CORVALLIS, OR – July 27, 2025 –
In a powerful gesture of reconciliation and cultural recognition, the City of Corvallis, Oregon, has completed the installation of new signs identifying four creeks flowing from Marys Peak by their traditional Indigenous names, as gifted by the Kalapuya people. This initiative marks a significant milestone in acknowledging the deep historical and spiritual connection the Kalapuya tribes have to the land.
The newly signed creeks, previously unnamed tributaries of the Rock Creek Watershed, now bear the names:
* Ahngeengeen (The Flint)
* Ahnhoots (The Panther)
* Ahntkwahkwah (The Frog)
* Ahshahyum (The Grizzly)
These names are not merely labels; they are rooted in the rich oral histories and cultural narratives of the Ampinefu (Marys River) Kalapuya, whose ancestral homelands encompass the Marys Peak area. Marys Peak itself, known to the Kalapuya as “tcha Timanwi” or “place of spiritual power,” holds immense significance as a sacred site for hunting, fishing, and gathering.
The renaming effort, which saw the new signs installed by the Corvallis Public Works Department in May 2025, is the culmination of a collaborative process that began in 2017. It involved extensive consultation with tribal governments, including the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, alongside local government agencies and land management partners. The Marys Peak Alliance played a pivotal role in facilitating stakeholder meetings to gather input and develop the names for these remote waterways, many of which are situated deep within undeveloped forest land.
David Harrelson, The Grand Ronde Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, emphasized the profound importance of this renaming. “These names will help hold place for the Kalapuya on the slopes of this sacred mountain in a way that can be shared with the public,” he stated. “Land management partners engage in a variety of scientific and conservation work on the Rock Creek Watershed, and these signs will help create connections between that work and the presence of the Kalapuya people in the area.”
The Rock Creek Watershed is particularly vital to Corvallis, as it provides approximately one-third of the community’s drinking water from a treatment plant located on the lower slopes of Marys Peak, about 15 miles outside the city. The integration of Indigenous names into the public landscape serves as a constant reminder of the original stewards of this land and their enduring legacy.
While ten creeks in total were selected for renaming across the Marys Peak area, these four represent the initial phase of public recognition on city-owned land. The project underscores a growing national movement towards decolonizing place names and recognizing the profound contributions and continued presence of Indigenous peoples. For the Kalapuya, whose ancestors were forcibly removed from their homelands in 1856, this act of name restoration is a powerful step towards healing and remembrance.
