Yachats, Oregon, is a town on the Oregon Coast, located in Lincoln County. As of 2020, the population was around 800 people, although since Yachats has a large population of tourists and temporary residents, it is much larger than that might suggest.
Before European contact, the area was inhabited by different indigenous peoples, although from my research, it seems that the exact inhabitants were unclear. Oregon Geographic Names, usually a reliable source, lists the name as being from the language of the Siletz People, but other sources I read said the area was inhabited by a band of the Alsea People. As like so many other areas in the Pacific Northwest, the native culture is sadly lost.
The history's European settlement follows a familiar pattern in Oregon: what begun as a natural resource based settlement has turned into a center for tourism. Unlike towns to the north, however, Yachats was never a major timber or fishing center. It was isolated,…