Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/93

 Duy. boro is on Little Butte Creek. A post office was established in the locality in February, 1873, with the name Brownsborough and with John Bilger first of a long list of postmasters. The name of the office was changed to Brownsboro on June 25, 1892,

BROWNSMEAD, Clatsop County. This community has developed on the bank of the Columbia River as the result of diking and reclamation, carried on by W. G. Brown, a well-known engineer of Portland. His name coupled with the Anglo-Saxon word for meadow formed the name of the community. It was formerly known as Brody.

BROWNSVILLE, Linn County. Brownsville is on the Calopooya River near the foothills of the Cascade Range, and has an elevation of 356 feet. It was laid out in 1853, and named by James Blakely in honor of Hugh L. Brown, who started the first store there. Both these men were pioneers of 1846. Blakely built the first house in the fall of 1846. For biography and portrait of Blakely, see the Oregonian, April 17, 1901, page 10. For description of Brownsville in 1889, ibid., January 18, 1890. For description in 1894, ibid., January 1, 1895, page 11. Postal officials inform the compiler that Brownsville post office was established on January 8, 1850, with the name Calapooya, with H. H. Spalding first postmaster. This was changed to Brownsville on May 18, 1859.

BROWNTOWN, Josephine County. This place is a relic of the past. It was a mining town on Althouse Creek, about three miles south of Holland. Walling, in his History of Southern Oregon, page 455, says that it was named for one Webfoot Brown, the pioneer Brown of the vicinity, and that at one time the place had 500 inhabitants.

BRUCE, Benton County. Bruce is the name of a small community on the Pacific Highway West about ten miles south of Corvallis. It is on the Major James Bruce land claim and was named on that account. A post office named Bruce was established in July, 1900, with Lucinda Norwood first postmaster. The office was closed in May, 1905.

BRUSH CREEK, Curry County. Brush Creek drains an area southeast of Port Orford and flows into Pacific Ocean just north of Humbug Mountain. It seems to be the consensus in Curry County that this stream was named for Gilbert Brush, a young Texan, who was a member of the T'. Vault exploring party in those parts in 1851. To say that he had hairraising adventures is apposite, since Coquille Indians "lifted" part of his scalp. See Bancroft's History of Oregon, volume II, pages 196-200, and Dodge's Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, page 26. Preston's Map of Oregon, 1856, shows this stream as Savage Creek, but Preston possibly confused it with Euchre Creek, a little further south, which George Davidson, in Coast Pilot, 1889, says was called Savage Creek. See under

EUCHRE CREEK. Preston's knowledge of Curry County geography was necessarily sketchy. Brush COLLEGE, Polk County. Brush College is situated in the southeast part of the Eola Hills. It was named because of the character of the nearby ground cover. For story about Brush College school and community by Mrs. W. N. Crawford, see Salem Statesman, October 8, 1931,

BRUSHY CREEK, Wallowa County. Brushy Creek flows into Little Sheep Creek about twelve miles east of Enterprise. It was named because of the unusually dense brush growing along its banks. The first homesteader on this stream was William Waln.

BRYANT LAKE, Linn County. This is a small slough lake about a Postmaster. Ich was establim an Of Oregong sibly conforegon, 185story of