Nimrod is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Lane County,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States, on the McKenzie River. It is located along

Oregon Route 126 Oregon OR 126 (OR 126) is a state highway that connects coastal, western, and central parts of the U.S. state of Oregon. A short freeway section of OR 126 in Eugene and Springfield is concurrent with Interstate 105 (I-105). Rou ...

, between Vida and Blue River, east of Eugene, in the

Willamette National Forest The Willamette National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon. It comprises . Over 380,000 acres (694 mi2, 1,540 km2) are National Wil ...

. As of 2003, its population was roughly 190.Cooper, Matt (October 7, 2003)
"Nimrod's Mysterious Allure"
''The Register-Guard'' (Eugene, Oregon). p. D1. Nimrod is the site of a former

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

that crossed the McKenzie. Nimrod is served by the Vida post office, zip code 97488.

History and name

The earliest reference to Nimrod in the locality was the Nimrod Inn, opened in the early 1900s by Alfred Parkhurst. Some historians think that the inn was named for the biblical character

Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...

, whose name was synonymous with "mighty hunter", in recognition of the excellent fishing on the McKenzie River. The community also may have been named after a

fishing lure A fishing lure is any of a broad category of inedible, artificial fishing baits designed to be " fake food" that mimic the appearances of prey and thus attract the attention of predatory fish when angling. Lures come in many shapes and designs t ...

, to recognize the prowess of a local hunter or fisherman, or for one of Lane County's earliest settlers, Nimrod O'Kelly, who settled in the area in 1845.Lansing, Ronald B., ''Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier'', Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press, 2005. Nimrod is one of the few locations in Oregon not listed in ''

Oregon Geographic Names ''Oregon Geographic Names'' is a compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon, published by the Oregon Historical Society. The book was originally published in 1928. It was compiled and edited by Lewis A. McArt ...

'', because a source for the name's origin has not been verified. Because of the community's unusual name, now generally associated with the derogatory usage " fool" or "

idiot An idiot, in modern use, is a stupid or foolish person. "Idiot" was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot ...

", (perhaps due to

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...

using the term to refer to

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

, when, in fact, he just meant "hunter", as associated with the biblical Nimrod), the main sign marking the location is a popular spot for photos, and is bolted to discourage

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

References

External links

Historic photo of Nimrod ferry crossing
Unincorporated communities in Lane County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{LaneCountyOR-geo-stub