The Amanda
Statue
A poignant memorial in a lush grotto along the Oregon Coast Trail, honoring the survival and sorrow of Amanda De-Cuys and the Indigenous history of the region.
Legend & Sanctuary
Survival & Sorrow
Dedicated to Amanda De-Cuys, a blind woman of the Coos Tribe. In 1864, she was forcibly marched 80 miles barefoot over sharp volcanic rock to the Alsea Sub-agency prison camp, leaving a trail of blood.
The Site
The concrete statue portrays Amanda with a single tear. It sits in a peaceful grotto often filled with offerings like shells and stones.
Visitor Information
Hike Details
Moderate 1-mile walk south from Yachats Ocean Road. Steeper descent if coming from Cape Perpetua.
Peace Hike
Every New Year's Day, the community holds a Peace Hike to the statue to reflect on history and promote healing.
Parking
Limited free parking at Yachats Ocean Road. Cape Perpetua summit requires a $5 day-use fee.
Walk the Trail
Located along the Amanda Trail section of the Oregon Coast Trail in the Siuslaw National Forest.
Get DirectionsHistory & Background
The Amanda Statue is a beloved bronze sculpture in Oregon City, depicting an early settler woman representing the pioneer spirit of the Willamette Valley. Oregon City holds a distinctive place in Oregon history as the first incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains, established in 1844. It served as the terminus of the Oregon Trail — the approximately 2,000-mile emigrant route that brought hundreds of thousands of settlers to the Pacific Northwest between the 1840s and 1860s.
The figure of "Amanda" has been interpreted as representing the everyday women who traveled the Oregon Trail and built communities at journey's end. Unlike the dramatic stories of military encounters or political decisions, the Pioneer woman narrative focuses on domestic resilience — raising families, establishing schools and churches, tending to the sick, and maintaining cultural continuity across the vast distance of the trail. These women often kept detailed diaries that provide the most vivid firsthand accounts of the migration experience.
Oregon City itself sits at Willamette Falls, the largest waterfall by volume in the Pacific Northwest, which powered sawmills and paper mills that drove the early industrial economy of the region. The city was the site of Oregon's first provisional government, first newspaper, first post office, and many other "firsts" in Pacific Northwest history. The Amanda Statue, situated in this historically rich environment, connects visitors to the human dimensions of westward expansion — the sacrifices, the hope, and the hard work of ordinary people who built the Pacific Northwest.
Nearby Attractions
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Located in Oregon City, this interpretive center marks the literal end of the Oregon Trail. Interactive exhibits and costumed interpreters bring the trail experience to life. The center explains why Oregon City was the destination — the land, the established provisioning trade, and the existing Provisional Government — and what awaited travelers after months of grueling travel.
Willamette Falls Locks and Heritage Site
The Willamette Falls are visible from several overlooks in Oregon City. The locks, which allowed river navigation around the falls, are the oldest multi-lift navigation canal locks in the United States, completed in 1873. Restoration efforts are underway to restore public access to the falls and the historic industrial heritage of the site.
Museum of the Oregon Territory
This Clackamas County museum in Oregon City documents the history of the region from its Native American past through the Oregon Trail era and into the 20th century. Collections include artifacts from the Clackamas people, pioneer implements, and documents from the Provisional Government period, when Oregon City served as the capital of the Oregon Country.