Multnomah Falls – Oregon

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The waterfall formed around 15,000 years ago at the end of a hanging valley, and was created by the Missoula floods.
According to the creation story from the Multnomah tribe (from whom the falls take their name), the waterfall was formed after a young woman sacrificed herself to the Great Spirit to save Multnomah village from a plague by jumping from the cliff, and the Multnomah peoples were saved. After her death, water began to flow from above the cliff, creating the waterfall.

The falls were noted in the journals of explorers William Clark and Meriwether Lewis during their expedition through the Columbia River Gorge in 1805.

In an October 30 journal entry, Lewis notes:
“passed Several places where the rocks projected into the river & have the appearance of having separated from the mountains and fallen into the river, small niches are formed in the banks below those projecting rocks which is common in this part of the river, Saw 4 Cascades caused by Small Streams falling from the mountains on the Lard.”

I created this painting based on a photograph of the falls and the Multnomah Creek Bridge. I took small artistic liberties in the composition of this painting. I felt that the surrounding vegetation was just as important as the falls.

Learn how you can have a positive impact on the environment at www.conservation.org

-The GYPSY-
“Art in order to be art must invoke an emotion. If it only invokes indifference then it is not art it is garbage,”