Page:Oregon Geographic Names, third edition.djvu/464



railroad station Nesmith on the Oregon Electric in Washington County.

NESTOCTON, Tillamook County. The Nestocton post office was one of the oldest in Tillamook County. It was established February 7, 1867, with Leonard Killam first postmaster. This post office remained in service until June 13, 1904, when it was discontinued, probably because of the extension of rural delivery which brought about the closing of so many post offices about that time. The locality of Nestocton was settled in the sixties. It is about eight or nine miles south along the Oregon Coast Highway from Tillamook. It is obvious from the names of its ten postmasters that the office was moved to fit their availability. Nestocton was the second post office in Tillamook County. The first post office was Tillamook, established March 12, 1866. The name is obviously an Indian word, but the compiler has been unable to learn its meaning.

NESTUCCA RIVER, Tillamook and Yamhill counties. Nestucca is an Indian name for a part of this stream or a point on its banks, or for a tribe living nearby. As far as the writer knows there is no English translation of the word Nestucca. This stream is frequently called Big Nestucca River in contradistinction to Little Nestucca River nearby, but federal map makers leave off the word Big from such names, and it is apparent that the Indian name of the stream was not Big Nestucca. As a matter of fact the stream called Little Nestucca River was known to the Indians as Nestachee, so there would be no occasion for them to call the other river Big Nestucca. Little Nestucca River does not flow into Nestucca River but into Nestucca Bay. The spelling Nestugga is wrong. The Handbook of American Indians says the Nestucca Indians took their name from the country in which they lived, but that their real tribe name was Staga-ush. J. H. Frost in his journal of 1841, published in OHQ, volume XXXV, pages 253 and 254, used the name Nea-Stocka in referring to a place on Nestucca River.

NETARTS, Tillamook County. Netarts post office is on Netarts Bay south of Tillamook Bay. Netarts is an Indian name, and the writer has been unable to get its English meaning, although it is presumed to refer to the home of a small family, or tribe that lived on the bay. Netarts is one of the number of Indian names beginning with Ne which were probably used to indicate localities or the homes of certain tribes. See under NEAHKAHNIE MOUNTAIN and also OHQ, volume I, page 321. George Davidson, in the Coast Pilot of 1889, page 433, refers to this bay as Na-ta-at or Oyster Bay. He does not explain the meaning of the Indian name and does not imply that it is the same as oyster.

NEVERSTIL, Columbia County. On February 3, 1946, the Oregonian printed an editorial about Neverstil, inviting information. The place was described with some fidelity, and while it was referred to as a logging community, it was in fact the location of the repair shops for A. S. Kerry's logging railroad. A lively correspondence resulted from this editorial and letters were printed on February 5, 6, 10, 12 and 13. A number of stories were furnished about the origin of the word Neverstil, some based apparently on high-geared imagination. An impartial review of the evidence indicates to the compiler that the name was coined by Mr. Kerry of the Kerry Timber Company to describe the bustle and noise attendant upon the timber company railroad shops. The place was at the old Harvey ranch about two miles south of Birkenfeld where Deep Creek Hows into Nehalem River. Neverstil post office was established June 10,