Troutdale committee to seek tribal input on streets named 'Indian John' and 'Indian Mary'

Troutdale staff and advisory committee members agreed on March 2 to research the origins of four local streets that include the names “Indian John” and “Indian Mary” and to contact tribal representatives for advice before pursuing any formal renaming.

Erica, the city’s parks director, told the committee the names surfaced during the parks’ work on naming for Sharon Nesbitt Heritage Park and the Chok Chok Trail and that the city’s development code calls for historically significant street names when new streets are created. “We do have street name and code in our development code, and I kind of outlined what that is through our planning standards,” she said, describing the formal and involved process for changing a street name.

Committee members noted the city has not received complaints from property owners on the streets in question and said they wanted to confirm whether the names refer to identifiable historical individuals and, if so, whether tribes view the names as appropriate. “I think we should involve, like, members of the Grand Ronde or, some of the tribes because they have been involved in naming processes in the region,” the presiding chair said, urging early engagement with tribal representatives.

One committee member summarized online and community research about similarly named places, saying several historical figures called “Indian Mary” exist in regional records and parks, and that past namings often intended to honor ancestry. “The consensus was that they thought a lot of younger white people had more issue with it than they did themselves,” a member said, describing diverse perspectives found in research and online discussion.

Members also flagged practical hurdles if the city were to change street names, including administrative and cost implications for property owners. “You have to change deeds to your home. That has to be done,” a committee member said, urging the committee to weigh impacts before opening a broad public process.

Rather than launching an immediate, citywide public review that could become polarized, members favored a discreet first step: a focused request to tribal representatives—possibly followed by referral to the Citizens Advisory Committee or the Historic Landmarks Commission if tribal feedback indicates the city should pursue a renaming. The committee did not make a formal motion or vote during the recorded discussion.

The committee’s next step is expected to be staff-led outreach to tribal contacts to gather perspective on the names; any recommendation to begin a formal renaming process would require additional public engagement and a formal referral.

Note on attributions: the meeting’s roll call named several commissioners, but the discussion excerpts in the transcript do not consistently tie individual speakers to those roll-call names. This article attributes remarks only to the speakers as they are identified in the meeting record (Erica; the presiding chair; and committee members).