The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-08-06
ROAD WILL OPEN
SCENIC DISTRICT
THE COLUMBIA HIGHWAY AN ASSET
Except for Suall Valleys, Mid-COlumbia
District Will Always Remain in
Natural State

al btdNN
One of the most enjoyable short rail
way journeys of my life. think, was
that taken one early November morn
ing between Hood River and Portland.
The local train of the 0.-W. r. & N.
Co. was speeding along in a mist that
the west wind had blown up the night
before from the Pacific. The fog banks
reached half way up the precipitous
cliffs and turretted crags Of the Colum-
bia river gorge and were being dis
persed by the autumn sun. its rays
shimmering like living darts among
the mist particles and lighting up the
tops of the rugged. colored canyonside.
The early sunlight shown upon the vari-
colored foliage of the thousands of
shrubs that spring from every crevice
of the gorgeside and magnified their
brlliancy every leaf asparkle with the
mist-made dew. Patches of gold
cleaned on the slopes, where the frost
had touched the vine maple, and gray,
moss-covered banks formed the back
ground for great Titan-ilke bouquets of
purple Oregon grape, while here and
there the flaming scarlet of dogwood
berries and leaves added TO the lustre
of the beautiful garment that Nature
filings over the shoulders Of old Mother
Earth in the Mid-Columbia region,
when Indian Summer has come.
Even though | had been blind the
gingery atmosphere of the November
morning would hae prevented my emo
tions being laggard. And even though
| had been alone wuold have enjoyed
the journey. As it was was my travel
ing companion was E. l.. Smith. No
one knows better than he the legends
of the Northwestern Indians, and dur
ing the two hours ride down to Port
land | learned more of the history of
the district than one would gather from
reading many volumes of books.
heard as sped by the cascades of more
than score of beautiful waterfalls,
the significance Of their names in the
myths of the Redmen.
When one has viewed the Columbia
river gorge and has visited the regions
of the snow peaks of the d-Columbia
district 49, Mount Adams in southern
Washington and Mount Hood in North
ern Oregon, it seems strange that SO
little of tctional romance has ever been
written about them. The wonder is, as
one looks at the grandeur that presents
itself on every hand and wishes that he
or she might be able to set forth in
fitting expression the emotions that the
awe-inspiring spectacles arouse, that
the Cascade region has never produced
any great novelist or puet to hand dowr
the legends of the Aborigines and the
stories of the pioneers. But one real
notable book of romance has ever beer
written about the Mid Columbia dis
trict. F. II. Balch, pioneer minister.
has woven beautiful story around the
legend of the Bridge of the Gods. This
my thlcal structure was supposed to
have spanned the Columbia where the
Cascades of the great stream are seen
today. The people of the Northwest
today speak of the sheer clitfsides seen
there as the abutments of the Bridge
of the Gods. According to the Indian
legend, one handed down by the Klicki-
tats, the great tribe of the eastern
Washington plains, Tyhee Saghalie, the
chief of the gods, had two sons. Why
east and Klickitat,. One day he trav-
eled with the children down the Colum-
bia as far as The Dalles. The beauty
of the country appealed to the young
men and they Quarreled as to its pos
session. Then the father, taking g
bow, shot two arrows, one to the north
and the other to the south. Wiyeast
was hidden to follow the last arrow and
/ X IN at ha ENpN nd hn fath FOL
them to settle in the lands surrounding
them. Thus Klickitat became the
founder of the tribe named for him and
Wiyeast progentor of the great tribe
of Multnomah. Saghale reared the
mountain ranges to keep peace between
them, but that they might always have
friendly intercourse he built the Bridge
of the Gods.
LooWitt, witch woman, kept watch
there. The woman saw the misery
caused by lack of fire among the tribes
and at her appeal she was allowed tC
kindle a fire on the great structure
The Indians journeyed here for the
smouldering brands and their condition
was so much improved that Saghalit
promised her anything she would ask
She told the chief of the gods that sht
desired beauty above everything else
and he transformed her from an ugly
old woman to beautiful maiden.
Straightway Wiyeast and Klickita
fell in love with her. They quarreled
and to punish them Saghalie put al
three to death, but Loowit had been 81
beautiful in life that he was deter
mined to make her beautiful in death
and she was transformed into Noun
st. Helens, the great symetrical snow
peak of the Northwest. Wiyeast formet
the rugged pinnacle of old Mount Hoo(
and Klickitat was changed into Noun
Adams. The bridge WIS destroyed tina
the children of these men-gods nigh
be kept apart.
The Mid Columbia district is compar
atively new, from the viewpoint of th'
white men. The earlier settlers OF tn,
Oregon Northwest merely passet
through 1t along the foot of the grea
gorge. Even the little valleys nesting
among the ranges and bordering tht
turbulent glacial streams that feed th'
Columbia were uninviting to the frs
homeseekers; for they were covered b!
the monsters of the forest, great Doug
las frs and yellow sugar pines. Tht
man who had crossed the prairies will
his family, following the Old Oregon
Trail that leads down from the Blue
Mountains at the eastern border of th'
present state. then traversing the awe
some expanses of what has now becomt
part of the great Inland Empire
striking the narrow chasm, where tht
river seethed through the dalles, haC
used up the last atom of patience ant
energy. He was in hurry to reacl
the land of promise, and he onl,
stopped long enough in the great gorg
at the mouth of some sream, to wonde
and to rest and TO gain the strength
that would carry him to the Valley o
the Willamette, where his tolls as
home builder on the western frontie
would be more quickly rewarded.
Even up to the last quarter of cen