Mabana ~ Mutiny Bay Origin Washington Geographical Names

Mabana, a post office on the southwestern shore of Camano Island in Island County, named by J. A. Woodard on May 15, 1912, in honor of Miss Mabel Anderson, daughter of Nils Anderson, an old settler who had come from San Francisco in 1881. The "Mab" was taken from Mabel, the "an" from Anderson and the "a" was added for convenience. (Nils Anderson, in Names MSS., Letter 369.)

Mabton, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway in the southeastern part of Yakima County. The origin of the name is said to be unknown in the town. (W. F. Fowler, publisher of the Mabton Chronicle, in Names MSS., Letter 404.) Twenty years ago while railroad trouble held a train at the then bleak station, Mrs. Mabel Baker Anderson, wife of Professor L. F. Anderson of Whitman College, said the station had been named in her honor. Mrs. Anderson was the daughter of Dr. Dorsey S. Baker, pioneer railroad builder of Walla Walla. Though she had traveled much in America and Europe, Mrs. Anderson's home was always in Walla Walla. She died there August 16, 1915. (Edmond S. Meany, in Names MSS., Letter 415.)

Macedonian Crescent, see Lopez Sound.

Machias, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway in the west central part of Snohomish County, named for Machias, Maine. The first settler there in 1877 was Charles Niemeyer. The town was platted and named in 1888 by L. W. Getchell, son of a shipbuilder in Machias, Maine, who was successful in California, Nevada and Washington. (Julian Hawthorne: History of Washington, Volume I., pages 437-439.)

Mackaye Harbor, on the south shore of Lopez Island in San Juan County. The name first appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2689, Richards, 1858-1859.

Madrona Peninsula, lying between North Bay and Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in San Juan County. Madrona Point is on the north side of the peninsula. The names were given by Walter L. C. Muenscher, because of the large number of Madrona trees in that vicinity. (Puget Sound Marine Station Publications, Volume I., page 81,)

Mae, a post office, four miles west of Moses Lake, in Grant County, named by J. B. Lee on February 1, 1907, in honor of Mrs. Mae Shoemaker, the first postmistress. (Ella M. Hill, postmistress, in Names MSS., Letter 41.)

Magic City, a name sometimes applied to Anacortes.

Magnolia Beach, a town on the southeast shore of Vashon Island in the southwestern part of King County. Silas Cook secured the homestead in 1878. Charles A. Cook platted the town in 1902. The family had come from Magnolia, Iowa. (I. H. Case, in Names MSS., Letter 540.)

Magnolia Bluff, a bluff in the northwestern part of Seattle, King County, named by Captain George Davidson of the United States Coast Survey in 1856. (Pacific Coast Pilot, page 607.) No magnolia trees are native there. Madrones and balms (ceanothus) were plentiful and may have been mistaken for magnolias.

Makah, an Indian Reservation in the northwestern part of Clallam County, named for the Indian tribe who lived there. See Cape Flattery, pages 35-36. The word Makah means "the people who live on a point of land projecting into the sea," or, more briefly, "the cape people." Klasset, a former name of Cape Flattery, means the same thing in another Indian language. (Rev. Myron Bells, in American Anthropologist, January, 1892.)

Malden, a town in the northern part of Whitman County, named by H. R. Williams, vice-president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, after a town of that name in Massachusetts. (H. R. Williams, in Names MSS., Letter 530.)

Maltby, a town in the southwestern part of Snohomish County,-named for Robert Maltby, a dealer in real estate. (Postmaster at Maltby, in Names MSS., Letter 458.) The site was homesteaded by Mr. Dunlap in 1887. The next year a post office was secured and named Yew which was later changed to Maltby. (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, page 375.)

Manastash Creek, a tributary of the Yakima River from the west in the south central part of Kittitas County. The early railroad surveyors first charted it as "Ptehnum River, but on the supplementary sketch by A. W. Tinkham in January, 1854, it is shown as "Mnas-a-tas," forerunner of the present spelling. (Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume XL, Part II, Chart 3.)

Manette, a town at the east entrance to Washington Narrows, opposite Bremerton, Kitsap County. After the people had finished building their wharf, the first steamer to use it bore the name which the people by majority vote adopted for their new town. (J. H. Martin, in Names MSS., Letter 486.)

Manhait Point, on the north shore of Mc Neil Island, named by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841. (Volume XXIII, Hydrography, Atlas, Chart 79.) The name does not appear on the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 6460.

Mann's Landing, see Fir.
Man of War Harbor, a former name for Griffin Bay, on the southeast shore of San Juan Island.

Mansfield, a town in the northern part of Douglas County, named about 1905 by R. E. Darling in honor of his home town in Ohio. (B. C. Ferguson, in Names MSS., Letter 77.) The Ohio town was named for Colonel Jared Mansfield, at one time surveyor-general of the United States. (Henry Gannett: Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, page 198.)

Manson, a town on the east shore of Lake Chelan, in Chelan County, named in 1912 by the Lake Chelan Land Company in honor of Manson F. Backus, of Seattle, president of the company. (R. Little, in Names MSS., Letter 465.)

Maple Cove, on Whidbey Island, opposite Everett. Large maples abound there which gave origin to the name. (E. M. Hawes, in Names MSS., Letter 24.)

Maplecreek, a post office at the foot of Knapp's Hill in the southeastern part of Chelan County. The land, now in the hands of C. J. Duhamel, was first owned by Frank Knapp for whom were named Knapp Coulee and Knapp's Hill. (C. J. Duhamel, in Names MSS., Letter 318.)

Maplevalley, a town in the central part of King County. The first name chosen by the three first settlers, G. W. Ames, C. O. Russell and Henry Sidebotham, was "Vine Maple Valley," on June 3, 1879. When the post office was secured by C. O. Russell in 1888, the name was shortened to Maplevalley. The name was suggested by the character of the forest there and in the deep valley of Cedar River. (Postmaster, in Names MSS., Letter 531.)

Ma-qua-buck, said to be an Indian name for Alki Point. (J. A. Costello: The Siwash.) See Alki Point, page 4, and Battery Point, page 15.

Marble, a town in the northern part of Stevens County, named for the extensive deposits of marble found there. (Joseph T. Reed, in Names MSS., Letter 125.)

Marcellus, a town in the north central part of Adams County, named for some person in the East whose other name is forgotten. (H. R. Williams, vice-president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, in Names MSS., Letter 589.)

March Point, the east cape of Fidalgo Bay in the western part of Skagit County. The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, shows it as "Sachem Point." (Volume XXIII, Hydrography, atlas, chart 92.) It is possible that the present name is an honor for Hiram A Marsh, who had great success raising cauliflower seed near there in 1891. (Elwood Evans and Edmond S. Meany: The State of Washington, page 170.)

Marcus, a town in the northwestern part of Stevens County. On September 8, 1863, Marcus Oppenheimer and W. V. Brown took possession of some buildings abandoned by the British Boundary Commission. Brown died and Oppenheimer filed a homestead and the town when established on the site, was named for him. (N. W. Durham: Spokane and the Inland Umpire, page 273.)

Marengo, a town in the east central part of Adams County, named "after the Battle of Marengo." (H. R. Williams, vice-president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, in Names MSS., Letter 589). In 1876 there was an effort to establish a town with that name in Columbia County. In that case the name was an honor for the land owner Louis Raboin locally known as "Marengo." In the election for county seat Dayton received 418 and Marengo, 300. That Marengo existed chiefly on paper. (History of Southeastern Washington, pages 294-295.)

Marrowstone Point, the northeastern point of Marrowstone Island, in the northeastern part of Jefferson County, named by its discoverer Captain George Vancouver, of the British Navy, on May 8, 1792, stating that the cliff was composed mostly of "marrow stone." (Voyage Round the World, second edition, Volume II., pages 78-79.) An unsuccessful effort to change the name was made by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, to honor one of the officers. See Craven Peninsula, page 60.

Marshall, a town in the central part of Spokane County, named in March, 1880, for William H. Marshall who came to Washington Territory from California in 1878. (Postmaster, In Names MSS., Letter 166. History of Spokane County, page 279.)

Marshville, a former local name on the west side of Olympia Harbor, for Edwin Marsh who settled there in 1851. (H. H. Bancroft: Works, Volume XXXI., page 364.)

Martin, a town near the Stampede Tunnel in the west central part of Kittitas County. Judge Conkle named it "Marten" as some hunters killed a pine-marten there. They named the stream Pine Marten Creek. From that has come the slightly changed name. (Mrs. Jennie Whittington Mc Kinney, in Names MSS., Letter 379.)

Martin Island, in the Columbia River, in the south central part of Cowlitz County. The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, mapped it as "Smoke Island" .and Martin Slough nearby was shown as "Stiak Run." (Volume XXIII, Hydrography, atlas, chart 71.)

Martindale, a railroad station in the southern part of Franklin County, named for M. P. Martin, comptroller of the Northern Pacific and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Companies. (L. C. Gilman, in Names MSS., Letter 590.)

Maryhill, a town on the north bank of the Columbia River, in the south central part of Klickitat County. It was formerly known as Columbus. When Samuel Hill acquired an estate there, he accepted the suggestion of his guest, M. Jusserand, French Ambassador to the United States, to use the word Maryhill as Mr. Hill's wife and daughter and Mrs. Hill's mother all bore that name.

Marysville, a town in the west central part of Snohomish County. It was founded by J. P. Comeford, a native of Ireland who served in the Union army during the Civil War. While Indian Agent at Tulalip in 1872, he purchased 1280 acres of land from John Stafford, Truman Ireland, Louis Thomas and Captain Renton. In September, 1877, he began to construct a store and wharf. Among the first comers were James Johnson and Thomas Lloyd of Marysville, California, who suggested that name for the new town. (History of Skagit arid Snohomish Counties, pages 345-349.)

Mashel Creek, a tributary of the Nisqually River near Lagrande in south central Pierce County. (Henry Landes: A Geographic Dictionary of Washington, page 195.) Former names have been "Michel River" and "Mishall Creek."

Mason County, organized by act of the legislature dated March 13, 1854, under the Indian name of Sawamish County. On January 3, 1864, the name was changed to honor Charles H. Mason, first secretary of the Territory of Washington, who had died in 1859 after gallant and efficient services as secretary and acting governor during the Indian wars. He had graduated from Brown University in 1850. (H. H. Bancroft: Works, Volume XXXI pages 77 and 211.)

Mason Lake, in the east central part of Mason County, named in honor of Charles H. Mason. (Clara M. Strong, in Names MSS. Letter 207.) On many old charts it is shown as "Kellum's Lake" or "Lake Kelllim" See Kellum's Lake Isthmus, page 128.

Massacre Bay, at the head of West Sound, Orcas Island, in San Juan County. The name first appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2689, Richards, 1858-1859. The explorers found evidences of Indian battles there as they sprinkled in the vicinity such names as Skull Rock, Haida Point, Indian Point and Victim Island.

Matia Islands, a group northeast of Orcas Island, San Juan County. The Spanish charts of Eliza, 1791, and of Galliano and Valdes, 1792, show the name "Isla de Mata." (United States Public Documents, serial number 1157, charts K. and L.) The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, charted "Edmunds Group." The name Matia was conferred by the United States Coast Survey in 1854. (Pacific Coast Pilot, page 569.)

Mats Mats, a small harbor near Port Ludlow in the northeastern part of Jefferson County. The name is first mentioned in the Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey for 1856. (United States Public Documents, serial number 888, page 86.)

Maud, a town in the western part of Stevens County, named for Miss Maud Morgan, daughter of S. C. Morgan, a pioneer of 1885. (Postmaster at Gifford, in Names MSS. Letter 106.)

Maury Island, southwest of Vashon Island, in the southwestern part of King County, named by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, in honor of Lieutenant William L. Maury of the Expedition. The name has remained without change on all charts subsequent to 1841.

Maxwelton, a village on the southern shore of Whidby Island, in Island County, named by the MacKee brothers "in honor of the bonny braes of Scotland." (J. E. Montgomery, in Names MSS. Letter 436.)

May Creek, a village on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, opposite Mercer Island, King County, named for Mr. May who first started to homestead on land now a part of the Colman farm. (George L. Colman, of Kennydale, to K. M. Laurie, of Hazelwood, October 10, 1915, in Names MSS. Letter 221.)

May's Inlet, a name conferred on part of Port Orchard, Kitsap County, by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841. Commander Wilkes wrote : "Properly speaking, Rich's Passage is a part of Port Orchard, but as there were so many branches, I thought it necessary to give the arms which lead into it different names, reserving the name given by Vancouver to the largest: the others we called Dye's, Sinclair's and May's Inlets." (Volume XXIII, Hydrography, page 317.) The names used were those of officers with the expedition. William May had the rank of Passed Midshipman. The map of the expedition did not show the inlet receiving his name. It later got a local name "Dog Fish Bay," which was recently changed. See Liberty Bay.

Mayfield, a town on the Cowlitz River in the central part of Lewis County, named for W. H. Mayfield in 1891. (Postmaster, in Names MSS. Letter 258.)

Mayfields Creek, a tributary of the Bogachiel River in Clallam County, named for a pioneer, Jesse Maxfield. (Fanny Taylor, in Names MSS., Letter 307.)

Mayview, a post office in the northeastern part of Garfield County. It was named in 1880 by Henry Victor. The first postmistress was Mrs. W. L. Cox. In 1885, the post office was moved to the residence of L. H. Bradshaw but the name was not changed. (Chester Victor, in Names MSS., Letter 588, and History of Southeastern Washington, page 548.)

Mazama, a town in the western part of Okanogan County. The placed was called "Goat Creek." When the post office was secured in 1899, they chose what they thought was the Greek word for mountain goat. They later thought that was not the meaning of the word. (Mrs. M. Stewart, in Names MSS. Letter 314.) They looked in the wrong dictionary. The word is Spanish, not Greek, and the meaning is "mountain goat."

Mead, a town in the central part of Spokane County, named by James Berridge in honor of General George Gordon Meade of the Union Army in the Civil War. (Postmaster, in Names MSS. Letter 170.)

Meadow Creek, a town on a small stream of the same name at Keechelus Lake in west central Kittitas County. At the summit of the Cascades there is a meadow with two lakes. One is drained by this creek to the eastward and the other is drained to the westward. Thus arose the name. (Mrs. Jennie Whittington McKinney, in Names MSS. Letter 379.) The source of the creeks is called Meadow Pass.

Meadowdale, a town in the southwestern part of Snohomish County, named by the Washington Water Power Company when cleaned up and into grass it would be one vast meadow." (W. P. Cleveland, in Names MSS. Letter 456.)

Meadow Lake, a village in the west central part of Spokane County, named by the Washington Water Power Company when its electric line was established about 1906. (C. Selvidge, of Four Lakes, in Names MSS. Letter 168.)

Meadow Point, on the shore of Puget Sound, north of the entrance to Salmon Bay in the northwestern part of King County, named by the United States Coast Survey from the nature of the point. {Pacific Coast Pilot, page 605.)

Meagherville, a village in west central Kittitas County, named for T. F. Meagher, about 1890. (E. J. Powers, of Liberty, in Names MSS. Letter 295.)

Mecena Point, see Baadam Point, page 11.

Medical Lake, a town and a lake of the same name in the west central part of Spokane County. Andrew Lefevre is counted the first settler, one authority giving the date as 1859 (History of Spokane County, page 268) and another as 1872 (Rev. H. K. Hines: History of Washington, page 342.) The last named authority, on page 401, gives a sketch of Stanley Hallett saying that he settled there in 1877 and gave the name to the town. It is claimed that the waters of the lake were believed by the Indians to be a cure for rheumatism. (Postmaster, in Names MSS. Letter 248.)

Medicine Creek, see McAllister Creek.

Medina, a town on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, opposite Seattle, named in 1892 by Mrs. S. A. Belote. The name was taken from Medina, Turkey. (Postmaster at Medina, in Names MSS., Letter 511.)

Megler, a town on the north bank of the Columbia River, in Pacific County, named for the pioneer legislator, Joseph G. Megler, who maintained a fish cannery at Brookfield. Mr. Megler died on September 10, 1915. (Postmaster at McGowan, in Names MSS., Letter 55.)

Melakwa Lake, a small lake draining into Tuscohatchie Creek, in the eastern part of King County, named by The Mountaineers in 1916. The name is the Chinook word for "mosquito." (Report to United States Geographic Board, in Names MSS., Letter 580.)

Memaloose Islands, interesting islands in the Columbia River near The Dalles. Lewis and Clark called one of them "Sepulchre Island/' on which they counted thirteen burial huts some of them more than half filled with dead bodies. (O. D. Wheeler: The Trail of Lewis and Clark, Volume II., page 164.) Vic Trevett, a pioneer river man, was buried there at his own death-bed request. His monument is a conspicuous landmark for those traveling on or near the river. The Indian word Memaloose means "dead."

Mendota, a town "in the northwestern part of Lewis County, named in 1908 by the Mendota Coal & Coke Company, who had a mining company in Missouri with the same name. (P. L. Hansen, in Names MSS., Letter 74.)

Menlo, a town in the central part of Pacific County. When the Northern Pacific Railway Company was building the branch line to Willapa Harbor, option real estate dealers were active. A flag station was located on the property of Lindley Preston to be known as "Preston." John Brophy, of California, had an option on the homestead of Horace Hastings, three quarters of a mile south. To boom his place he called it Menlo Park, after the Bidwell estate in California. The construction crew of the railroad, finding that "Preston" had already been used as a railroad station name and needing a name for their new station, took Brophy's big sign. They cut off the word "Park" and in that way Menlo was placed on the railroad and later on the maps. (E. W, Lilly, in Names MSS., Letter 574.)

Mentor, a former town three miles from Pataha in Garfield County. It was at one time a candidate for the county seat. Known first as Rafferty's Ranch, the town was later named Belfast and in 1881 the name was changed to Mentor in honor of President Garfield's home town in Ohio. (History of Southeastern Washington, pages 504-505 and 549.)

Menzies Island, a former name of the island in the Columbia River opposite Fort Vancouver, and on the Oregon side of the present boundary. The name was an honor for Archibald Menzies, surgeon and naturalist with the Vancouver Expedition, 1792. On May 2, 1825, the botanist Douglas wrote: "Made a visit to Menzies Island, in the Columbia River opposite the Hudson Bay Company's establishment at Point Vancouver, seventy-five miles from Cape Disappointment." (Journal of David Douglas, 1823-1827, page 115.) Wilkes in 1841 charted it as "Barclay Island" (United States Exploring Expedition, Hydrography, Volume XXIII, Atlas, chart 72). The United States Government now uses the name Hayden Island (Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 6154.)

Mercer Island, along the Eastern shore of Lake Washington, in King County. It was named in honor of Asa Shinn Mercer who once owned land there. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 30, 1909). By the Duwamish Indians the place was called "Klut-use." (J. A. Costello, The Siwash.)

Meredith, a station three miles south of Kent, in King County. It was named for some noted man or place in West Virginia by the Puget Sound Electric Railway officials in 1905. (Postmaster at Christopher, in Names MSS. Letter 73.)

Merrifield Cove, in Griffin Bay, San Juan Island, in San Juan County. The name is in honor of Stafford Merrifield, an early settler.

Mesa, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway in the central part of Franklin County. The word in Spanish means "tableland."

Meskill, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway in the west central part of Lews County. It was formerly called "Donahue" or "Donahue Spur" in honor of Francis Donahue, of Chehalis, who owned the land.

Metaline Falls, a town on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in the south central part of Pend Oreille County. The original town was across the Pend Oreille River and was named by miners in the golden days of 1849 because they thought the entire district was covered with minerals. The noise of the falls in the river can be heard in the town which is some distance south of the falls. (E. O. Dressel, in Names MSS. Letter 51.)

Methow, the name of a town in Okanogan County, of a river flowing through that county into the Columbia River, and of rapids in the latter river below the mouth of Methow River. The tribe of Indians known as Methow formerly living on lands between that river and Lake Chelan now has some survivors on the Colville Reservation. (Bureau of American Ethnology, Handbook of American Indians, Volume L, page 850.) The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, gave the name "Barrier River." (Hydrography, Volume XXIII., Atlas, chart 67.) Alexander Ross says the Indian name for the river was "Buttle-mule-emauch, (Oregon Settlers, page 150.) As early as July 6, 1811, David Thompson wrote the name "Smeetheowe" for the tribe he met there. (Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, Volume XV., page 51.) In 1853, George Gibbs called the stream Methow or Barrier River. (Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume I., page 412.) The name as now used has passed through many forms of spelling.

Meyers Falls, a town on the Great Northern Railway in the west central part of Stevens County. It was named for Louther Walden Meyers, the pioneer who took possession in June 1866, having leased the Hudson's Bay Company mill property. The name was applied to the vicinity about 1880 and to the townsite in 1890. David Thompson in 1811 called it "Root Rivulet" on account of the camas root lands at the head of the river. Later the name was "Falls on Mill Creek," or "Hudson's Bay Mills." The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, called it "Mill River." Mr. Meyers died in 1909. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 31, 1909.) His family still live in the old home at Meyers Falls. (Jacob A. Meyers, in Names MSS. Letter 86.)

Michel River, see Mashel Creek.
Midchannel Bank, in Admiralty Inlet, probably the same as Allen's Bank.

Middle Bank. One feature by this name is a shoal in the Columbia River named by Belcher in 1839 (Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, 1858, appendix 44, page 394). Another is in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near the entrance to the Canal de Haro. (Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, 1862, page 96.)

Middle Channel, see San Juan Channel.

Middle Oregon, a name used by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, for the Okanogan country. (United States Exploring Expedition, Narrative, Volume IV., page 433.)

Middle Point, on Quimper Peninsula between Cape George and Point Wilson, near Port Townsend, Jefferson County. It was named by the United States Coast Survey in 1854. United states Public Documents Serial No. 784, chart 51.)

Midvale, a town in the southeastern part of Yakima County, named by the Oregon-Washington Railway and Navigation officials. (Postmaster at Sunnyside in Names MSS. Letter 402.)

Midway, a town north of Cheney in Spokane County named by the electric railway about 1906. (C. Selvidge, of Four Lakes, in Names MSS. Letter 168.)

Miles, a town in the north central part of Lincoln County named in honor of General Nelson A. Miles who located Fort Spokane at the junction of the Spokane and Columbia Rivers. (A. E. Lewis in Names MSS. Letter 237.)

Mill Creek, eleven counties in the State of Washington have streams bearing this name. The most historic one is the tributary of the Walla Walla River. Rev. Myron Eells says that the missionary, Dr. Marcus Whitman, rebuilt his flowing mill in 1844 and the next year went up the stream twenty miles to the Blue Mountains and there built a sawmill which caused the stream to be called Mill Creek. (Myron Eells: Marcus Whitman, page 135.) The Mill Creek in Skagit County was named by B. D. Minkler in 1878 when he built on that stream the first sawmill in what is now Skagit County. (Postmaster at Birdsview, in Names MSS. Letter 130.)

Mill River, see Meyers Falls.
Miller Point, see Point Polnell.

Millerton, a town in the northern part of Whatcom County, named for W. L. Miller, a veteran of the Civil War, who came to Whatcom County from Nebraska and engaged in the lumber and real estate business. He was mayor of New Whatcom in 1892 and owned the townsite of Millerton.

Mills Creek, near Branham in Thurston County named for Charles Mills who proved up oh a homestead at the mouth of the stream. (Noble G. Rice, in Names MSS. Letter 48.)

Milton Mills, see Longs.

Mina, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway in the southwestern part of Thurston County. In that locality there are a prairie and a creek with the same name. The name is said to be an Indian word meaning "a little further along." (Dora E. Webb, in Names MSS. Letter 35.)

Mineral, a town, creek and lake in the northeastern part of Lewis County. The town is on the south shore from the lake from which it derived its name. (Postmaster at Mineral, in Names MSS. Letter 397.) The Surveyor General of Washington Territory in 1857 charted the lake as "Goldsboro Lake." (United States Public Documents, Serial No. 877.)

Minkler, a town in the western part of Skagit County. It was named in 1897 in honor of the pioneer B. D. Minkler by members of his family. (Matie F. Prenedue, in Names MSS. Letter 34.) Minnesota Reef, a ledge of rocks partly uncovered at low tide on the eastern extremity of Madrona Peninsula, opposite Turn Island, on San Juan Island, San Juan County. The name was given m 1898 by Professor Josephine E. Tilden of the University of Minnesota. (Walter L. C. Muenscher, in Puget Sound Marine Station Publications, Volume L, Number 9, pages 59-84.)

Minor Island, "a very small, low islet called Minor exists one mile northeast of Smith's Island and at low tides is connected with it by a narrow ridge of boulders and rocks." (George Davidson in Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, 1858, page 429.)

Minter, see Elgin. Minter River, see Owl Creek.

Mis chin Rocks. "There are two large rocks near the south head of Long Island in the Bay [Willapa Harbor], called Mis chin, or Louse Rocks, and the legend is that they were formerly a chief and his wife, who were very bad people, and by their magic first introduced lice among the Indians; and one day, while bathing, they were, by a superior medicine man, turned into stones as a punishment." (James G. Swain. Northwest Coast, page 174.)

Mission, a town in the central part of Okanogan County. A Catholic mission was established there in 1887. The town now supports a high school. (Postmaster at Mission, in Names MSS. Letter 299.) Cashmere in Chelan County was formerly called "Mission" and a small stream in that locality is still known as Mission Creek. The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, placed four missions on the map, one at Fort Vancouver, one on Cowlitz Prairie, a Methodist mission at Fort Nisqually and a Presbyterian mission at Walla Walla. (United States Exploring Expedition. Hydrography, Volume XXIII., Atlas, chart 67.)

Mitchell, see Arrowsmith.

Mitchell's Peak, in Cowlitz County, named for a member of the party which climbed the peak in 1887. During the Indian war the government maintained a station on the summit, signalling to Davis Peak near Woodland and thence to Vancouver. (John Beavers, of Congar, in Names MSS. Letter 201.)

Mnas-a-tas, see Manastash Creek.

Mock, a station on the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway in the southwestern part of Spokane County. It was named for W. C. Mock, chief draftsman in the Principal Assistant Engineer's office. (L. C. Gilman in Names MSS. Letter 590.)

Moclips, a town near the mouth of a creek bearing the same name, on the sea coast in the west central part of Grays Harbor County. The word in the Quinault Indian language means a place where girls were sent as they were approaching puberty.

Moh-ha-na-she, see Palouse River.

Mold, a town in the eastern part of Douglas County. On April 11, 1899, the postmaster Marshall McLean, chose that name as being different from any other in the State and as being descriptive of the rich soil in that vicinity. (Marshall McLean, in Names MSS. Letter 107.)

Monaghan Rapids, in the Columbia River near the mouth of Nespelem River. The name was given in 1881 by Lieutenant Thomas William Symons of the United States Army, while surveying the Columbia River, in honor of James Monaghan, pioneer of Eastern Washington and prominent business man of Spokane. (Clinton A. Snowden: History of Washington, Volume V., page 145.)

Money Creek, a tributary of the Skykomish River, in the northwestern part of King County. It was named because of a large sum of money sent by eastern stockholders to develop a mine and other resources of the stream. (Postmaster at Berlin, in Names MSS. Letter 447.)

Monohan, a town on the eastern shore of Lake Sammamish, in the northwestern part of King County. It was named in honor of Martin Monohan, a native of Ohio who migrated to Oregon in 1853 and later lived four years in Idaho. He came to Seattle in 1871 and in 1877 took up a homestead where the town bearing his name has developed. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 25, 1909.)

Monroe, a town in the southwestern part of Snohomish County. In 1878, Salem Woods made efforts to establish a town at Park Place, so named on .account of the beautiful scenery. John A. Vanasdlen arrived in October, 1889, and started a store. The next year he secured a post office but the Post office Department informed him that another name would have to be chosen. He promptly selected Monroe which was adopted. His widow says so far as she knows the name chosen had no special meaning or local application. (Arthur Bailey, in Names MSS. Letter 504.) When the Great Northern Railway was being built through that valley Mr. Vanasdlen and J. F. Stretch platted a town one mile east of Park Place and called it "Tye" after a locating engineer of the railroad. A station was built there which the railroad officials named "Wales" (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, pages 362-364.) Mr. Vanasdlen moved his Monroe post office to the new settlement. Mr. Stretch persuaded the railroad officials to change the name of their station from "Wales" to Monroe. (J. F. Stretch, in Names MSS. Letter 578.) The old settlement is still known as Park Place, a suburb on the west, under the walls of the State Reformatory.

Montborne, a town on the Northern Pacific Railway, in the southwestern part of Skagit County. The site was settled upon in 1884 by Dr. H. P. Montborne of Mount Vernon. (History of Skagit mid Snohomish Counties, page 242.) On Kroll's map of Skagit County the spelling is "Mt. Bourne."

Monte Cristo, a mining district and town in the east central part of Snohomish County. It was named in dramatic fashion on July 4, 1889, by Joseph Pearsall, a prospector who was climbing over the hills and saw evidences of minerals. Through his field glasses he saw what he believed to be a long and broad streak of galena. Waving his arms he shouted: "It is rich as Monte Cristo!" From that hour the name was established. (L. K. Hodges: Mining in the Pacific Northwest, published in 1897, and quoted in The Mountaineer, Volume XL, 1918, page 32.) L. W. Getchell organized the Silver Queen Mining and Smelting Company with a capital stock of $5,000,000 and became general manager in 1890. A railroad was built between the new town of Monte Cristo and Everett. (Julian Hawthorne: History of Washington, Volume L, pages 437-438.) When the mining interests declined the region remained famous as a resort for fishermen, hunters and campers.

Montesano, the county seat of Grays Harbor County. The first settler was Isaiah L. Scammon, who came from Maine by way of California, arriving in 1852. (H. H. Bancroft: Works; Volume XXXI., pages 36-37.) When the county of Chehalis (name later changed to Grays Harbor) was created on April 14, 1854, the Washington Territorial Legislature located the county seat "at the house of D. K. Welden (Laws of Washington, 1854, page 476.) On January 28, 1860, it was relocated "at the place of J. L. Scammons." Mrs. Lorinda Scammon, wife of the pioneer was very religious and wished to call the place "Mount Zion." At a little fireside' council Samuel James, pioneer of Mound Prairie, suggested that Montesano had a more pleasant sound and about the same meaning. The suggestion was approved and soon afterwards a post office was secured with the same name. A few years later, S. H. Williams, son-in-law of S. S. Ford, and one of the party shipwrecked on Queen Charlotte Island, enslaved by the Haidah Indians, ransomed and rescued by other pioneers, bought sixteen acres on Medcalf Prairie and recorded his plat of "Montesano." The Chehalis River and a mile and a half of swampy road lay between the two places. A town-site war resulted. The county seat remained at the Scammon place but population and business flowed to the prairie town. The people of the county voted in 1886 to move the county seat and the Scammon place became known as South Montesano. (M. J. Luark, in Names MSS., Letter 548.) One of those who platted and helped to build the new town was Charles N. Byles. (History of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington, Volume II., pages 239.) The new town had been incorporated by the Legislature on November 26, 1883.

Monticello, a former town on the west bank of the Cowlitz River, about a mile from its mouth, in the southern part of Cowlitz County. It had been a landing place for some years before H. D. Huntington in 1849 affixed the name of Monticello in honor of Thomas Jefferson's home. The pioneers held a convention there in November, 1852, and successfully petitioned Congress for the creation of a new territorial government, which received the name of Washington. The old town is gone and the property belongs to Wallace Huntington. (John L. Harris, of Kelso, in Names MSS., Letter 473.)

Monument, a station on the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, in the southeastern part of Franklin County. It is named for a rock formation known as Devil's Pulpit and Monument in Devil's Canyon. (L. C. Gilman, in Names MSS.

Moody Point, see Johnson Point, page 125.
Moohool River, see Grays River, page 103.

Moonax, a town on the Columbia River in the southeastern part of Klickitat County. Lewis and Clark in 1805 found the Indians there had a pet woodchuck and Moonax is the Indian name for woodchuck. (L. C. Gilman, in Names MSS., Letter 590.) Moore, a post office on the east shore of Lake Chelan in the north central part of Chelan County. It was named for J. Robert Moore who homesteaded Moore's Point and operated a summer hotel there for more than twenty years. He was also postmaster until his death on August 31, 1909. The entire property was sold to H. Frank Hubbard on June 17, 1912. (Postmaster at Moore, in Names MSS., Letter 293.)

Moore's Bluff, see Devil's Head, page 68.

Mora, a post office at the mouth of the Quillayute River in the southwestern part of Clallam County. Mr. and Mrs. Frank T. Balch named, the place Boston but so many letters for Boston, Massachusetts, were sent to the little office near the Pacific Ocean that K. O. Erickson, the next postmaster, had the new name substituted and thus honored his home town in Sweden. (Mrs. Frank T. Balch, in Names MSS., Letter 553.)

Morse Island, north of Henry Island, in the west central United States brig Porpoise. (United States Exploring Expedition, 1841, in honor of William H. Morse, purser's steward on the United States brig Porpoise. (United States Exploring Expedition, Hydrography, Volume XXIII, Atlas, chart 77.)

Morton, a town in the central part of Lewis County. When the post office was established it was named in honor of Vice President Levi P. Morton. (John M. Jones, in Names MSS., Letter 479.)

Moses Coulee, extending from the central part of Douglas County to the Columbia River. It was named for Chief Moses whose tribe made winter headquarters in the coulee near the mouth of Douglas Canyon. (Irving B. Vestal, of Palisades, in Names MSS. Letter 80.) A stream in the coulee is called Moses Creek.

Moses Lake, in the central part of Grant County. It was named from the fact that the tribe of Chief Moses used the shores of the lake for camping grounds. A post office on the shore of the lake was named on April 16, 1906, Moseslake. (Jessie MacDonald, postmistress, in Names MSS. Letter 37.)

Mosquito Lake, in the west central part of Whatcom County. It was named by surveyors on account of insect pests they there encountered. (Frank B. Garrie, postmaster at Welcome, in Names MSS. Letter 145.)

Mossy Rock, a town on the Cowlitz River in the central part of Lewis County. It was named in 1852 by Mr. Halland after a point of moss-covered rock about 200 feet high at the east end of Klickitat Prairie. The local Indians had called the prairie "Coulph" but the Klickitat Indians came and drove out the white settlers one of whom, Henry Busie, killed himself. Since then the prairie is called Klickhitat. (N. M. Kjesbin, in Names MSS. Letter 22.)

Mottinger, a station on the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway in the southern part of Benton County. When the railroad was built in 1906-1907 the officials named the station out of courtesy to the homesteaders there, G. H. and Martha Mottinger. (G. H. Mottinger, in Names MSS. Letter, 7.)

Mouatt Reef, in Cowlitz Bay, Waldron Island, in the north central part of San Juan County. The name appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2840, Richards, 1858-1860. See also Cowlitz Bay. This honor was for Captain William Alexander Mouatt, who served on various boats for the Hudson's Bay Company. (Lewis and Dyden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, page 21.)

Mound Prairie, in the southeastern part of Thurston County. Many geologists have given differing theories about the origin of the mounds which caused the name of this prairie. One of the early references is by the Wilkes. Expedition, 1841, as follows: "We soon reached the Bute Prairies, which are extensive and covered with tumuli or small mounds, at regular distances asunder. As far as I could learn there is no tradition among the natives relative to them. They are conical mounds, thirty feet in diameter, about six or seven feet high above the level, and many thousands in number. Being anxious to ascertain if they contained any relics, I subsequently visited these prairies and opened three of the mounds, but nothing was found in them but a pavement of round stones. (United States Exploring Expedition, Narrative, Volume IV., page 313).

Mount Adams, in the southeastern part of Yakima County. Elevation, 12,307 feet. (Henry Landes: A Geographic Dictionary of Washington, page 60.) The first mention of this mountain was by Lewis and Clark on April 3, 1806, who refer to it as a "very high humped mountain," but do not give it a name. (Elliott Coues' edition of Lewis and Clark Journals Volume III., page 923. See also The Mountaineer, Volume X., 1917, pages 23-24.) Hall J. Kelley in 1839 undertook to call the Cascades the "Presidents' Range" and to rename the peaks for individual presidents. In his scheme Mount St. Helens was to be "Mount Washington" and Mount Hood was to be "Mount Adams" after John Adams as he proposed to call Mount McLoughlin "Mount J. Q. Adams." (United States Public Documents, Serial Number 351, House Report 101, pages 53-54.) The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, on chart 67 in the Atlas accompanying the volume on Hydrography shows most of the peaks but does not include Mount Adams. The Pacific Railroad Reports, 1853 chart the mountain and refer to it frequently by the name now in common use. Its confusion with the nearby Mount St. Helens, on nearly the same latitude, was at and end. In this indirect way, Hall J. Kelley's plan to honor a president has been accomplished. The author who proposed "Tacoma" as the name for Mount Rainier proposed the same name for Mount Adams as follows: "Tacoma the second, which Yankees call Mt. Adams, is a clumsier repetition of its greater brother, but noble enough to be the pride of a continent." (Theodore Winthrop: The Canoe and the Saddle, J. H. Williams edition, page 39.)

Mount Baker, in the central part of Whatcom County. Elevation, 10,750 feet. (United States Geological Survey.) The Indian name is said to be "Kulshan." The Spaniards called it "Montana del Carmelo." The explorer, Vancouver, wrote on April 30, 1792: "The high distant land formed, as already observed, like detached islands, amongst which the lofty mountain, discovered in the afternoon by the third lieutenant, and in compliment to him called Mount Baker, rose a very conspicuous object." (Capt. in George Vancouver: A Voyage of Discovery, second edition, Volume II., page 56.) The third lieutenant was Joseph Baker for a biography of whom see Edmond S. Meany's Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, pages 82-83.

Mount Booker, in Chelan County at the mouth of Stehekin River. Mrs. Frank R. Hill of Tacoma, a landscape painter, engaged by the Great Northern Railway Company to paint for them some pictures to exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904, painted this mountain, which newspaper critics called "No Name Mountain." Mrs. Hill then appealed to the proper authorities and had the name Mount Booker adopted. She said she wanted to honor Booker T. Washington, adding "because the peak itself suggested the name to me. It is high and lifted up, towering above the other mountains surrounding it and inspiring me with its massive slopes and lofty peaks." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 22, 1904.) The elevation is estimated at 7,500 feet.

Mount Chatham, in the northeastern part of Jefferson County, southwest of Port Discovery Bay. The bay had been named by Vancouver in 1792 after his vessel and the United States Coast Survey named the mountain after Vancouver's armed tender Chatham. (Edmond S. Meany's Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, page 3.) The Indian name for the peak is O-oo-quah meaning "crying baby," because, they say, if you point your finger at that mountain rain will fall. The elevation is 2,000 feet. (Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, 1858, page 422.)

Mount Cleveland, in the northeastern part of King County, south of Berlin. Elevation, 5,301 feet. "Our most conspicuous and highest mountain, named when Cleveland was elected, would have been named for his opponent if he had been successful." (Postmaster at Berlin, in Names MSS. Letter 447.)

Mount Coffin, on the north bank of the Columbia River in the southwestern part of Cowlitz County. Elevation, 240 feet. It was mentioned by its present name by Alexander Henry on January 11, 1814. (Alexander Henry and David Thompson, Journals, Elliott Coues, editor Vol. II., page 796.) Wilkes described the Indian canoes used as coffins and tells of a fire accidentally started by his men in 1841. (United States Exploring Expedition, Narrative, Volume V., 121.)

Mount Colville, about eight miles northeast of Colville, in the central part of Stevens County. Elevation, 5,667 feet. It was named from the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Colville. It is sometimes called "Old Dominion Mountain."

Mount Constance, above Hood Canal, in the east central part of Jefferson County. Elevation, 7,777 feet. (United States Geological Survey, Dictionary of Altitudes, page 1015.) Captain George Davidson of the United States Coast Survey named it in 1856 for Constance Fauntleroy, later Mrs. James Runcie. She was a woman of much talent in literature and music. She died in Illinois on May 17, 1911, aged 75 years. (Edmond S. Meany: The Story of Three Olympic Peaks, in the Washington Historical Quarterly, Volume IV., pages 182-186.)

Mount Constitution, on Orcas Island in San Juan County. Elevation 2,409 feet. Wilkes in 1841 named the island in honor of Commodore Issac Hull, who had command of the famous American ship Constitution. To intensify the honor he named the highest point on his "Hulls Island" after the ship and to East Sound he gave the ship's pet name, "Old Ironsides Inlet." (United States Exploring Expedition, Hydrography, Volume XXIII, Atlas, chart 77.) Mount Dallas, near the west coast of San Juan Island in San Juan County. Elevation, 1,086 feet. It was named by Captain Richards of the British ship Plumper, in 1858, in honor of Alexander Grant Dallas, of the Hudson's Bay Company. (Captain John T. Walbran: British Columbia Coast Names, page 129.)

Mount Ellinor, two miles northeast of Lake Cushman in the northeastern part of Mason County. Elevation, 6,500 feet. It was named in 1856 by Captain George Davidson in honor of Ellinor Fauntleroy, who later became his wife. (Edmond S. Meany: The Story of Three Olympic Peaks, in the Washington Historical Quarterly, Volume IV., pages 182-186.)

Mount Erie, on Fidalgo Island, in the west central part of Skagit County. Elevation, 1300. Wilkes in 1841 honored Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry by giving the name "Perry Island" to what is now known as Fidalgo Island. To intensify the honor he named the peak after Perry's famous Battle of Lake Erie. (United Stakes Exploring Expedition, Hydrography, Volume XXIII, Atlas, chart 77.) The name of Perry has been supplanted but the name of the mountain persists as in the case of Mount Constitution. Mount Finlayson, near Cattle Point, on the southeastern portion of San Juan Island, San Juan County. It appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2689, Richards 1858-1859, where the height is indicated as 550 feet. It does not appear whether the honor was intended for Duncan Finlayson or Roderick Finlayson, both of whom, in the Hudson's Bay Company service, were honored with place names in British Columbia. Mount Finlayson does not appear on present day charts.

Mount Fitzhugh, about four miles due east of Snoqualmie Falls, in King County. The name appears on the 1857 map of the Surveyor General of Washington Territory. (United States Public Documents, serial number 877.) It is probable that Captain Richards sought to honor Colonel, afterwards judge, Edmond C. Fitzhugh, who was manager of the Bellingham Bay Coal Company.

Mount Gladys, near Lake Cushman, Mason County. Elevation, 5,700 feet. It was named by a company of campers in the summer of 1913, in honor of Gladys, daughter of Chaplain Edmund P. Easterbrook, of the United States Army. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 17, 1913.)

Mount Ikes, in the Cascade Range, just north of Naches Pass. The name, while not carried on present day charts, appears on the 1857 map of the Surveyor General of Washington Territory. (United States Public Documents, serial number 877.)

Mount Little, see Little Mountain.

Mount McKay, in Okanogan County, named by the Tiffany Boys after one of their associates. (C. H. Lovejoy to Frank Putman, April 6, 1916, in Names MSS. Letter 345.)

Mount Olympus, highest peak in the Olympic Range, in the north central portion of Jefferson County. Elevation, 8,150 feet. (United States Geological Survey: A Dictionary of Altitudes, page 1022.) The mountain was discovered by the Spanish Captain, Juan Perez, in 1774 and named by him "El Cero de la Santa Rosalia." (Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume XII., Part I., page 262.) The Spanish chart was not published until years, had elapsed. On July 4, 1788, the British Captain, John Meares, saw the mountain and named it Mount Olympus. Captain George Vancouver saw the mountain in 1792 and charted the name as given by Captain Meares. (Voyage of Discovery, second edition, Volume II., pages 41-42.) The name has remained on all subsequent maps.

Mount Pilchuck, ten miles east of Granite Falls, in the central portion of Snohomish County. Elevation, 5,334 feet. (United States Geological Survey: A Dictionary of Altitudes, page 1023.) The name comes from a nearby creek which the Indians had called Pilchuck, meaning "red water."

Mount Pleasant, a station on the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, in the southwestern part of Skamania County. It is an old settlement deriving its name from the nearby hills. (L. C. Gilman, in Names MSS. Letter 590.) Mount Polk, see Mount Baker.

Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in the State of Washington, in the southeastern part of Pierce County. Elevation, 14,-408 feet. (United States Geological Survey in Edmond S. Meany's Mount Rainier, A Record of Exploration, pages 297-301.) The mountain was discovered on Tuesday, May 8, 1792, by Captain George Vancouver and named by him in honor of Rear Admiral Peter Rainier of the British Navy. (Voyage of Discovery, second edition, Volume II., page 79.) As related above, see Mount Adams, Hall J. Kelley sought to name the peaks for Presidents of the United States. He did not disturb the name of Mount Rainier but his scheme was expanded by J. Quinn Thornton who proposed to place the name of President William Henry Harrison on that mountain. (Oregon and California, 1849. Volume L, page 316.) In 1853 Theodore Winthrop declared the Indian name of the mountain to be "Tacoma." (The Canoe and the Saddle, 1862. Pages 43-45 and 123-176.) The author there frequently mentions "Tacoma," which he says was a generic name among the Indians for all snow mountains. For that reason he called Mount Adams "Tacoma the Second." Later, a city developed on Commencement Bay with the name of Tacoma. As that city grew and became ambitious there arose an agitation to change the name of Mount Rainier to the Winthrop name of "Mount Tacoma." That controversy was continued for many years with much spirit and some bitterness. The United States Geographic Board has rendered two decisions in the case, both in favor of Mount Rainier. The first decision was in 1890 and the second in 1917. On the latter occasion a public hearing was granted and much information was assembled by both sides. It was shown that the agitation had gone so far as to propose the name "Tacoma" for the State when it was about to be admitted into the Union in 1889. It was further shown that a number of names had been used by Indians for the mountain. Dr. William Fraser Tolmie, of the Hudson's Bay Company had written in his diary May 31, 1833, that the Indians called the mountain "Puskehouse." Peter C. Stanup, son of Jonas Stanup, sub-Chief of the Puyallup Indians, told Samuel L. Crawford that the name among his people was "Tiswauk." This was confirmed by F. H. Whitworth who had served as interpreter for the Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Washington Territory. Father Boulet, a missionary among Puget Sound Indians for many years was authority for the Indian name of "Tu-ah-ku" for the mountain. (In the Matter of the Proposal to Change the Name of Mount Rainier, by Charles Tallmadge Conover and Victor J. Farrar.) As the controversy over the name has continued a number of compromise names have been suggested. While this is being written (July, 1920,) members of the Grand Army of the Republic are framing a campaign to change the name to "Mount Lincoln," as an honor for the President, under whom they fought in the Civil War.

Mount Rainier National Park, including Mount Rainier, in the southeastern part of Pierce County, created by an act of Congress on March 2, 1899. Within the park there are many named features. The origins of those names have been published so far as known in Edmond S. Meany's Mount Rainier, A Record of Exploration, pages 302-325.

Mount Saint Helens, in the northeastern part of Skamania County. Elevation, 9,671 feet. (Henry Landes: A Geographic Dictionary of Washington, page 244.) In May, 1792, Captain George Vancouver saw the mountain from Puget Sound. In the following October, while off the shore near the mouth of the Columbia River he saw it again and named it "in honor of His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at the Court of Madrid. (Voyage of Discovery, second edition, Volume II., page 399.) In the Hall J. Kelley scheme for names in the "Presidents' Range," Mount Saint Helens was to have been "Mount Washington." It was for a time confused with Mount Adams in the same latitude. The Indian name is said to have been Louwala, clough meaning "smoking mountain." (Oregon Native Son in The Washington Historian, September, 1899, page 52.) The volcano is said to have been in eruption as late as 1842. (James G. Swan: The Northwest Coast, 1857, page 395.)

Mount St. Pierre, named by Lieutenant Robert E. Johnson on June 7, 1841, who called it "a remarkable peak." (United States Exploring Expedition) Narrative, Volume IV., page 432.) It is probably Badger Mountain of the present day maps of Douglas County.

Mount Sauk, five miles north of Rockport, in the north central part of Skagit County. Like the name of a river in the same vicinity, this name came from that of a tribe of Indians. (Postmaster at Sauk, in Names MSS. Letter 49.)

Mount Si, about two and one half miles northeast of North Bend, in the central part of King County. In 1862 Josiah Merrit settled near the foot of the mountain which was named for him. (Julia Falkner, Local History of Fall City.)

Mount Spokane, in the northwestern part of Spokane County, and formerly known as Mount Baldy. On August 23, 1912, in the presence of Governor M. E. Hay, Mayor W. J. Hindlay of Spokane and others, Miss Marguerite Motie broke a bottle of spring water on the summit and bestowed the new name. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 24, 1912.)

Mount Stuart, named on September 20, 1853, by Captain George B. McClellan who says: " a handsome snow-peak, smaller than Mount Baker; as it is not to be found on any previous map that I know of, and had no name, I called it Mount Stuart." (Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume I., chapter 18, page 196.) The peak is in the southwestern part of Chelan County and has an elevation of 9,470 feet. The Stuart who was honored by having his name given to this beautiful mountain may be identified by McClellan's Diary. On December 4, 1846, he wrote: "Jimmie Stuart came down to take care of me when I first got there, and after doing so with his usual kindness was unfortunately taken with fever and had to stay there anyhow." Later, without entry-date, McClellan wrote: "On the 18th June, 1851, at five in the afternoon died Jimmie Stuart, my best and oldest friend. He was mortally wounded the day before by an arrow, whilst gallantly leading a charge against a party of hostile Indians. He was buried at Camp Stuart, about twenty-five miles south of Rogue River [Oregon] near the road, and not far from the base of the Cision [Siskiyou] mountains His grave is between two oaks, on the side of the road, going south, with J. S. cut in the bark of the largest of the oaks." (McClellan's Mexican War Diary, page 14 and note.)

Mount Tacoma, see Mount Rainier.
Mount Van Buren, see Mount Olympus.
Mount Vancouver, see Mount Jefferson, Oregon.

Mount Vernon, the county seat of Skagit County, named in March, 1877, by Harrison Clothier and E. C. English in honor of the Virginia home of George Washington. (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, page 189.) The Virginia estate was named in honor of Admiral Edward Vernon of the British Navy by Lewis Washington who willed it to his brother George Washington. (Henry Gannett, Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, page 217.)

Mount Washington, see Mount Saint Helens.
Mount Whitman, see Mount Rainier.

Mount Young, near Wescott Creek, on San Juan Island, in San Juan County. The name first appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2689, Richards, 1858-1859. The name does not appear on American charts.

Mountain View, on a hill near Ferndale, in Whatcom County. On account of the splendid view of the mountains and surrounding country, the place was named by Mrs. H. A. Smith who settled there in 1877. (Fred C. Whitney of Ferndale, in Names MSS. Letter 156.) The same name was at one time used for Clearlake, Skagit County.

Mouse River, see Querquelin River.

Moxlie Creek, in Thurston County. "January 16, 1869, Died, R. W. Moxlie, a pioneer, for whom Moxlie Creek was named." (Mrs. George E. Blankenship, Tillicum Tales of Thurston County, page 388.)

Muck, a creek, tributary to the Nisqually River in the southwestern part of Pierce County. The creek was named "Douglas River" by the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, whose post at what is now Roy was known as Muck. "Bastien sent off to Muck with two ox plows, and to bring home a load of meat, Montgomery having been instructed to slaughter in the plains some of the large oxen that cannot be driven away from Douglass River." (Nisqually Journal, February 2, 1846.)

Muckleshoot Indian Reservation, near Auburn in King County. C. L. Willis, a pioneer of Seattle, says the word means river junction. (Victor J. Farrar, in Names MSS. Letter 551.)

Mud Bay, see Eld Inlet. Mud Bay Spit, see Point Cooper.

Mud Creek, a tributary of Walla Walla River in Walla Walla County. In 1853 it was mapped as "Wild Horse Creek." (Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume XII., book I, map.)

Mud Flat, see Nisqually Flats.

Mud Mountain, mentioned by Ezra Meeker during a trip through Naches Pass. (Pioneer Reminiscenes, page 94.) It is shown on the Surveyor General of Washington Territory's map of 1857. (United States Public Documents, serial number 877.)

Mukamuk Pass, near Conconully in Okanogan County. It is a great place for game, dear, grouse, rabbits, and pheasants. A man can take his gun and get mukamuk (Chinook Jargon for food) in that gulch or pass. (C. H. Lovejoy to Frank Putman, of Tonasket, April 6, 1916, in Names MSS. Letter 345.)

Mukilteo, a town on the shore of Puget Sound in the west central part of Snohomish County. It is an old Indian place name. Gov. Isaac I. Stevens in making the Indian treaty of January 22, 1855, chose "Muckl-te-oh or Point Elliott" as the place. (Charles J. Kappler, Indian affairs, Laws and Treaties, Volume II., page 669.) "Date, origin, and original application unknown. I have never met an Indian who could give me the meaning of the word Mukilteo though I have made 21 years of inquiry and lived among them that long." (Charles M. Buchanan, Aboriginal Names Used at Tulalip, in Names MSS. Letter 155.) The founders of the town were J. D. Fowler and Morris H. Frost partners in a store. Mr. Fowler became postmaster in 1862. The place was known as Point Elliott but Mr. Fowler changed it to Mukilteo, local Indian word for "good camping ground." (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, pages 369-370.)

Mummy Rocks, in Middle channel, off the southwest shore of Lopez Island, in San Juan County. The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, included these rocks in what were charted as Geese Islets.

Murdens Cove, on the east shore of Bainbridge Island, in Kitsap County. It was named by the United States Coast Survey in 1856. (George Davidson, Pacific Coast Pilot, page 609, note.) Locally the name has been changed to Rolling Bay. In that vicinity it is believed that Murden was an early beach dweller. (Lucas A. Rodd, postmaster at Rolling Bay, in Names MSS. Letter I.)

Muscle Rapid, see Indian Rapids.

Musqueti Point, on the eastern shore of Hood Canal, at the bend, in the central part of Mason County. It was named by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841. (Hydrography, Volume XXIII., Atlas, chart 78.)

Mutiny Bay, on the southwest coast of Whidbey Island, in Island County. It was named by the United States Coast Survey in 1855. (George Davidson, Pacific Coast Pilot, page 594, note.)

Washington AHGP | Geographic Names

Source: Washington Historical Quarterly, Volume 8 - 14