History of Nahcotta
Named for Chief Nahcati, the small community of Nahcotta (nuh-caught-uh) was the terminus of the Clamshell Railroad. This unique railroad, the only one that ran with the tides, carried passengers and shipments of oysters from Willapa Bay to steamers bound for San Francisco during the late 1800s.
At Nahcotta, the propeller steamers Shamrock and Reliable would meet the train at the end of the Nahcotta dock and pick up passengers bound for South Bend across Willapa Bay. In 1896, another steamer, the Edgar, joined the Willapa Bay run.
Razor clams were canned along the shore and the original canneries can still be seen. Interpretive sites describe the history of this native shellfish as well as other fishing interests.