Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/39

Rh dated January 6, 1850, written by David Hill to S. R. Thurston, then delegate to Congress from Oregon, Mr. Hill wrote: "The name of our county has been changed to Washington and the county seat is located at Columbus, the northeast corner of my claim."

September 3, 1849, the Territorial Legislature changed the name of Champooick County (which had come to be spelled "Champoeg") to Marion. The Act provides:

"That the name of the County of Champoeg be, and the same is hereby changed to Marion". (Local Laws of 1850-1, page 53). This County then comprised all that part of Oregon bounded on the north by Clackamas County, on the east by the Rocky Mountains, on the south by Linn County, and on the west by the Willamette River.

This change of name was made in honor of General Francis Marion of the American Revolutionary war. The WeemsHorry life of Marion was then largely read in Oregon and other frontier settlements. The praise of Marion in this book greatly appealed to these people.

Marion County is now bounded: on the north by Clackamas County and the Willamette River, the latter being its common northern boundary with Yamhill County; on the east by portions of Crook and Wasco counties; on the south by Linn County; and on the west by the Willamette River, its common boundary with Polk and Yamhill Counties. Its county seat is Salem, the capital of the State.

Lane County was created January 28, 1851, by the Territorial Legislature. (Local Laws of 1 850-1, page 32). It comprised "all that portion of Oregon Territory lying south of Linn County and south of so much of Benton County as is east of Umpqua County". Its eastern boundary, presumably,