The Narrative Image

“Long ago when the mountains were people…” The Columbia River as seen from vantage point below the current Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks The Great Spirit settled a land dispute between two brothers by giving them each territory on opposite sides of the Columbia. The Great Spirit made a bridge across the river as a sign of peace. A natural land bridge on a somewhat smaller scale than the legendary one The two peoples visited each other for many moons, but soon they became greedy and quarrelsome and began doing evil. The Great Spirit was displeased and stopped the sun from shining on them. Clear cutting on the Pacific Crest Trail on the way to Table Mountain The people had no fire and when the rains came, they became cold. They began to pray to the Great Spirit for fire. Cloud shrouded trees at the edge of the Columbia The Great Spirit sent an Old Woman (who still had fire) to the middle of the bridge to tend the fire for the people on both sides of the river. In exchange for th...