Table Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge #1
by Charles Robinson
Title
Table Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge #1
Artist
Charles Robinson
Medium
Photograph - Landscape Photograph
Description
This photograph of Table Mountain that rises above the Columbia River was taken from Cascade Locks, Oregon. It is west of Stevenson, Washington. It is 3,417 feet above mean sea level. The higher mountain to the west is Silver Star Mountain, aka Star Mountain, with an elevation of 4,364 feet above mean sea level.
The steep cliff visible at the top of Table Mountain and extending along the ridge to the west is the result of massive rock slides sometime between 1060AD and 1180AD. During the same time period as the Table Mountain rock slides there were also rock slides on Red Bluff located to the east and north of the City of Stevenson. Red Bluff continues to slide to this day creating some zoning headaches for the city.
The rapids created by the rocks in the river became known as Cascade Rapid, sometimes called the Cascades of the Columbia. The rocky rapids descending more than 22 feet over about 600 yards and then another 30 feet over the next 8 miles. The local Indians crossed the river on the rocks, hence, the original bridge of the gods.
The Cascade Locks and Canal that bypassed the rocky rapids was completed in 1896 permitted the uninterrupted navigation between The Dalles and the coast. The construction of Bonneville Dam in 1938 flooded the locks and barge travel upstream was then possible on the reservoir behind the dam.
The current Bridge of the Gods is a steel truss cantilever bridge. The bridge spans the Columbia River between Cascade Locks and the City of North Bonneville, Waahington. It was completed in 1926 and raised 44 feet in 1938 because of the high water behind Bonneville Dam. It is a toll bridge that is operated by the Port of Cascade Locks. The last time that I crossed the bridge the toll was $2.00 for a passenger car.
I had originally thought that the cliffs at the top of Table Mountain and the ridge extending to the west were created by the Ice Age Flood. My research, however, revealed that these cliffs were above the waters of the Ice Age Flood.
Uploaded
February 10th, 2023
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