Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/680



driven the serie Septemfply with tember 9uestioned apparently the founder of the great Tillamook dairy industry. Warren N. Vaughn, a pioneer resident of the county, wrote a memoir in 1891-92, which was published in the Bay City Tribune, and in the series of articles mentions Wilson and tells about cattle being driven from Astoria about 1851. The story about Wilson is questioned in a letter on the edi. torial page of the Oregonian, September 17, 1927, signed Mary Alderman Bird. Miss Doughty's reply, with quotations from Vaughn, is printed in the Oregonian, September 26, 1927. Henry W. Wilson was an English printer. After leaving the Tillamook country, he moved to Salem, and was employed on the Oregon Statesman. There is a story to the effect that he secured the passage of the bill creating Tillamook County, but the compiler has been unable to secure confirmation. Wilson was not a member of the legislature in 1853, although his name is signed to the petition to establish the county. Miss Doughty calls the attention of the compiler to the fact that there was a Wilson River road project as early as 1875. After the plan was organized, a party consisting of William T. Baxter, Jacob E. Elliott and William T. Doughty explored the Kilchis and Wilson rivers, got lost, and nearly starved to death. The idea of a road was given up.

WILSONIA, Clackamas County. This stream north of Oswego was named for A. King Wilson, a well-known attorney of Portland, who made his home near the station. WilsonVILLE, Clackamas County. The name of this community was derived from a local resident, Charles Wilson. R. V. Short suggested the name. This was in 1880. A post office named Boons Ferry was established in this locality on December 7, 1876, with Charles Wilson postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Wilsonville on June 3, 1880. For information about the origin of the name Boones Ferry, see under that heading in this volume. The writer does not know why the style used by postal authorities did not agree with the family name. A post office called Boon was in operation in Clackamas County from April, 1868, to March, 1869. The writer has been unable to learn its location. It seems probable it was at Boones Ferry, but that is just an assumption.

WIMER, Jackson County. Wimer is a place on Evans Creek. On July 1, 1927, William M. Colvig of Medford wrote the compiler: "In 1886-7 William Wimer edited a paper at Grants Pass, 12 miles distant. He had something to do with getting a post office for the people there. He had a relative named Wimer who lived in the neighborhood. I do not know which one gave the name, but I think William Wimer did."

WINANS, Hood River County. Winans is a station on the Mount Hood Railroad near the forks of Hood River. It was named for Ross Winans who settled nearby about 1880, and operated a hotel for hunters.

WINANT, Lincoln County. Winant post office was named for Captain James J. Winant who made his home nearby. Winant was the post office name for Oysterville station. For biography of Captain Winant, see History of Benton County, page 530.

WINBERRY, Lane County. Winberry post office was near the mouth of Winberry Creek. Winberry is simply another name for whortleberry, and is applied more or less indiscriminately to various species of Vaccinium. The form windberry is wrong. Winberry Creek is an important