Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/22

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16
Frederick V. Holman

Hale made a careful investigation of Oregon Indian tribes. In this pamphlet Wilkes makes the curious error of using the word "Yam" as the name of a range of hills in Yamhill County. In speaking of valleys adjacent to the Willamette Valley he says: "The principal one is called Faulitz Plains, and is divided from the Willamette by the Yam Hills. These are clothed to their very top with grass, and afford excellent pasturage." ("Western America," page 56). The same error appears in Wilkes' Narrative, Vol. 4, pages 356 and 357, where he says, under date of June 9, 1841: "We started for the Yam Hills, which divide the valleys of the Willamette and Faulitz .... These hills are clothed to the very top with grass . . . On our route through the Yam Hills, we passed many settlers' establishments". While Com. Wilkes"Narrative" is, in the main accurate, he, occasionally, was careless. He made the ridiculous error of calling Campement du Sable [Champoeg] Camp Maude du Sable. (Wilkes' "Narrative," pages 346 and 347).

Yamhill County is now bounded: on the north by Washington County; on the east by Washington County and the Willamette River, its common boundary with Marion County; on the south by Polk County and a small portion of Tillamook County; and on the west by Tillamook County. Its county seat is McMinnville.

Clackamas District.

As originally created Clackamas District was described as:

"Third district, to be called the Clackamas District, comprehending all the territory not included in the other three districts". "Approved by the people, July 5th, 1843". ("Oregon Archives," page 26). The other three districts were Twality, Yamhill, and Champooick, which see for descriptions.

Clackamas is an Indian name. It is first mentioned in Lewis and Clark's "J°u rna l s -" Under date of April 3, 1806 ("Original Journals", Dodd, Mead and Company edition (1904), Vol.