The Drift Creek/Alsea River area's history blends Indigenous Alsi heritage, early settler attempts at homesteading, significant timber industry influence, and modern conservation efforts, with the region becoming known for the Drift Creek Wilderness (established 1984) and ongoing habitat restoration in the Siuslaw National Forest for salmon and wildlife. The Alsi people, meaning "peace," lived along the estuary, using ancient trails, later followed by settlers seeking land, but the area's ruggedness and timber focus defined its recent past, now shifting towards ecological health.