>It wasn't until years later and thousands and thousands of maps were
>printed that somebody tried to translate some of the placenames - boy, did
>they blush when they saw the results !!!!!!
>Stuart MacKay

The official name folk in Oregon (I forget who this is, it ain't
the USGS obviously) have cleaned up some of the old names in Oregon
that weren't deemed acceptable.

My favorite is the Columbia Gorge's Rooster Rock. You've probably
seen it, a monolithic, one might be tempted to say phallic,
shaft of basalt. The old name can also be used to describe
a male chicken, but this wasn't the definition in mind by the
namer (you should be able to figure out the old name from these
hints, if not, e-mail me)

More recently, in the mid-70s if my memory serves, several
other familiar places were proposed for a name change. Including
a place familiar to Oregon birders, Whorehouse Meadows on Steens
Mountain (Steens is not the possessive of "Steen", but a word on
its own, and these are place names thus capitalized). It was
to be changed to (you won't believe it!) Naughty Girls Meadows!

A public outcry forced the prudes into hasty retreat.



-Don Baccus-