Coast Headland Suite

Nothing like a trip to the ocean to start a new year! I feel so fortunate to live just over an hour away from one of the most beautiful coastlines on this planet.

This recording was made at Yoakam Point, near Coos Bay Oregon, about 4 hours down the coast. It’s a uniquely beautiful sounding surf here, I have to say.

And you might think to yourself, all beaches sound nice, Chad. And well, it would be hard-hearted of me to try to argue with you on that point. They all do sound nice, but some just sound more nice. The tuning here must have something to do with the rocks that reach into the ocean lake a giant hand, as if playing the surf like so many harp strings.

Yoakum Point on the Oregon Coast

The scarp ridges reflect the sound waves of the tumbling surf like a giant instrument, but not in a way that sounds like mush. The contours are clean and the details are sharp.

If you listen closely you’ll hear the distant moan of a fog horn on the low end (though I did soften it considerably with a low scoop EQ) and the peals of Pigeon Guillemot on the high end of this soundscape.

Pigeon Guillemot, author photo

Now if you’re like me, you might wonder, why is it called “Yoakam Point”? And, if you’re like me, not finding an answer at the ready makes this one of life’s little mysteries that needs to be solved. I expected it to be named for some ship captain or crew mate. If not that, then certainly a white man, probably a pioneer or politician, or both.

So, wading through numerous Google results for modern country singer Dwight Yoakam, I finally chanced upon a couple fascinating stories tracing the Yoakam surname in Coos County. And, to my surprise these stories enobled no man, but spoke to the perseverance of two generations of Yoakam women. How refreshing!

Tragedy of the Burning Tree

In 1855 newly arrived settlers Eliza and John Yoakam lost five daughters to a tree aflame falling on their home, as detailed in this 1906 obituary:

In 1855 they moved to a homestead about six miles from Empire City on [what] is now known as the Cammon wagon road.

It was here that the awful tragedy of Mrs. Yoakam’s life occurred—one that would only be possible in pioneer days, when a large, burning tree fell with terrific force upon their little cabin, shattering it and instantly killing five of their children, one a babe in its mother’s arms. The accident happened in the evening, when the children were nearly all asleep, and when later the anguished parents searched amid the ruins of their little ones, they found four of them dead where they had slept.

Two little boys, Jasper and George, aged 7 and 5 years, still missing, were found in their little trundle bed alive and fast asleep. The branches of the tree had fallen in such a manner as to shield their little bed, and the commotion had not even awakened them. The scene of the accident is known as Yoakam’s Hill, and stately firs, spreading cedars the graceful rhododendron now grow in wild luxuriance where these hapless children lie in their dreamless sleep.

The homestead was abandoned, as the poor mother could find no happiness there, and after a few sad months in Empire City and Eastport, they moved to the Coquiller River, where they remained until 1867, when they bought the William Jackson farm on South Coos River, and literally hewed for themselves a home out of the wilderness. In this home probably the happiest years of Mrs. Yoakam s life were spent; other children came to her almost empty arms, and listening to their happy laughter, her old sorrow gradually faded away. For many years “Yoakam’s” was synonymous with good cheer and hospitality.

Mrs. Yoakam was a woman of rare type, well fitted by nature for the struggles and adventures of pioneer life. Mr. Yoakam died in 1876, and for many years his widow successfully managed the farm, failing health finally compelling her to leave it.

She was the mother of twelve children, five of whom survive her. (Coquille Herald)

One of her children, George Yoakam, died in 1901, gored by a neighbor’s wayward bull, leaving his wife Sarah, three daughters and a son. Taking a page from her mother-in-law, Sarah successfully managed the family farm in the wake of the tragedy.

Sarah Yoakam Forges Ahead

That a woman can conduct a dairy farm most successfully is nicely proved in the case of Mrs. Sarah Yoakam of Coos county, near Marshfield, Ore., whose husband, a prominent rancher, was killed by a vicious bull some thirteen years ago. In the years Intervening since she and her two daughters have conducted and developed the dairy business in which her husband was engaged. For a good share of the time they have done all the work on the farm, including the care of the dairy herd and the securing of the farm crops. (Union Star)

Indeed Sarah not only succeeded on her farm, but went on to become a leader in the trade.

Headline from a 1907 article

Sarah Yoakam, who ran her husband’s Coos County dairy upon his death seven years earlier, was voted the first female vice-president of the Oregon State Dairyman’s Association. The next year she became the superintendent of the Dairy Department of the Oregon State Fair. (cooshistory.org)

Now, how exactly this headland came to be known as Yoakam Point is not crystal clear. The acreage was one of 19 locations purchased by the state in 1968. The state wayside simply carried over the accepted name. Oregon Geographic Names suggests the name was in use for “many decades” prior to 1952, attributed to the pioneer family:

For many decades this name has been applied to a small promontory about a mile west of Coos Head just south of the entrance to Coos Bay. It commemorates a family well known in the history of the county. (Oregon Geographic Names, 1952)

Mussel Reef

I think it’s important to include the settler prehistory here. Before the name Yoakam Point gained acceptance among the settlers of the area, it seems like “Mussel Reef” was in play. The area was inhabited by the Coos people from time immemorial. This particular shoreline was an abundant intertidal zone rich with mollusks and crustaceans used for both food and regalia. Sites of archeological importance are documented here.

A half mile west of Yoakam Point, sits Chiefs Island, on which stands the defunct Cape Arago Lighthouse. The island was repatriated to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw in 2013. That site contains a very large, deep midden, indicating an extended presence on the island. It is closed to the public.

Coos Bay was a distinctly rich cultural area prior to Euro-American settlement. it brought together five tribes speaking as many different languages (or dialects) within short distance each other: Miluk (Coos), Hanis (Coos), Quuiich (Lower Umpqua) Nasomah dialect (Lower Coquille) and Athabaskan (Upper Coquille).

Coos Indian Girls, source: ctclusi.org

Noting the abundant natural resources and prospects for establishing a port, early settlers converged on the peninsula in the center of the bay, incorporating the town of Empire City next to a Miluk village, about 10 miles inland from Yoakam Point. Empire City is today the Empire neighborhood of the city of Coos Bay. Within just a few years of the first settlers arriving, the tribes were forcibly removed and eventually relocated to the Siletz Agency of the Coast Reservation. Like most treaties in the west, promises were broken when the US congress systematically failed to ratify them.

Thanks for reading and listening. I’m grateful for your interest. Coast Headland Suite is available under the artist name Listening Spot on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple, Tidal, Amazon, YouTube…) Friday, January 17th.