Photo of the Week
by Freeman F. & Mary Daniels Brown
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Week of December 3, 2000
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The Bridge of the Gods crosses the Columbia River about four miles upriver from the Bonneville Dam. According to Indian legends, a natural bridge, called the Bridge of the Gods, existed near here before collapsing. The geology of the area shows evidence of a large land slide which may have temporarily created a natural dam. This would explain the legend of a bridge. The current bridge was started in 1920 and took six years to complete.
This web page ( The Bridge of the Gods ) contained the Indian legend about the bridge:
| The Bridge of the Gods*
Long ago, when the world was young, there were two brothers who quarreled over the land. Each one wanted most of it. One day the Great Spirit took them to a new country and put them on top of a high mountain. There were mountains all around, with a river flowing between them. "Each of you shoot an arrow," he said, "one to the North and one to the South. Then you will follow your arrow. Where it falls with be your country. There you will become a great chief. The river will separate your lands." One brother shot his arrow south into the Willamette valley. He became the father and chief of the Multnomah people. The other brother shot his arrow north into the Klickitat country. He became the father and chief of the Klickitat people. The Great Spirit built a bridge over the big river to be a sign of peace between them. This was a bridge of rocks. "As long as you and your people are friendly with each other, this bridge will stand," he told the chiefs. Because this bridge was built by the Great Spirit, called "Tamaniwas" by the Indians, it was named, "The Bridge of the Gods." * Pacific Northwest Coast Indians (1990) p. 60. |
D. L. Mark's web page , which contains Bridge of the Gods photographs and history, is worth the visit. If you go to the website, click the Columbia River Gorge icon on the left sidebar. There is an link to Bridge of the Gods in the frame that loads.