Bridge of the Gods connects Washington and Oregon

Native American lore contains numerous legends to explain the eruptions of Mt. St. Helens. The most famous is legend told by the Klickitats. In their tale, the chief of the gods, Tyree Saghalie and his two sons, Pashto and Wy’east traveled down the Columbia River in search of a suitable area to settle. They came upon an area and thought they had never seen a land so beautiful The sons quarrelled over the land and to solve the disput, their father shot two arrows one to the north for Pashto and one to the south for Wy’east. Saghalie then built the Bridge of the Gods so his family could travel back and forth.

When the two sons of Saghalie both fell in love with a beautiful maiden named Loowit, she could not choose between them. The two young chiefs fought over her, burying villages and forests in the process. The area was devastated and th earth shook so violently that the huge bridge fell into the river, creating the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River Gorge

For punishment, Saghalie struck down each of the lovers. Wy’east, with his head lifted in pride became Mt Hood and Pashto, with his head bent toward his fallen love, was turned into Mt Adams. The fair Loowit became Mt St Helens