Sol Neelman/The Oregonian

Powerful peaks

Mountains mean a lot to us in the Pacific Northwest. They represent a great power, a certain sacred presence that lords high above our cities and towns. We make trips to their highest slopes. We drink water from their glacial melt. We can see their silhouettes when we close our eyes. Here’s to the many mountains of Oregon, a part of our souls from near or from far.

--Jamie Hale | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive

*Reference

A quick note: To compile this list, I used the MacArthurs’ “Oregon Geographic Names,” sixth edition. A seventh edition has since been released, but this is the copy I have handy. I didn’t include every Oregon Mountain here, but opted for the most prominent peaks and ones with more interesting names.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Aneroid Mountain

One of the tallest peaks in the Wallowa Mountains, Aneroid Mountain was named by Hoffman Philip, a member of the United States Fish Commission who used an aneroid barometer to determine the elevation of the lake just below it.

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AP Photo/The Bulletin, Rob Kerr

Mount Bachelor

The central Oregon peak got its original name, Bachelor Butte, because it stands out from the nearby Three Sisters mountains. When a ski area was established on its slopes, owners changed the name to Mount Bachelor, fearing that skiing a butte would be considered small-time.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Broken Top

Take a good look at the shattered peak of Broken Top, and it's no wonder how it got its name. Oregon Geographic Names offers no information on who named the mountain or when.

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Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service

Bohemia Mountain

The Lane County mountain was named for wandering mountaineer and prospector James "Bohemia" Johnson, supposedly born in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Diamond Peak

A tall, sloping peak in the Cascade Range, Diamond Peak was named in 1852 for John Diamond, a pioneer who settled near Coburg, Oregon and helped open an immigration road between Middle Fork Willamette River and Idaho.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Eagle Cap

Originally thought to be the highest peak in the Wallowa Mountains (several others are actually higher), Eagle Cap was supposed to be the pinnacle – or cap – of the range that was originally called the Eagle Mountains.

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Courtesy of Scott Erickson

Hart Mountain

The southeast Oregon landmark was first called Warner Mountain, but two ranchers' misspelling changed its name for good. Nearby Hart Ranch was named for the heart-shaped brands used for their cattle, the name extending to the mountain, lake and antelope refuge.

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Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

Mount Hood

Oregon's highest peak was named for Lord Samuel Hood, a British naval officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. In 1792, Lieutenant William Broughton, sailing with George Vancouver, named the peak for him.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Humbug Mountain

The prominent landmark on the southern Oregon Coast has gone by many names – Sugarloaf Mountain, Mount Franklin and the native name Me-tus – but became known as Tichenor's Humbug after Capt. William Tichenor and his crew lost their way near Port Orford. Humbug means to deceive or trick.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Mount Jefferson

Lewis and Clark named the Cascade peak after Thomas Jefferson, who as U.S. President funded their expedition west. The British originally called it Mount Vancouver.

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Flickr/Kirt Edblom

Marys Peak

One of the best known peaks west of the Cascades, Mary's Peak was originally called Mouse Mountain, supposedly a translation of the native name Chintimini. The modern name likely came from Mary's River north of the mountain, named for either Mary Lloyd – the first woman to cross the river – or the sister of early pioneer Adam E. Wimple.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Matterhorn

The Wallowa Mountains are often considered the Alps of Oregon, so it only makes sense that one of their peaks is named after the iconic Swiss mountain. At just about 9,800 feet, the American version is far shorter than its 14,600-foot namesake.

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Wikimedia Commons

Mount McLoughlin

First called Mount Pit for the pit game traps dug by area tribes, Mount McLoughlin was officially renamed by the Oregon legislature in 1905 to honor Dr. John McLoughlin, the "father of Oregon."

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Neahkahnie Mountain

There are several theories about what the native name Neahkahnie means: Names of deities who turned to stone, the word for the precipice overlooking the ocean, the abode of supreme god Ekahni and the exclamation "carne!" (meat) from survivors of a Spanish shipwreck.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Newberry Volcano

The central Oregon volcano was named by Dr. I.C. Russell, who examined the area in 1903 for the U.S. Geologic Survey. He named it after Dr. John Strong Newberry, who explored the region for the Pacific Railroad Surveys – though his intended name was Paulina Peak Mount Newberry.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Paulina Peak

One of several features named after famous Snake Indian chief Paulina, the peak was sometimes referred to incorrectly as Pauline Peak.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Petes Point

The Wallowa peak was named for Peter Beaudoin, a Frechman who at one point was one of the biggest sheep owners in eastern Oregon. (Not to be confused with Petes Mountain in Clackamas County, named after a different Peter.)

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Saddle Mountain

A popular destination in the Coast Range, Saddle Mountain was known by tribes as Swallalah-oost, a place where one of the great chiefs lived as an eagle, creating thunder and lightning. John Meares called it "Mont de la Selle" in 1788, probably for its saddle shape.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Mount Scott

Rising above Crater Lake, Mount Scott was named for Capt. Levi Scott, an original Oregon pioneer who led an exploration party of settlers seeking a southern route to the Willamette Valley.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Steens Mountain

First called the Snow Mountains, the southeast Oregon peak was named for Major Enoch Steen, who with the U.S. Army drove a band of Snake Indians over its summit. Although the name likely intended use of a possessive apostrophe, mapmakers left it out.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Strawberry Mountain

A high peak in the Blue Mountains, Strawberry Mountain is one of several features in the area named by homesteader Nathan Wills Fisk for the abundance of wild strawberries. It was originally called Strawberry Butte, but "Mountain" has since become official.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Mount Thielsen

The jagged peak was named for Hans Thielsen, a railroad engineer who helped construct the California and Oregon Railroad. Jon Hurlburt, a Polish explorer, named the mountain after Thielsen.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Three Fingered Jack

There's little information on the origin of the name, which dates back to before 1895, although one story says its namesake was a local three-fingered trapper named Jack. Though a lesser peak in the Cascade Range, Three Fingered Jack's appearance (and name) have given it prominence.

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Zach Urness/Statesman-Journal via AP

Three Sisters

There's no official record of who named the beautiful Cascade peaks, but a popular story is that they were called Mount Faith, Mount Hope and Mount Charity (north to south) – and collectively called Three Sisters by members of a Methodist mission in Salem in the 1840s.

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Terry Richard/The Oregonian

Mount Washington

The difficult-to-climb Cascade peak was almost certainly named for George Washington, likely because of its proximity to Mount Jefferson. Its exact origins are unknown.

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Oregonian File Photo

...More history

Itching for more? Check out the history of the native names of the Pacific Northwest mountains.

Also, find out the stories behind the names of Oregon rivers, Oregon's 36 counties, the Cascade Mountains and the performance venues of Portland. Check out oregonlive.com/history for regular stories from our past.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com