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RASH'-0-aq ppy ntroduction ! issues of the Columbia River Gorge. The purposeof this pro- gram has b»en to priivid<.. resource managers, educators, decision niakci», and the intcrc»tcd public an opportunity to seefirsthand the richn<.»»,diversity, and uniqueness of the Torge. '1 his booklet is an attempt to bring tog»ih»r ihc information The Columbia River georgeis one of the most niajesiic .ind and materials which ar» presented during th» short course. '1'hc u~ique areas in the world. II»re the mighty Columbia carved goal oi this booklet is to give citizens a better understandingof out the only sea-level brcak through the Cascade Range on its the div»r»ity and uniqu» qualiry of the Gorge. It is hoped this wav to the Pacific Ocean. With the Cascadestowering as high thumbnail sk»tch will give the readera hetter appreciationof as 4,000 feei on either side oi the river, one finds an everchang- the Gorge as he or she travels through it, and ihai it will arouse ing panoramafrom lush Douglas-fir forests,craggy stands ot the reader'sinterest to further explore the past, pres»nt,and pine and oak, majestic stone-faced clifTs, and sp<.ctacularwater- future condition ot the Torge, falls, to windswept plateaus and semi-arid conditions. It is a unique geologicaland ecologicalarea, 'i'he geologic history oi th» area can readily be seen, etched in the v'ind- arid water-ssvcpt mountains. 'I here is a great botanical diversity of plants within its boundaries,with many rare species,unique to the georgearea. A variety of wildlife species can al»o be found nowledgmenfs within the Gorge, many on the threatened or cndarigcrcd list, The Torgealso is rich in history. An ancient, prosperousIn- dian cultiir» lived in the Gorge for thousandsof years.The Gorge provid»d a migratory path lor these Indian tribes. Later explorers,voyageurs, trappers, and settlersused the Gorge as a Many peoplehave combinedtheir efforts since 197I to bring pathv,ay to develop and settle the I'aciiic Northwest, Since the information together for the yearly Short Course on thc Col- Lewis and Clark explored the Gorge in the early 1800»,it has umbia River, on which this booklet is based, become an artery of comnrerce, a storehouse of l.imber and Special thanks should go to the people who initiated the Short mineral resources,a sourceof' electrical energy, and a highly Course and served as its first instructors: Dick Adlard, Ivan esteemed scenic attraction. Donaldson, the late Emory Strong, and Ruth Strong, Beginning in 1971, Washington State I.:niversity Cooperative Other instructors who have contributed tim», mat»rial», and Extension,recently in cooperationwith ihe WashingtonSea knowledge over the succession of short courses include: John Grant Program, has of'f'»redan intensive two-day educational Eliot Allen, James C. Barron, Jeff Breckel, Kathryn Brigham, tour in the ;olumbia River george.Lntitled Short Course on thc Dave Burkhart, Phil Crawford, Rick Fnsminger, Bruce Florea, Columbia, thi» educationalprogram has discussedth» history, Bill and Kclscy Gray, I,es Hastings, Cari Hav kes, :huck Hen- geology, ecology, natural re»ources, fisheries, and nianagement derson, Eric Karl»son, Ralph Mason, Dr. William McAndrew, Douglas Nosier, Jean Siddall, Esson Smith, Fritz Titntnen, Bob VanAtta, and Frank Young. This booklet was supported in part by Project A/WSU-l, Grant No, NA81AA-D-00030 from the National Oceanic and AttnosphericAdministration to the Washington SeaGrant Program. The discussionof early Indian life on the Colutnbia draws heavily on material preparedby the late Emory Strong. A pro- fessionalengineer by training, he was the author of several bookson early Indian cultures in the Gorge, including StoneAge on the Columbia River, and edited Wakemap Mound and ¹arby Sites on the Long ¹rrorJs of the Columbia River. For more in- formation on these books, see "Suggested Reading." John Eliot Allen, the author of the geology section, is Pro- fessor Emeritus at Portland State University. His writings in- clude his excellentbook, TheMagnificent Gateway:A Layman's Guideto the Geologyof the ColumbiaRiver Gorge see"Suggested Reading" !. The sectionon plants and animals in the Gorge was originally written for the short course by Ruth Strong. It was revised and updated by Nancy Russell and Russ Jolley. The 130 sites identified as significant features are based on four studies of the Gorge: A 1973 study by Wright, Gildow, Harttnan & Teegarden, Architects and Planners; a 1980 study by Ames Associates,Planning Consultants;another 1980 study by the National Park Service,U.S. Department of Interior; and a 1981 study by Jones& Jones, Inc,, Planning Consultants. Photographs courtesy Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon. Geologicdiagrams are taken frotn TheMagnificent Gatezuay:8 Layman'sGuide to the Geologyof the ColumbiaRiver Gorge,1979 edition, by John Eliot Allen. Maps are by Nicole Van Ausdle, Graphic Designer, Washington State University Cooperative Extension. Indian Legend' Loowit had a way to inakc herself needed and wanted: She had charge.of the only fire in the world. Shc saw how miserable the tribes on both sides of the river were during the long, wet winters v'ith na fire to keep theni The Old Men of the tribes say it was Tyhee Saghalie, chief of warm or to cook their fish and venison. It hurt Loowit's heart all the gods, who put the Guardians of the Columbia there, and to see the womeii always cold and wet and to scc the little they sav it was an act of harsh justice tcmpcrcd by the melan- children sick and dying, choly of a tired old man whose sons took up arms against each So one day shc make a gift of the fire to 'lyhcc Saghalie. His other. gratitude was without limit and he offered I..oawit anything she They say 'I yhcc Saghalic and his two hot-tempered sons came wanted. down the river from the Far North in search of a land suitable She asked what any ugly woman would ask and she became for the Tyhee of all gods, and after a long, arduous trip that the most beautiful maiden in the world, All the young men fell was difficult even for a god, they found the land beside the river in love with her, but she paid theni no attention. where the rocks vere like stepping stones>which the White Then she met Tyhee's sons, Klickitat and Wycast. Shc could Men named The Dalles. not decidewhich to marry and their tribes quarreledamong They had never seen a land so beautiful, and Tyhcc Saghalie themselves over which of their chiefs should have I.oowit's made it his awn. But his two sons quarreled over the possession hand. Soon war broke out betweenthe brothers' people. of that land and Tyhcc Saghaliesettled the dispute by shooting Tyhee Saghalie was sad and angry, He knew that to end the two arrows from his powerful bow; one to the west and one to fighting he must destroy the cause.First he destroyedthe the north, One son, Klickitat, followed the arrow to the north Bridge of the Gods. Then he put Loowit, Wyeast, and Klickitat and made it his land and became the grandfather of a tribe nam- to death. ed for himself. The other son, Wyeast, followed the arrow to But he felt responsiblefor the tragedy and he laved all three the west and became grandfather of the Multnomahs who lived he had put to death. Becausethey werc beautiful in life, he beside the river called Willamette. wanted them to bc adinired forever. Theii Tyhee Saghalic raised the mountains on bath sides of He made Wyeast into Mt. IIood, Klickitat into Mt, Adams, the river for a boundary between the sons' land, but he did not and Loawit inta Mount St. EIelens. raise any high enough to have a cap of snow, perhaps And the rocks from the Bridge of the Gods that fell into the remeinbcring the cold of the Far North. 'I hen he built the most river created the great Cascades. beautiful structure inan had ever seen Tahmahnawis, the Bridge of the Gods so that his sons and their children inight 'There sri. menr versionsof thc 1<ridgeot the Gods let;eriti. nnch tttdizn tribe Iivtot; in pass across the river in safety and that his family might not the Ciorpthsd irs otvoversion This versionconies from ihe Kltckttsts. always be divided. Then Tyhee Saghalie did a good thing that lcd to thc destruc- tion of his fainily, On the river lived a witchwoman, Loowit, who was the ugliest of the ugly crones. But being a woman, istory of the Gorge between 19,000 and 12,000 years ago, the collapse of ice dams imprisoning a lake in Montana released a series of great floods Bv Afichael S, Springer that swept acrossWashington and down the Columbia, filling the Gorge to the brim and extinguishing all life from Pasco to THE INDIANS the sea. Some worked material and traces of ancient campfires have been found beneath deposits of the great deluges known as The first people arrived in the Americas at least 15,000years the Bretz Floods. The Riverine Culture, after the catastrophe, prospered. By ago, as proven by dated sites. Some authorities believe they 1824, Sir George Simpson was able to write, "The native cameearlier, perhapsabout 35,000 yearsago when there was an population on the banks of the Coluinbia River is much greater ice-freepassage across Alaska and down through Canadato the than in any other part of North America that I have visited; as Great Plains, The first arrivals were hunters; stalking elephants, from the upper lake to the coast, the shores are actually lined giant bison, and other rnegafaunawith their puny weapons,they with Indian lodges at the fishing season." had only the spearand atlatl, a throwing stick for casting a dart.