This oral history interview with Lewis L. McArthur was conducted at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, by Eliza Canty-Jones on December 28, 2006. The interview was conducted as research for an article published in the Fall 2008 issue of Oregon Historical Quarterly. At the time of the interview, Canty-Jones’ name was Eliza Elkins Jones.

In this interview, McArthur discusses his family background, particularly focusing on the family name of Lewis. He speaks at length about the career of his father, Lewis A. McArthur, and about his work on the early editions of the book "Oregon Geographic Names." He also describes traveling across Oregon with his father by train. He then discusses his service on the Oregon Geographic Names Board and talks about his own work on later editions of "Oregon Geographic Names." He describes how the process of publishing the book changed with developments in technology over the 20th century, talks about researching place names, and shares information about the origins of several Oregon place names. He talks about why he believes the history of place names is important, about the history of Oregon maps, and about the relationship between the two topics. He closes the interview by discussing his contributions to the Geographic Names Information System.