Mist, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mist, Oregon
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 Mist, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Mist, Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Columbia |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
97016
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| Area code(s) | 503 and 971 |
Mist is a small, unincorporated community located in Columbia County, Oregon, in the United States. It was once known as Riverside. In 1888, the community was renamed Mist. This new name came from the often foggy or misty weather conditions in the Nehalem Valley.
The first people to claim land in this area arrived around 1870. There used to be a post office in Riverside, but it closed in 1975.
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History of Mist
On July 6, 2001, the historic Mist store was destroyed by a fire. This store was built in 1874. Before the fire, it was the oldest business in Oregon that had been open continuously. The store sold food and hardware. It also displayed old newspaper clippings and antique logging tools on its walls.
Mist's Location and Features
Mist is a community where several roads meet. Oregon Route 47 turns north here, heading towards Clatskanie. A historic pioneer trail, known as Burn Road, crossed the Nehalem River here and went south to Vernonia. Mist is also the eastern end point of Oregon Route 202.
The valley of the Nehalem River gets wider between Mist and Jewell. This wider area was a favorite hunting spot for Native American tribes. Later, early European American settlers found it good for farming.
Industry and Resources
Even though not many people live in Mist today, it is important for a few reasons. It has the largest working sawmill in Columbia County. A sawmill is a place where logs are cut into lumber.
Mist also has special geological conditions that make it perfect for natural gas storage. This means it has one of the very few and valuable natural gas storage areas in the Pacific Northwest. This storage facility operates quietly on a hill near Mist. It is managed by NW Natural (formerly Northwest Natural Gas). Several pipelines connect to it, including a 16-inch (406 mm) and a 24-inch (610 mm) pipeline that run along the Nehalem Highway.
Logging History
Earlier in the 20th century, Mist was home to a logging camp. This camp was next to a railroad used by the Kerry Timber and Logging Company. The remains of this old camp were discovered in 2008 and 2009. While logging is still important in the area, the population is now very small, and the railroad is no longer there.
Gallery
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Panorama of a snowy night in Mist, taken early 2006.
