Nolin

Nolin is a ghost town and former unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, situated along the Umatilla River roughly 8 miles southeast of Echo. The area carries a layered history: early settler Adam "Ad" W. Nye arrived in the 1860s and gave the locality the name Happy Canyon, reflecting the communal spirit he observed among those who lived there. Nye later served as County Sheriff from 1872 to 1874, and the nearby community of Nye was named in his honor.

The name Happy Canyon outlasted the settlement itself in a meaningful way — Pendleton Round-Up eventually adopted it for its celebrated indoor show, preserving a direct link to this corner of Umatilla County's pioneer past. Today Nolin itself is a quiet rural spot rather than a destination with standing structures or formal visitor amenities. Travelers with an interest in Oregon frontier history and the origins of regional traditions may find the drive along the Umatilla River corridor worthwhile.