Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/458

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many years. For interesting notes on his career, see his A Lawyer's Life on Two Continents. Nash was born near London August 16, 1837, and died at Nashville in 1926.

NASOMA, Washington County. Nasoma is a station on the Oregon Electric Railway southwest of Tualatin. When the railroad was built many Indian names were applied to the stations. The word Nasoma was apparently derived from one of the bands of Indians that originally lived near Port Orford in Curry County. The name was used by the railway company because it had a pleasing sound and not for any local reason.

NATAL, Columbia County. The name Natal was once applied to a post office situated on Nehalem River between Pittsburg and Mist. This post office was established October 2, 1889, with Roderick D. Cole first and only postmaster. The office was discontinued to Mist January 26, 1891. Omar C. Spencer has had a chance to dig up some evidence about the name Natal and on March 2, 1949, reported, among other things, that it was Mr. Cole's notion that the name of the office should honor N. C. Dale, who had owned land in the locality in the early '70s and had accommodated his neighbors by fetching their mail from Mist to his own home. He served as county clerk for Columbia County from July, 1884, until July, 1888. Dale's first name was Nathaniel and the best available information is that the name Natal was an arbitrary contraction of his first name. The locality is still called Natal and the name is used by Natal Grange.

NATRON, Lane County. Natron is the name of the native carbonate of sodium, or mineral alkali. Natrolite is a hydrous silicate of aluminum and sodium common in cavities in basalt and other igneous rock. It is generally of a white color and transparent or translucent. Natron station, east of Eugene, is said to owe its name to a confusion of the two substances described above. Richard Koehler, of Portland, for many years an official of the Southern Pacific Company and its predecessors, told the compiler that some natrolite was found near the station, and it was planned to name the place on that account, but owing to a mistake, the name Natron was selected.

NAYLOX, Klamath County. Naylox was the name of a pioneer stage station or roadhouse on the east shore of Upper Klamath Lake about midway of Klamath Falls and Modoc Point. It was not far from the wellknown Barkley Spring. For story about this old stopping place by Mary W. Case, see magazine section of the Oregon Journal, March 17, 1946. Naylox took its name from Naylox Ridge, a prominent geographic feature that stands just east of the highway. The Klamath Indian word Nilaksh or Nilaks was the basis of the name Naylox, meaning Daylight Mountain, or mountain over which the sun rose. White settlers also used the style Nailix, but the form Naylox has been in general use for the locality for many decades. For additional information, see Gatschet's Dictionary of the Klamath Language, page 243. Naylox post office was established February 7, 1882, with Leroy S. Dyar first postmaster. The office was finally closed June 30, 1896.

NEACOXIE CREEK, Clatsop County. This is a stream on Clatsop Plains. Its course has undergone several changes since pioneer days, largely because of drifting sands. Part of the stream flows north from Cullaby Lake, then around a hairpin bend near Camp Clatsop. During recent years the south part of the stream has drained Neacoxie Lake