YACHATS TRAIL MARKERS
As you explore the trails in and around Yachats, you may encounter various markers and memorials. You find out more about them below.
Amanda Statue. This statue lies alongside the Amanda trail that runs from Yachats to the lookout at the top of Cape Perpetua. It memorializes Amanda, a blind Indian woman who was cruelly treated during the genocide committed against the Alsea, Coos and Lower Umpqua Indians in the mid-19th century. You can find out more about Amanda on page 18 of the Yachats Indians article on this link.
Ben's bench. Ben Christensen was a great benefactor of Yachats Trails who was a regular on our work parties. He "died on the job", suffering a heart attack while doing what he loved best - working on the Amanda Trail. Ben's bench can be found on the Amanda Trail.
Charlie's Rock can be found on the Amanda Trail a little way south of town. A part-time Yachatian since 1986, Charlie was the founder of the environmental breakthrough called Brownfield’s, an EPA official, and founder of President Obama’s Rural Manufacturing Initiative. Locally, a member of View the Future and the Yachats Trails Crew.
Tony's rock. Tony Haffner and wife Joan were E 2nd St residents for many years. Tony was often seen on his upstairs balcony where he would greet people walking by and often his hearty heart-felt laugh could be heard. The inscription on Tony’s rock “Laughter loves us like this” encompasses the feeling one would have when hearing him.
Two bears. On the Amanda Trail, just south of Yachats, you will come across a statue of two bears. Joanne and Norman Kittel were the first private landowners to donate a trail easement in the State of Oregon. The statue is on this half mile long easement. It refers to an Alsea Indian myth, namely that when salmon come, bears dance. Ya'Xaik Indians who inhabited this area were southern members of the Alsea Indians.