Pocahontas, Oregon
Pocahontas, Oregon | |
|---|---|
Former unincorporated community | |
| Coordinates: 44°48′52″N 117°58′20″W / 44.81444°N 117.97222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Baker |
| Elevation | 3,674 ft (1,120 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1125494 |
Pocahontas is a historic former community in Baker County, Oregon, United States. It lies northwest of Baker City along Pocahontas Road near the Elkhorn Mountains.
The town was named after Pocahontas, a famous Native American woman. According to Oregon Geographic Names, which cites Thirty-One Years in Baker County, an unknown number of people laid out a town called Pine City in the 1860s near the base of the mountains. Pine City, probably founded in 1862, was along Pine Creek and was meant to serve as a place of accommodation for miners and others traveling through the region. Meanwhile, John McClain, a rancher who lived nearby, established Pocahontas and persuaded the people of Pine City to move there.
Pocahontas, also meant as a traveler's resting stop, soon had a hotel, blacksmith shop, and express office. It set up a post office on August 4, 1863, with Thomas McMurran as postmaster. The year of the post-office closing is in doubt, either 1864 or 1872.