Sixes, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sixes, Oregon
Unincorporated community
Old gas station in Sixes
Sixes, Oregon Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Sixes, Oregon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Curry
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	97476
Area code(s)	458 and 541

Sixes is a small, undeveloped community in Curry County, Oregon, in the United States. It is located right next to U.S. Route 101. The community is also found along the Sixes River. Sixes is east of Cape Blanco and its famous Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

What's in a Name?

The name "Sixes" has a few different stories behind it. The community itself was named after the Sixes River.

• One idea is that a local postmaster said the name came from a Native American chief.
• Another story says that in 1851, the river was often called the "Sikhs River." This name came from a Chinook Jargon word meaning "friend." Maps from that time sometimes called it the "Sequalchin River."
• Some sources say the Native American name for the river was "Sa-qua-mi."
• A book called Handbook of American Indians suggests the name comes from "Sik-ses-tene." This was a name for a local tribe, the Kwatami. It means "people by the far north country." This is probably the real reason for the name.
• Miners who came to Oregon during the gold rush likely used the spelling "Sixes." They were familiar with the Chinook word "sikhs."

The spelling "Sixes" was used as early as 1855. The community's post office opened in 1888. This post office has since closed down.