How Grants Pass, Oregon - Got It's Name. Grants Pass is a quaint Oregon town nestled between two mountain ranges (Cascades & Siskiyous) in the Pacific Northwest, approximately 55 miles north of the California border. In the 1860's, Grants Pass was called "Louse Creek." The locals had petitioned the U.S. Post Office to establish a local post office (at that time, residents had to travel 17 miles to pick-up their mail). They didn't think the name "Louse Creek" would draw people to the area, so they decided to name it "Grant" in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant. However, they were told to choose a new name, as there was already a town named Grant, Oregon.
As originally told by George Parker, an early local historian, one day while a road crew was eating their lunch after a hard morning of carving the road over the pass of Merlin Hill, (now known as Northwest Vine and Highland Avenue connecting with Monument Drive), the topic of the town's name came up. One guy suggested they call the pass "Grants Pass." Another said that would probably be a good name for the old Louse Creek Station's new post office. So, that's how Grants Pass, Oregon got its name.
The first photo (It's The Climate) was taken in the 1920's and the second photo is Grants Pass, Oregon today. "It's The Climate" sign still hangs across Sixth Street downtown.
