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Marys Peak
Marys Peak viewed from the Willamette Valley
Highest point
Elevation	4,101 ft (1,250 m) NAVD 88
Prominence	3,357 ft (1,023 m)
Listing	Oregon county high points
Coordinates	44°30′16″N 123°33′09″W / 44.50435595°N 123.552456264°W / 44.50435595; -123.552456264
Geography
Marys PeakLocation in OregonShow map of OregonMarys PeakMarys Peak (the United States)Show map of the United States
Location	Benton County, Oregon, U.S.
Parent range	Central Oregon Coast Range, Oregon Coast Range
Topo map	USGS Lorane
Climbing
Easiest route	trail from Marys Peak Road

Marys Peak (formerly Mary's Peak and sometimes still spelled this way) is a mountain in Benton County, Oregon, United States, just southwest of Philomath. The Kalapuya people call the peak "chatímanwi", or 'place of spiritual power'. It is the highest peak in the Oregon Coast Range. It is also the highest point in Benton County, and ranks eleventh in the state for prominence.

On a clear day at the top of the peak, facing east, northeast, and southeast, one can see the cities and suburbs of the Willamette Valley, as well as the Cascade Range. To the west, the Pacific Ocean is visible on clear days.

The road to the peak now remains open in the winter. During the 2010–2011 winter, the Forest Service announced that it will leave the gates open to facilitate travel to the summit. The road will not be maintained, so a lifted 4x4 or four-wheel chains are required for motor access during the winter months.

On June 15, 2019, the Oregon Geographic Names Board unanimously endorsed a proposal to give Native American names to 10 unnamed creeks that flow down Marys Peak. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians were enlisted to be involved in representing the ancient indigenous groups and selecting the new names. The names proposed for adoption are in the languages of the Kalapuya, Wusi’n and Yaqo’n people who originally inhabited the land. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names unanimously approved the 10 names in September 2019.

History

The Kalapuya name for Marys Peak is "chatímanwi", sometimes written as "tcha Timanwi" or "chintimini". Kalapuya oral history describes their ancestors climbing the mountain to escape a massive flood. Chatímanwi is an important spiritual site for the Kalapuya. In 1856, the United States government forcibly removed the southern Kalapuya bands from their homes, including the Marys Peak area.

Early American settlers grazed their livestock on the mountain. In the late 1800s, a community called Peak was founded on the northwest slope of Marys Peak. Peak's post office closed in 1917, and the community is abandoned today.

The name Marys Peak, given by settlers of European ancestry, may have been inspired by Mary Lloyd, who came to Oregon in 1845. Lloyd was known as the first white woman to cross the Marys River, which has its origin on the mountain. However, there are alternate theories about the name.

The city of Corvallis began using the Rock Creek watershed on Marys Peak for its municipal water supply in 1906. As logging operations spread throughout the area, the Corvallis city government bought land in the Rock Creek watershed to preserve its water quality.

From 1946 to 1984, Shriners International held an annual picnic on the summit of Marys Peak to raise money for the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children (now Shriners Children's Portland). In 1982, a Statesman Journal article reported that the event had raised more than $900,000 since it began. In 1984, poor weather caused the event organizers to move locations.

Ecology

A grassland at the summit of the peak supports diverse wildflower species. The upper slopes are dominated by noble fir, and the lower slopes are dominated by Douglas fir and western hemlock.

The meadow contains several outcroppings of gabbro rock, which are often referred to as rock gardens. The most noted of these outcroppings covers four to five acres on a southern slope near the summit. The rock gardens support many wildflowers that grow well on thin, dry soils. These species include Cascade desertparsley, harsh paintbrush, Olympic onion, and spreading phlox.

In 1989, the Forest Service designated a 924-acre area on the upper slopes of Marys Peak as a Scenic Botanical Special Interest Area. This area includes the meadow at the summit, riparian zones, and tracts of noble fir forest.

Beginning in the 1950s or earlier, noble firs have spread into areas of Marys Peak that were once meadow. To preserve the meadow ecosystem, the Forest Service had 3,000 trees removed from 25 acres of land. The trees were harvested by Miller Timber Services, a subcontractor of pulp and paper company Georgia-Pacific. The removal began in the fall of 2015.

In 2015, scientists from Oregon State University identified a type of ice crawler found on Marys Peak as a unique species. It was named Grylloblatta chintimini.

References

1. ^ "Mary". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
2. "Marys Peak, Oregon". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
3. ^ "Interactive Map". Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
4. Tuomi, Brenda (narrator) (April 22, 2024). Honoring Our Homelands: Marys Peak (Video). Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
5. ^ "Marys Peak". Benton County Historical Society. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
6. "Oregon County High Points". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
7. "Oregon Peaks with 2000 feet of Prominence". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
8. "Marys Peak". Siuslaw National Forest, U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
9. Hall, Bennett (July 1, 2019). "New creek names win state approval". The Philomath Express. Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
10. Fisher, Bruce (May 11, 2021). "Links to Native Past and Present: Ten Creeks on Marys Peak Have New Names". The Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
11. Hale, Jamie (January 21, 2017). "How Oregon's mountains got their names". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
12. The Kalapuya and Marys Peak. Narrated by David Harrelson. United States Forest Service. January 4, 2021.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. Harbarger, Molly (July 30, 2018). "Naming project aims to remind visitors that Marys Peak is still sacred to tribes". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
14. "Our Story". Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
15. ^ Management Direction for Marys Peak Scenic Botanical Special Interest Area (PDF) (Report). United States Forest Service. July 19, 1989. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
16. Miller, Miriam (May 10, 1972). "Marys Peak Once Home Of Thriving Community". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
17. Himes, George H. (1905). "The Souvenir of Western Women/Nomenclature of Northwest Mountains" . The Souvenir of Western Women . Anderson & Duniway Company.
18. Gustafson, Alan (August 2, 1982). "2,000 make trek to Marys Peak". Statesman Journal. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
19. ^ Hays, Philip R.; Frenkel, Robert B.; McEvoy, Esther H.G. (2012). "Marys Peak Scenic Botanic Area" (PDF). Kalmiopsis. 19: 21–22. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
20. Urness, Zach (September 20, 2015). "3,000 trees to be cut down to save meadow on Marys Peak". Statesman Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
21. Rosen, Julia (January 11, 2016). "Climate change triggers triage in Northwest forests". High Country News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
22. Marshall, Christopher J.; Lytle, David A. (April 28, 2015). "Two new species of Grylloblatta Walker, 1914 (Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) from western North America, and a neotype designation for G. rothi Gurney 1953". Zootaxa. 3949 (3): 408, 414. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3949.3.6. PMID 25947815. Retrieved December 29, 2023.

External links

• "Marys Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
• "Marys Peak". SummitPost.org. Retrieved February 9, 2013.

• Mountains of the Oregon Coast Range
• Landmarks in Oregon
• Landforms of Benton County, Oregon
• Siuslaw National Forest