Elliott thinks that the name was probably first applied to the river by Donald Mackenzie possibly as early as 1818. See Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, volume XIII, page 71.
Burnt Woods, Lincoln County. This post office is in the eastern part of Lincoln County, near Tumtum Creek, where the remains of forest fires are still much in evidence. The office was established in 1919, and a list of suggested names was sent to the Post Office Department. On the list was Burnt Woods, proposed by H. G. Downing, and this was the name chosen by the authorities.
Butte Creek, Wheeler County. This stream rises near Fossil and flows into John Day River. It was so named because of Black Butte, a prominent point near its source, which served as a landmark. Black Butte has an elevation of about 4000 feet and is about two miles northeast of Fossil.
Butte Falls, Jackson County. Settlers in the Rogue River valley referred to Mt. McLoughlin as Snowy Butte, and the two main streams draining to the northwest from that mountain were known as Big and Little Butte creeks. At the falls on Big Butte Creek a settlement sprang up that took its name from the natural feature.
Butter Creek, Umatilla County. This creek is said to have received its name from a party of immigrants who found some butter On its banks, apparently left behind by an earlier contingent. Butter Creek is a tributary of the Umatilla River, and the old pioneer road crossed it west of Echo. See Scott's History of the Oregon Country, volume III, page 316.
Butteville, Marion County. Butteville is on the east bank of the Willamette River in the extreme north part of the county and has an elevation of 102 feet. It was named for a well-known hill about a mile to the southwest, called by the early settlers on French Prairie La Butte, a form of name still used by the U. S. Geological
