanora railroad station and post office were situated. Later he was a grain buver, active in civic affairs. He installed an elaborate water system, which was abandoned after he moved to Madras,

VANPORT City, Multnomah County. Vanport City is the official name of the community built between Portland and Vancouver to house war workers. The name was made up in compliment to the two nearby cities. A page advertisement in the Oregonian, August 12, 1943, gives a history of the project. On that date the place had 9942 dwelling le diedcher and to Oreo