Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/457

 MYRTLE POINT, Coos County. The early history of this place is given by Dodge in his History of Coos and Curry Counties, chapter XIV. It was a natural rendezvous of the Indians. Henry Meyers laid out the town about 1861 and named it Meyersville. It remained a paper community until 1866 when Chris Lehnherr bought the property and built a small flour mill. He named the place Ott in compliment to an old friend and his son. Lehnherr became the first postmaster in August, 1872. Binger Hermann and Edward Bender became interested in the townsite and suggested that the name be changed to Myrtle Point. Postal records show that the name of the post office Ott was changed to Myrtle Point in December, 1876. The name was due to the geographical location and also to the fact that the community was started where there was an abundance of myrtle. This Oregon or Coos Bay myrtle is the same as California laurel, Umbelluria californica. It is an evergreen tree, distinguished by a strong camphor odor. In favorable conditions it grows 80 feet high and four feet in diameter. In the dense forest it grows with a clean straight trunk, but elsewhere and more commonly it has a thick trunk and large low limbs. Its range in Oregon is in the Coast Range and Siskiyou Mountains. It has a beautiful grain and excels as a cabinet and finishing wood. It grows extensively in southwest Oregon.

NAMORF, Malheur County. Namorf station west of Harper was named for George Froman, a local resident, by spelling his name backward.

NANSENE, Wasco County. The name Nansene seems to have been derived from an Indian word used to describe Fifteenmile Creek. Fremont gives the style Tinanens Creek, but it is doubtless the same as Nansene. Nansene post office was established May 17, 1880, with William C. Adams postmaster. It was on the ridge southeast of Dufur and the name has been perpetuated by Nansene School. Nansene post office was closed in February, 1894.

NAPTON, Malheur County. This station was named for J. S. Napton, a local resident. The place is on the Union Pacific Railroad 17 miles south of Nyssa.

Narrows, Harney County. Narrows is a descriptive name suggested by the narrow channel connecting Malheur and Harney lakes. When these lakes are full this is the only point for a considerable distance where they may be crossed. There has been a bridge over the Narrows for many years. There is a post office nearby called Narrows. C. A. Haines started the community about 1892. A post office named Springer was established in this area in August, 1889, with Lewis B. Springer postmaster. The name was changed to Narrows in April, 1892.

Nash CRATER, Linn County. This crater in the Cascade Range was named for Wallis Nash. See under NASHVILLE. The railroad enterprise in which Nash was interested, projected a line into eastern Oregon, and several geographic features near the survey were named for the promoters. Nash Crater is just south of the junction of the North and South Santiam highways and has an elevation of 4770 feet. Little Nash Crater, elevation 4101 feet, is just west of the junction.

NASHVILLE, Lincoln County. Nashville was named for Wallis Nash, a native of England, who visited Oregon in 1877, and came to this state to settle in 1879. He was prominently identified with various enterprises in Benton and Lincoln counties, including the construction of the railroad between Corvallis and Yaquina Bay. He lived at Nashville for