Saturday, December 27, 2008

Bridge of the Gods, Celilo Falls

Before Pictures, I have to explain the history:

The Natives tell of the time that a rock bridge went over the Columbia River where the present Bridge of the God is. The Indians say their ancestors could walk over the rock bridge from what is now Oregon to Washington State. This was a sacred place for fishing. Beneath the Rock Bridge was Celilo Falls, which was a series of rock croppings that the water fell down. Imagine hundreds of waterfalls over an enormous area which the entire big river had to go down. This caused a constant mist/fog. The salmon would swim up the waterfalls, rest and then swim higher in the mist. The Indians would catch salmon here. Seven different tribes used this as their fishing hole. They would find a place to sit and catch salmon for themselves and their tribe. The Bridge of the Gods now rests where all of this took place.

Present Day: Celilo Falls is gone: An Electrical Dam was put in and Celilo Falls was covered up. The original Bridge of the Gods made of rock is lore, told from generation to generation. The Indians still fish here. They are allowed to use dip nets on this stretch of water.

I had to hike in to get the pictures. Usually you drive but there was too much snow for my little car.

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