By Steve Lent, Crook County Historian
The stagecoach rattled into Nansene, dust rising in golden afternoon light. The horses, foaming at the bit, strained against their harnesses, eager for rest. Travelers stretched stiff limbs, grateful for the break at Nansene House, the lone inn on this rugged stretch of wagon road between The Dalles and Sherar’s Bridge.
Nansene, a small but significant outpost in Wasco County, Oregon, first saw settlers in the 1870s. Its name likely stems from a Native American term describing Fifteen Mile Creek, whose waters meandered through the arid landscape. By 1878, John Ward had built a stage stop and inn, offering food, shelter, and a brief respite for those braving the steep and punishing descent down Tygh Ridge.
The journey was not for the faint of heart. South of Nansene, at a spot called Chicken Springs, wagon drivers would halt to rest their teams before tackling the grueling uphill climb. In an era when travel was measured in aching miles rather than fleeting minutes, places like Nansene were more than just map markers—they were lifelines.
A post office was established in 1880, with William C. Adams as its first postmaster. In its early years, a stagecoach passed through three times a week, but by 1909, Cornett stage lines made daily stops. The dusty road through Nansene connected The Dalles to destinations deep in Oregon’s interior—Canyon City, Prineville—bringing settlers, traders, and mail to isolated communities. A small school just south of town saw 19 students in attendance in 1898, their voices filling the air of a growing but still remote settlement.
Then came the railroad. By 1909, steel rails stretched through the Deschutes River Canyon, offering faster, smoother passage than any wagon road could. The stagecoaches dwindled. The once-busy outpost of Nansene faded. Its post office shut its doors in 1904, and before long, the road itself was all but forgotten.
Today, little remains—just a derelict structure, sometimes labeled on maps as the Nansene community hall. The wind whispers through its bones, telling the story of a place that was once a vital stop in Oregon’s pioneer history. Though the wagons no longer creak along the steep ridge, and the inn no longer welcomes weary travelers, the spirit of Nansene lingers, waiting for those who care to remember.