Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/684



Civil War. J. A. Rumble, father of E. W. Rumble, served under General Winslow and named his son for the officer. There were several generals named Winslow who served in the Civil War, but it may be presumed that the one complimented was Brigadier General Edward Francis Winslow, who entered the forces from Iowa.

WINSTON, Douglas County. Winston is a locality a couple of miles north of Dillard and just west of South Umpqua River. A little further north is the Pacific Highway bridge over the river, generally called Winston Bridge. Winston post office was established June 16, 1893, and bore the name of the first postmaster, Elijah Winston. The office was closed July 14, 1903. It was reestablished in 1948.

WINTER Ridge, Lake County. Winter Ridge is the rimrock west of Summer Lake. It was discovered and named on December 16, 1843, by then Captain John C. Fremont of the U. S. Topographical Engineers. Fremont applied this name because of the bad weather he encountered at the summit of the ridge, where he looked down to the sunshine on the green grass around Summer Lake. He named Summer Lake at the same time. See under that heading.

WINTERS SPRING, Wallowa County. This spring, sometimes called Mormon Spring, is in the northwest part of township 2 north, range 50 east. It was named for W. H. Winters, an early settler. Winters was of the Mormon faith and Mormon Flat in the same township was named on his account. The style Winter Spring is wrong. Wise, Clatsop County. Wise post office, south of Astoria, was in what is known as the Tucker Creek district. The office was established in June, 1895, with Hugh McCormick postmaster, and was discontinued in May, 1903. Herman Wise was the postmaster at Astoria when this office was established and it is more than probable that it was named in compliment to him. Wise was doubtless of help in getting this country office and it was named for him because of that fact. Witch HAZEL, Washington County. Witch Hazel is a place on the Tualatin Valley Highway and on the Southern Pacific railroad about a a mile west of Reedsville. Van B. DeLashmutt of Portland had a farm there in earlier days and is said to have named the place. In fact the writer once heard a statement to the effect that DeLashmutt named the farm for one of his racehorses. Oswald West is the authority on Oregon bang-tails and in October, 1945, told the writer that he never heard of an Oregon racehorse named Witch Hazel. That settles it as far as the writer is concerned. However Governor West says that Mayor DeLashmutt once owned a building at Southwest Front and Madison streets in Portland. called the Witch Hazel Building. DeLashmutt seems to have had a fancy for the name. The witch hazel tree or shrub, Hamamelis virginiana, is not native to Oregon and has nothing to do with the hazelnut bush. Witch hazel wands are said to have the power of pointing to buried gold and silver and even to underground water. Oddly enough Jonathan Carver was one of the very first American authors to mention this belief, which he did in 1778. A post office was established at Witch Hazel in August, 1904, with Earl W. Anderson postmaster. It was closed in November, 1905.

WITCHES CAULDRON, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County. The crater at the top of Wizard Island was named Witches Cauldron on August 17, 1885, by Will G. Steel, because of its weird appearance.