Multnomah Falls with Original Timber Bridge - circa 1884
By my count, we now have eleven images of Multnomah Falls with a timber bridge on the Old Oregon website, as well as three images with no bridge and six with the current concrete bridge, built in 1914.
Each photo provides a slightly different view. This version, by Isaac G. Davidson, shows the "original" bridge, before it was reinforced. Built no later than 1883, its construction was likely scheduled to be ready for the opening festivities for the northern route of the transcontinental railroad that year.
While the concrete bridge is now an icon, the timber bridge, built with local materials, was somehow more appropriate for the legends of the falls, which were passed down for countless generations by the original inhabitants of this area.
-- This photo is restored and printed by Old Oregon.
Photographer | Isaac G. Davidson |
---|---|
Location | Columbia Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Multnomah County |
Subject | Bridges and Trestles, Waterfalls |
Decade | 1880s |
Print Maker | Old Oregon |
Original Type | Boudoir Card |
Size of Original | 4.9 x 7.8inches |
Photographer's Number | Number 49 |