Federal panel to name state's previously nameless features

Sixteen streams were previously identified by letter-number combinations.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- A federal panel is giving names to previously unnamed streams, lakes and valleys throughout Ohio.
"There are more geographic features that aren't named than are. You have tons of them in Ohio," said Roger Payne, executive secretary of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in Reston, Va.
Payne said names for these small, overlooked features are needed for traveling, emergencies and national defense. The panel meets monthly to decide what goes on all official maps.
Improving identifications
Last year, engineers working on a flood-control project in the state's Appalachian region asked that 16 streams be added to maps of Ohio. Previously, each stream had been identified by a combination of letters and numbers -- such as RC4A -- on survey documents.
"In a jumble of letters and numbers, we needed a way that was a lot easier, so we asked for names for reference," said Chad Ostheimer of the U.S. Geological Survey in Columbus.
A 6.8-mile-long stream that flows into a remote section of the Wayne National Forest is now called Clark Run, named after John and Eleanor Clark -- pioneers who braved the wilderness in the late 1700s.
The panel also wants to fix mistakes.
Last year, the panel ruled that Gordon Creek should become Jordan Creek to fix a 99-year-old mix-up in Lake County's Concord Township, about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.
Now, the 3-mile-long stream is clearly named for Thomas Jordan, who was the first white settler of the area in 1802.
Payne said anyone can propose a name for a geographic feature. The only rule: No names of living people.