History Tidbits: Eagle Cap Oddities

Wallowa County's "high lakes", ridges and streams located in the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area have an assortment of names, some lyrical, or historical or ... a little odd. Our source for these odd names is, of course, the US Forest Service map and the informative book Into the Minam by Jon and Donna Skovlin.

First up is Adam's Backbone, a sharp ridge between the Minam and Little Minam rivers, named for W.A. Adams who owned the Horse Ranch meadow in 1900.

Our next oddity is The Pots, that is, Little Pot and Big Pot creeks, which drain into the Minam above the Horse Ranch from a basin which resembles a pot.

Another creek is Blutch Creek near the Land Ranch. The Land brothers had a dog named Blutch.

One trail in Union County is named Chalk Lick for a deposit of chalky soil that provides a place for livestock and wildlife to "lick". Apparently there is a nutrient in the soil.

John Henry Wilson's name is used for John Henry Lake. Wilson was a prospector, miner and Indian agitator from Wallowa.

And finally, our favorite: Wonker Pass. Robert Wonker from Medical Springs named this pass in the 1950s when he built the trail over the pass.