| Neahkahnie Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Neahkahnie Mountain from the North. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,683+ feet (513 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 45°44′49″N 123°57′06″W / 45.74696°N 123.951783°W[1] |
| Naming | |
| English translation | The place of the supreme deity [2] |
| Language of name | Tillamook |
| Geography | |
  Neahkahnie Mountain | |
| Parent range | Northern Oregon Coast Range |
| Topo map | USGS Nehalem |
Neahkahnie Mountain is a mountain, or headland, on the Oregon Coast, north of Manzanita in Oswald West State Park overlooking U.S. Route 101. The peak is part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, which is part of the Oregon Coast Range.[1] It is best known for stories of Spanish treasure said to be buried either at the foot of the mountain, or on its slopes.
In earlier times, Native Americans would set fires to clear the mountain slopes so deer and elk would have tender vegetation to eat in the spring. Pioneers afterwards did the same so their cattle and sheep would have grass to graze on. Since at least 1990, however, this practice was discontinued and the slopes are heavily forested in many places.[3]
The name comes from the Tillamook language, although according to Lewis A. McArthur, an Oregonian geographic historian, the meaning of the word is controversial. Neah-Kah-Nie (other spellings, although obsolescent include "Ne-a-karney" and Ne-kah-ni) is translated as "the place of the god", whose name has been transcribed as Acarna.[4]
- ^ a b c "Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- ^ "Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain". Neahkahnie.net. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
- ^ Tales of the Neahkahnie Treasure (Tillamook: Nehalem Valley Historical Society, Treasure Committee, 1991), p. 2
- ^ McArthur, Oregon Geographic Names, 5th edition (Portland: Western Imprints, 1982), p. 534