William Scodie, born in 1827 in Prussia, moved to Keyesville in 1856 and opened an eating establishment before relocating to this area in 1861, where he operated a way-station from his house. Stocking his front room with supplies, he sold goods to local residents as well as miners and freighters traveling to the Argus Mines in San Bernardino County. The store, originally called the Scodie Store, was constructed in 1880 under the supervision of Captain Andress, a local rancher. In 1889, after the Post Office Department declined to use the name Scodie because it was too similar to Scotia in Humboldt County, Scodie chose the name Onyx. Scodie died in 1898, but the store he founded continued to serve residents and travelers alike.