This post office is in the eastern part of the county near Austin. It was established March 24, 1919, and named for Paul C. Bates, an insurance man of Portland. Bates was instrumental in negotiating the purchase of timberlands by the Oregon Lumber Company. When that company began operations, it suggested the name of Bates for the post office. Paul C. Bates was born in Massachusetts in 1874 and came to Portland in 1896. He died in Portland on February 4, 1943. For obituary, see the Oregonian, February 6,1943. For biography, see Carey's History a/Oregon, v. 3, pg. 20.