Magic is a word overused in the Columbia Gorge.  Magic, awe, wonder all terms liberally employed by visitors and writers when trying to describe the majesty of the Gorge.  One of those sites spectacularly earning such accolades is Shepperd’s Dell.

Shepperd’s Dell is one of those places I never seem to have time to stop for.  There is very little parking – always full on the weekends – and only a small waterfall to be fleetingly glanced at as you cross over a bridge.  The Dell lies along one of the most scenic stretches of the Historic Columbia River Highway – HCRH – a true highlight between Multnomah Falls and Crown Point.

THE DELL

Finally, I pulled off the road and found a spot to park the other day while I was cruising along the old road.  The reward was magic, awe and wonder wrapped together.  Tall basaltic cliffs rising straight up forming a small basin down which Young Creek tumbles in two separate cascades, ending up streaming underneath one of the most graceful bridges along the HCRH.  A gorgeous path with elegant stone walls drops down to the creek level at the top of the bottom fall providing superb views of waterfalls, the dell, and the bridge.

Like most places in the Gorge, you will not be alone for long.  Lack of parking does limit those who stop, however.  And most of the visitors do not seem to tarry long, getting out for a quick picture or two and then off to the next feature along the highway.

GEORGE SHEPPERD

Shepperd’s Dell has nothing to do with sheep.  At least, I do not think George Shepperd kept sheep – he had a dairy farm.  He did own the land which included the Dell.  George was born in Ontario.  After marrying Matilda in 1876, the couple moved to Iowa for a couple of years. Next, they headed west in 1889 settling on a 160-acre land claim along Young Creek.  Combining a dairy, farming, and working at the Bridal Veil lumber mill he provided a living for his growing family.  Much of the 160 acres were cliffs and steep hills.

In May 1895, the Shepperds divorced. Thirteen months later, George married Martha “Mattie” Maria Cody Williams – a first cousin of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody.  Mattie died only seven years later at the age of 44 leaving behind a devastated husband. Matilda remarried with Joseph Latourell, Jr. whose father founded the little community of Latourell.

DONATION

During the early 1900’s, Samuel Lancaster was in the area surveying a possible highway route through the Gorge.  An early supporter of the highway, George deeded eleven acres of land around the dell in 1914 to the City of Portland as the new highway routed through property.  Some say George’s donation was inspired with the intent of memorializing his lost wife.  Others say it was simply the magic of the setting inspiring him to save the site for the public.

George took a place among the other honored guests at the highway dedication 7 June 1916 on Crown Point. With the switch of a telegraph button in the White House by President Woodrow Wilson, a flag unfurled opening the highway officially.

For more on the history of Shepperd’s Dell, go to Tom Kloster’s excellent Wy’East blog.

TODAY

Portland transferred the Dell to the State in 1940.  Today, the Dell is part of Shepperd’s Dell State Natural Area. This includes the dell and lands east to Angels Rest.  Young Creek drops out of the dell flowing west through the swampy meadows. The meadows form the foreground for the many pictures taken from the Vista House on Crown Point.  The creek runs into Latourell Creek. Together, the waters enter the Columbia River at the boat ramp at the base of Rooster Rock.

WATERFALLS

The waterfalls drop 220 feet in two drops.  The upper falls, a ninety-foot-high plunge fall, drops into an inaccessible slot canyon of which only the bottom is visible.  After the initial plunge, the creek turns at a right angle running down to the second falls. This is the terminus of the short 0.2-mile path coming down from the highway above.  The lower falls drops in two veiled stages, another 45 feet. Then, another right angle to the west to run underneath the bridge.

True magic comes from the congruous manner in which manmade structures harmoniously meld with nature.  The graceful arched 1914 bridge frames the scene with the classic stone walls along the pathway accentuated by the dainty ferns covering the basaltic cliffs dropping beneath.

BRIDGE

The bridge, designed by K.P. Billner, was the second bridge built along the new highway.  A reinforced concrete deck arch with a 100-foot span with an elegant curtain wall adorns the top of the bridge.  The bridge inspired Conde B. McCullough’s designs placed further east along the Columbia River highway in the early 1920’s.

Nature has changed the scene from when the bridge was first built.  The west end of the Gorge was heavily logged at the time – you can see plenty of open views in the historic photos not visible today with regrowth except late Fall through Winter when the leaves are gone.  This is also the best time to experience the dell.

THE SITE

Some of the trees were scorched here in the 2017 Eagle Creek fire, but they survived.  Just beyond the bridge is the Bishops Cap where two lava flows came together, one rising above the other.  Many photos are taken as cars make their way underneath the Cap.

On the west side of the east entrance to the bridge, a small use trail takes you up to a rocky point where you can look out over the boggy grounds to Rooster Rock to the west with cliffs leading to Crown Point to the south.  Across the river, the dramatic cliffs of Cape Horn rise up.

A magical place, but there are no sheep.