Waconda, Oregon | |
|---|---|
 Former Oregon Electric substation at Waconda | |
  Waconda  Waconda | |
| Coordinates: 45°4′31″N122°58′37″W / 45.07528°N 122.97694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Marion |
| Elevation | 177 ft (54 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Waconda is a historic unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States, near the crossroads of River Road Rd NE and Waconda Road NE on the French Prairie. [2]
Contents
Waconda was once a station on the Oregon Electric Railway and it formerly had a post office by the same name. [3] [4] The station was named when the railroad was built through the area in 1907, and the post office was established in 1912. [3] There was previously a community called Waconda about a mile south of Gervais established in 1870 on the former line of the Oregon & California Railroad (now owned by Union Pacific). [3] The name may come from the Great Plains Native American word "Wakonda" (something consecrated). [3] Waconda was one of a series of OE stations with Native American names; one station to the south was named for Chinookan leader Comcomly and the next one to the north was named for Kalapuyan "Chief" Quinaby.
In 1915, Waconda had a store and a population of 40. [1] [5] An American Foursquare house near the ruins of the OE station once served as the post office and is still standing. [5]
Agriculture in the area includes the growing of hops, berries, fruit, and the production dairy products. [1]
