Merganser was a pioneer village founded in 1870, a rival of Linkville and the first town platted in Klamath County. Named for the merganser ducks on the Klamath River, it became an important trade route because of a bridge crossing. During the 1872-73 Modoc War, the town served as a settler defense rendezvous. It declined in the 1880s and was formerly known as Lakeport.