Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/406

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340
Lewis A. McArthur

lished in special bulletins of the Smithsonian Institution in 1892 and 1895.

Bennett Creek, Lane County. This creek is a tributary from the west to Coast Fork Willamette River. It originates in the hills north of Cottage Grove and flows into the Coast Fork just north of McParland Butte. It is named for Scott Bennett, a land owner near its banks.

Bennett Pass, Hood River County. This pass is the highest point on the Mount Hood Loop Highway, and has an elevation of 4675 feet. It lies about six miles southeast of Mount Hood on the ridge dividing the drainage of Hood River from White River. It is not on the main summit of the Cascade Range. The pass was named for Samuel Bennett, a Wasco County stockman.

Benton County. Benton County, which is located in the westerly part of the Willamette Valley, was created December 23, 1847, by the provisional legislature (General and Special Laws of 1843-9, page 50). It was named in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, who was born in North Carolina on March 14, 1782, and died in Washington, D. C., April 10, 1858. For 30 years he was a member of the United States senate from Missouri, and one of the great events of his active life was his espousal, with his colleague, Senator Lewis F. Linn, of the extension of the control of the United States into the Oregon county. For an excellent short biography of Senator Benton, see the Encyclopaedia Britannica. See also Scott's History of the Oregon Country. Benton County has an area according to the U. S. Bureau of the Census of 688 square miles, and an excellent map of the county is published in the Benton County Soil Survey by the U. S. Bureau of Soils of the Department of Agriculture.

Berry Creek, Marion County. This stream was named for Press Berry, an early resident in the North Santiam Valley. Berry Creek flows into North Santiam River.