Nonpareil, Oregon

Nonpareil is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

historic community in Douglas County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. It is about east of Sutherlin, near

Calapooya Creek Calapooya Creek is a tributary, about long, of the Umpqua River in Douglas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by its north and south forks, the creek drains a mountainous region south of the Calapooya Divide and east of Oakland and S ...

. The population of the area was about 202 in 2000. Nonpareil was the birthplace of novelist

H. L. Davis Harold Lenoir Davis (October 18, 1894 – October 31, 1960), also known as H. L. Davis, was an American novelist and poet. A native of Oregon, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel '' Honey in the Horn'', the only Pulitzer Prize for Lite ...

. Nonpareil was named for the nearby Nonpareil quicksilver (mercury) mine, discovered between 1865 and 1870, which at one time was very productive. The mine is no longer in operation, having closed in 1932. "Nonpareil" is

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for "unrivaled" or "unique". Nonpareil post office ran from 1882 to 1884. During the height of the mining era, the short-lived town also had a dance hall and a school. The nearby Bonanza Mine also contributed to the town's economy. As of 1990, Nonpareil had a store and no other amenities. Author

Ralph Friedman Ralph Friedman (June 3, 1916 – June 3, 1995) was an American author best known for his books about Oregon. Ralph Friedman was born and raised in Chicago. He hitchhiked to Oregon in 1933 at the age of 16. He wrote 10 books, and contributed to ...

noted that the store's name was misspelled "Nonpariel". By 2003, the store, which at one time had a gas station, was closed. The area of the mining operations is now owned by Swanson Superior Forest Products of

Noti Noti may refer to: * Noti, Oregon, a settlement in the US * Notia, a village in Greece * NotI, an enzyme * Károly Nóti (1892–1954), Hungarian screenwriter See also * Notti (disambiguation)