Oregon Geographic Names is an authoritative compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. , the book is in its seventh edition and is compiled and edited by Lewis L. McArthur, who took over from his father, Lewis A. McArthur

Lewis A. McArthur

Lewis Ankeny McArthur , known as "Tam" McArthur, was an executive for Pacific Power and Light Company. He was also the secretary for the Oregon Geographic Board for many years and the author of Oregon Geographic Names. His book, now in its seventh edition, is a comprehensive source of information...

, as of the fourth (1974) edition. The first three editions were published by Binford & Mort

Binford & Mort

Binford & Mort Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1930, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Press and Binfords & Mort. At one time they were the largest book publisher in the Pacific Northwest...

; currently, it is published by the Oregon Historical Society

Oregon Historical Society

The Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...

 Press.

In its introduction, it identifies six periods in the history of the state

History of Oregon

The history of Oregon, a U.S. state, may be considered in five eras: geologic history, inhabitation by native peoples, early exploration by Europeans , settlement by pioneers, and modern development....

 which have contributed to the establishment of names there:

• The thousands of years of Native American
  Native Americans in the United States
  Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
  
   life;
• The period of Spanish
  Spanish colonization of the Americas
  Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
  
  , British
  British colonization of the Americas
  British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas...
  
  , French
  French colonization of the Americas
  The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...
  
   and early American
  History of the United States
  The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, although its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. The...
  
   exploration, with arrivals by sea and overland, exemplified by the activities of the Hudson's Bay Company
  Hudson's Bay Company
  The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
  
   and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  Lewis and Clark Expedition
  The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
  
  ;
• The pioneer period, up to and particularly including the days of the Oregon Trail
  Oregon Trail
  The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
  
  ;
• The period of Indian Wars
  Indian Wars
  American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
  
   and mining claims inspired by the California Gold Rush
  California Gold Rush
  The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
  
   and later facilitated by the Mining Act of 1872;
• The period of homesteading
  Homestead principle
  The homestead principle in law is the concept that one can gain ownership of a natural thing that currently has no owner by using it or building something out of it...
  
   between 1875 and 1925, which affected nine million acres (36,000 km²); and
• The modern period of neologisms

The seventh edition contains 6252 entries, with references to another 2679 names scattered throughout the text.

Lewis L. McArthur's daughter, Mary, is taking over editorship for the book's upcoming 8th edition.