of the Oregon Geographic Board. He is a book collector and has built up an extensive library relating to Oregon history, natural science and maps. He has been a contributor to many different publications of articles on Oregon history, geography and geodesy, and his contour map of the state of Oregon is used by bureaus of the federal government. He is author of Oregon Geographic Names, 1928, reference to which has previously been made in the chapter on the literature of the Indians.
Harney Lake
From Oregon Geographic Names, 1928
Harney Lake, Harney County. The first written information about Harney Lake is contained in Peter Skene Ogden's journals of his third Snake expedition, published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly for June, 1910. On October 29, 1826, when the expedition was not far from what is now known as Harney Valley, Ogden wrote that Thomas McKay, who had been sent on in advance, rejoined the party and reported the discovery of "a country of rivers and lakes, one of the latter the water is salt." The entry for Tuesday, November 1, is: "At sunset we reached the lakes. A small ridge of land an acre in width divides the fresh water from the salt lakes. These two lakes have no intercourse. The fresh water has an unpleasant taste. 1 mile wide 9 long. In this [Malheur] lake discharges Sylvailles River and 2 small forks; but it has no discharge. Salt Lake at its south end is 3 miles wide. Its length at present unknown to us but appears to be a large body of saltish water. All hands gave it a trial but none could drink it. . . ." Subsequent entries give further information about the lakes. There is no doubt in the mind of the writer that what Ogden called Salt Lake is the Harney Lake of today, and the fresh water lake is Malheur Lake. During certain stages Malheur Lake dis charges into Harney Lake, with the result that Harney Lake gradually tends to get more alkaline. T . C. Elliott, who edited the journals, is slightly confused about the lakes, and in a footnote states that Harney is not salt, which is incorrect. J. J. Donegan of Burns advises the writer that in the
