A Bridge Through Time
Although steel has been made for centuries, it wasn't until the Bessemer process was introduced in the 1870s that it could be produced in quantity.
The Bridge of the Gods mural is the creation of Larry Kangas, of Beaverton, Oregon.
Commissioned by the city of Cascade Locks, and completed in November 2001, it's a visual tour through the history of this beautiful area.
Visit the Cascade Locks Marine Park to see the original ship locks (listed in the National Register of Historic Places), an historical museum, the
Oregon Pony, and a stern-wheeler.
1 - Can you see all three eagles?
Hint: stand back on the sidewalk and look high and low.
2 -
Wolf, bear, and cougar are important figures in Indian legends.
3 -
Sasquatch ("Bigfoot") appears in Indian oral tradition as well.
The artist claims that the Bigfoot drawing is based on an actual sighting he made from this spot while he worked on the mural late into the night. The locals think he probably just dozed off. What do you think?
4 -Coyote is an important figure in Indian legends: he's said to have created the River People, as well as the Columbia Gorge itself.
5 -People have lived here for at least 11,000 years. The "River People" who originally inhabited the Gorge
are the ancestors of today's Northwest Indian tribes.
6 -The sheer cliffs on Table Mountain (3,417') and Greenleaf Peak (3,422') were formed around 1700 by the Bonneville Slide, which also formed the ancient "Bridge of the Gods" and the Cascade rapids.
7 -The original "Bridge of the Gods" was an ancient land bridge recorded in Indian legend.
8 -Stern-wheelers plied the Columbia from 1850 to 1938. Pictured is the classic vessel,
Tahoma.
9 -Cascade Locks was a busy waypoint for cars, and some steamboats and trains in the 1930s.
10 -The modem Bridge of the Gods was completed in 1926.
11 -Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis under the bridge in 1927.
12 -The "locks" operated from 1896 to 1938, helping river travelers bypass the dangerous Cascade rapids.
13 -Lewis and Clark descended the Columbia River in 1805 and returned in 1806. They camped on the island near the Washington bank.
14 -The stern-wheeler
Bailey Gatzert was a frequent visitor to Cascade Locks.
15 -The
Oregon Pony was the first steam locomotive west of the Mississippi, and traveled the first railroad in the Northwest.
16 -The Bridge of the Gods was built by the Wanua Toll Bridge Company and was subsequently raised 40 feet to accommodate
ships after the construction of the Bonneville Dam.
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
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