Douglas
County is noted for its azaleas, and this post office was
named on account of their abundance in that locality. There
are two well-known members of the Ericaceae of this type
in Oregon, the Azalea occidentalis, or western azalea, and
Azaleastrum alhijlorum, or small white. The name Azalea
has been used for post offices in Douglas County at two
separate times and places, and the post offices Starvout,
Booth, and Azalea have at different times all served more
or less the same territory in upper Cow Creek Valley. Starvout
post office was established February 18, 1888, with H. L.
Miser postmaster. The name of the place was changed to Booth
on August 24, 1907, probably because the name Starvout was
suggestive of an unsatisfactory locality. The name of Booth
post office was changed to Azalea on May 6, 1914. In the
meantime, there had been another Azalea post office that
was established October 17, 1899, with Joseph A. Wharton
first postmaster. This post office was discontinued September
30, 1909. The postmaster at Azalea in 1925 told the writer
that Maggie Picket suggested the present name of Azalea
for the former Booth post office. The writer does not know
who suggested the name of the original Azalea post office.
It was on Cow Creek about 10 miles southwest of Riddle near
the mouth of Doe Creek and the Southern Pacific Railroad
station, Byars.