Legends & Tales Of Mount St. Helens

The Bridge Of The Gods-Multnomah Tribe Version

--Henry Sicade

Long, long, ago a man came down the Columbia River and settled at about where The Dalles, Oregon, is now, and this man had two sons, and as the boys grew up, they became very ambitious, and there was trouble brewing, because they wanted to rule the country. To prevent trouble in the family the father secured a great big bow and arrow and shot one arrow to the north and told the older brother to go and hunt that arrow and "where you find it that will be your country." So, the older brother went north, and he became the progenitor of the Squally people.

And he took his bow and shot the other arrow to the south and the younger son was told to go and hunt that arrow and he found that arrow on the banks of the Willamette River, and this man became the progenitor of the Multnomah people.

"In my language they call it 'Multnomah' the people who lived by the big bend in the river."

And to prevent further trouble the Great Spirit reared a range of mountains between these two brothers. There were then no peaks.

As time went on the Great Spirit caused a bridge over the Columbia River to be made. This was called the Tormanawas Bridge and later it was termed by the white writers, 'The Bridge of the God.'

The Columbia River flowed under this big bridge of rock, and on the south end of this bridge the Great Spirit placed a woman, a witch, and this woman was the guardian of the only fire then known, the sacred fire. There was no fire anywhere and as she saw the people living in misery and having a hard time getting along, she asked the Great Spirit that she might be allowed to give these people the sacred fire, and in time the Great Spirit consented and after that they could cook and prepare their food, and live happier and their lives were brightened, and as a reward to this woman the Great Spirit asked her what she desired the most as a reward for her benefits to the people.

She said, womanlike, "Make me the most handsome woman, the handsomest girl." And so, the Great Spirit rewarded her and she became the most handsome woman of the Northwest.

The people from all sections went over there asking her hand in marriage, and she paid no attention to them. Bye and bye a chief from the north came, a young man; his name was Chief Klickitat, and he asked her hand in marriage and she did not like to say yes, but she held him back and bye and bye another chief from the south came, and his name was Chief Wyeast.

He was the chief of the Multnomah people, and between the two she could not choose which she liked best and so a great war was started; the country was ravaged; people were killed and misery ruled, and the people got very scarce killing one another, and the great Spirit seeing this handsome woman was the cause of all kinds of trouble determined to undo what he had done, and so he killed all three, the two chiefs and this witch, and handsomest woman, and over the grave of this witch, as she had been some good to the people he placed a monument, which is now known as St. Helens Mountain or Mount St. Helens.

The Indians said that the mountain shall be known hereafter as Loowit a monument to Loowit, the witch, which was her name. These peaks were known and called by the names of the chiefs and the witch.

Klickitat was killed and his body was buried in the mountains, and a great big mountain was put over his grave, and now you know that mountain as Mount Adams.

As Wyeast had come from the south, his body was taken away off to the east of what is now known as Portland, and buried in the mountains, and the Great Spirit reared that great mountain known as Mount Hood as his monument and as these people who had caused so much trouble were gone, the Great Spirit reared another mountain, and this is this mountain which we now call Tacoma.

The part this mountain was to play in this story, she was to act as the guardian of these bodies, so nothing should happen to them and the Great Spirit thinking some trouble might come from the north also reared another mountain, and that is Mt. Kulshan, now known as Mount Baker. That was another watcher.