gouge eye v. the rancher’s daughter

This is Starvation Creek, which is at the bottom of Starvation Falls. I think it’s so pretty! I’m finding that it’s really hard, at least with my camera and level of skill, to get a good picture once I'm in the forest. This isn’t even that deep in - it’s a highway rest area, for crying out loud! (and state park, and hooked into a series of trails but I digress...) It’s dark in there, is what I’m saying. Not dark as night dark, but the light is very green since it’s filtered through a lot of trees. I like how this one turned out.

How did Starvation Creek get its name? Let’s consult the experts. Here’s the Oregon Geographic Names book entry on the falls (since the creek isn’t listed in the edition I have): STARVATION FALLS, Hood River County. These falls were so named because it was at this place west of Dog (Hood) River that a party of pioneer travelers suffered because of some defection in their commissary.

I love the Oregon Geographic Names book, which is not only fantastic for finding out how things got their names, but also features the opinionated dry wit of the “compiler.” The edition I’m looking at right now is the 3rd, and used to be my dad’s so there are notes and arrows all over it. For example, here’s one with an arrow for the town of Drewsey:

DREWSEY, Harney County. Abner Robbins started a store at this place in the summer of 1883 and called it Gouge Eye, apparently to commemorate the frontier method for settling disputes. About a year later Robbins applied for a post office, but postal authorities were reluctant to accept the original name, so he substituted a new name, Drusy. Eventually the office was named Drewsey. Oregon, End of the Trail (Oregon Guide), page 468, says the new name was in compliment to Drewsey Miller, the daughter of a rancher. In 1926 the compiler was told the name submitted to Washington was Drusy, which authorities changed to Drewsey. Drusy seems more like a girl’s name. The Oregon Guide calles the name Gouge Eye unpleasant, but the compiler thinks it a stout, picturesque bit of nomenclature, much better than some of the gutless expressions of today.


GREEN! many textures, many shades of green on one tree.


Doesn’t it look like this tree is out for a stroll? I’m pretty sure it was still moving when I took this picture, only it’s moving in tree time (like bullet time in the Matrix, only MUCH SLOWER).

These photos are all from Martina’s celebratory birthday day trip out the gorge.
more to come - I haven’t even gotten to the peacocks yet. (or stonehenge!)