Bridge of the Gods, Part 2

Photo: Table Mountain. Creative Commons, BY-SA 4.0, Eric Prado.

Bridge of the Gods is an impressive steel structure connecting Cascade Locks, Oregon with Stevenson, Washington. But geologists believe that about 600 to 1,000 years ago a giant landslide from nearby Table Mountain on the north shore of the Columbia River blocked the Gorge and stopped the river’s flow.

This natural dam created an inland sea in eastern Oregon, Washington, and into Idaho. Over time, water eroded the dam and created an awesome natural stone bridge. Eventually, this bridge fell, creating the Cascade rapids.

Several different Native American legends also speak of the creation and destruction of this natural bridge. One of the more famous of these legends tells of a great natural bridge, “Tahmahnaw,” Bridge of the Gods. The bridge was used in legend by Ka’nax, a chief who ruled the tribes on both sides of the river. The chief carried on a love affair with two princesses: Wa-ye-ast (Mt. Hood) and Pah-to (Mt Adams).

Ultimately, the gods of the two mountains destroyed the natural bridge, ending both the romance and Ka’nax’s reign. The People believed the Bridge of the Gods was located near the present-day Cascade Locks. They found this to be an appropriate explanation for the extensive broken terrain on both sides of the river and the rocks and boulders that created rapids in this area.

The rapids are now submerged by the lake created by Bonneville Dam.