2
FEBRUARY 23�MARCH 2, 2022
THE OPENING ACT
RAISING THE CURTAIN
ON THIS WEEK’S ISSUE
What we’re into
OREGON GEOGRAPHIC
NAMES
Hill in Canyon City was named
for the Southern sympathizers
who lived there “and made their
presence very much noticed,”
according to the McArthurs.
My favorite fi nd so far, how-
ever, is Cheatem Holler Camp,
southwest of Silvies near the
Harney County line. It was named
by Forest Service employee
O
ne of my favorite referenc-
es to reach for when I want
to do a little armchair exploring
is “Oregon Geographic Names,”
a magnifi cent doorstop of a
book that captures not only the
nuts-and-bolts details of thou-
sands of Oregon place names
but a great deal of the state’s
history and romance as well.
The fi rst edition, compiled
by Lewis A. “Tam” McArthur,
came out in 1928. My copy is
the seventh edition, published in
2003, with McArthur’s son Lewis
L. listed as co-author.
It runs 1,070 pages, from A B
Crossing (a defunct railroad sta-
tion on the old Southern Pacifi c
Coos Bay Line south of Coquille)
to Zwagg Island (a small land-
mass just off shore from Brook-
ings that bears the name of a
Dutch hermit).
Since moving to John Day
last fall, I’ve consulted it sev-
eral times to satisfy my curios-
ity about Grant County place
STAFF
Leo Gunther for a local resident
named Cheatum (or possibly
Cheatham). As the McArthurs
put it in their inimitable style, “An
incident involving Mr. Cheatum,
a bottle of whiskey, and an irate
Mrs. Cheatum was responsible
for Gunther’s terminology.”
— BENNETT HALL, EDITOR,
BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE
contact us
EDITOR
Lisa Britton
Go! Editor
editor@goeasternoregon.com
541-406-5274
Sarah Smith
Calendar Coordinator
calendar@goeasternoregon.com
NOW AVAILABLE!
names. Like the county itself,
named for Ulysses S. Grant, the
leader of the Union armies (and
later president), many of the
county’s place names date from
the Civil War era.
Dixie Creek, which fl ows into
the John Day River near Prairie
City, got its name during the gold
boom of the 1860s because
there were so many Southern-
ers mining along its banks. Not
far away you’ll fi nd Jeff Davis
Creek, named after the presi-
dent of the Confederacy. Rebel
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