Legend, Fact and Beauty of Multnomah Falls

Recently I had the pleasure to visit Multnomah Falls.  I have often seen it from a distance driving on I-84 heading east from Portland to Eastern Oregon.  So often we are in a hurry driving from one destination to another, time isn't taken to stop and enjoy beauties of nature.  On this occasion, time was taken to stop and enjoy this well known waterfall in Oregon and of course, for photographic opportunity.

A little background first....  The name Multnomah is a Native American word that has been eluded to mean "downriver".  History records that the Multnomah people are a segment of the Chinookan peoples who originally lived near the Columbia River.

It is a two-tiered waterfall that is 611 feet high and located on the Columbia River Gorge near the I-84 Freeway.  The upper fall plunges 542 feet and the lower fall is 69 feet which makes Multnomah Falls the highest waterfall in the state of Oregon and the second highest in the nation.There is a legend attached to Multnomah Falls.  Keep in mind that legend means a traditional story or tale that has no proven factual basis....
According to Wasco legend, the daughter of Chief Multnomah sacrificed herself to the Great Spirit from the top of Multnomah Falls.  Tribes along the Columbia River celebrated the marriage of the Chief's daughter to a neighboring tribe.  The happiness didn't last long, however, before the area experienced an illness that affected all of the tribes along the river.  The medicine man claimed the Great Spirit told him all of the tribe would die unless the Sprit received a sacrifice; the Chief's daughter's life.  The Chief wouldn't allow it, but when the daughter saw the sickness affect her loved ones, she willingly left in the middle of the night to go to the top of the cliff overlooking the Columbia River.  She threw herself off the cliff.  When the Chief found his daughter's body, he prayed to the Great Spirit for a sign that her spirit was well.  Water began pouring from the cliff and became known as Multnomah Falls.

An interesting legend but here is the simple fact about the falls...  The Multnomah Falls water is supplied by natural underground springs that originate on Larch Mountain, which is an extinct volcano where the falls are located.

Below are several closeup photos of this enchanting water, mesmerizing in its tumbling fall....

I thought you might be interested in just a few facts and photos of Multnomah Falls.  It is just one of many sights of beauty in the diverse scenery from the west coast to the eastern region of Oregon.  There is a quote by Russian poet, writer and painter Mikhail Lermontov who compared waterfalls with human soul - "Many quiet rivers start from noisy waterfalls, but none of them jumps and does not foam up to the sea.  But it is often a sign of great peace of mind, and hidden forces..."

Join me at The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, August 28th.  Until then, here is another thought to ponder on by Benjamin F Sullivan... "God is discovered entirely through creation - the brilliance of a sunset, the powerful roar of a waterfall, the symphony of sounds you hear in the heart of the forest, or the vastness of space and its countless stars.  God is the mastermind behind all matter - every earth shattering scientific discovery and mystery that is yet to be unraveled was dreamed and enacted by God."