Nahcotta is an
unincorporated community in
Pacific County
Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in Feb ...
, in the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
state of
Washington. It is located on
Willapa Bay
Willapa Bay () is a bay located on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over of surface area Willapa Bay is th ...
, on the eastern coast of the
Long Beach Peninsula
The Long Beach Peninsula is an arm of land on the southern coast of the state of Washington in the United States. Entirely within Pacific County, it is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the south by the Columbia River, and the east by ...
, within the
Ocean Park CDP.
History
Nahcotta was first settled in 1890 by J.A. Morehead and named for Nahcati, the chief of a local
Chinook tribe.
Nahcotta was once the northern terminal of the
Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, a narrow gauge railroad which ran from
Ilwaco, and later from Megler, in southwestern Pacific County, up the
Long Beach Peninsula
The Long Beach Peninsula is an arm of land on the southern coast of the state of Washington in the United States. Entirely within Pacific County, it is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the south by the Columbia River, and the east by ...
to Nahcotta and back, once a day. The railroad was in operation from 1889 to 1930.
The community had a small contract
post office that opened in 1889 and was maintained by a pair of local residents out of a small building. The post office was closed on February 27, 2021, after a request from the operators for additional funds was denied by the
United States Postal Service.
See also
*
Steamboats of Willapa Bay Willapa Bay is a large shallow body of water near the Pacific Ocean in southwestern Washington. For a number of years before modern roads were built in Pacific County, Washington, the bay was used as the means of travel around the county, by powere ...
References
Further reading
*Greene, Trecia R.; ''Portrait of Peninsula Woman''; Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, Inc., 2006. Portraits of Nahcotta women published in the Long Beach Peninsula's ''Chinook Observer'' between September 2001 and June 2005.
External links
Passenger train departing from Nahcotta dock, 1910Razor clam cannery, 1916*[http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/indocc&CISOPTR=36&CISORESTMP=/site-templates/search_results-sub.html&CISOVIEWTMP=/site-templates/item_viewer.html&CISOMODE=thumb&CISOGRID=thumbnail,A,1;title,A,1;subjec,A,0;descri,200,0;0,A,0;10&CISOBIB=title,A,1,N;subjec,A,0,N;descri,K,0,N;0,A,0,N;0,A,0,N;10&CISOTHUMB=3,5&CISOTITLE=10 Oystering in Willapa Bay circa 1940]
Unincorporated communities in Pacific County, Washington
Ilwaco Railway stations
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