As Oregon’s most visited natural attraction, Multnomah Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, ranking a disputed 2nd tallest in the United States, with a recorded height of 620 feet.

The name “Multnomah” is derived from a tribe of the Chinookan Indians, who lived in the area through the early 1800s, but it is unknown who named the falls after them. Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition cited the falls in his journal, as other nineteenth-century explorers had, but none mentioned a name.

Preceding the construction of the present-day Multnomah Falls Footbridge, a timber bowstring truss bridge suspended over the falls in the present bridge’s location as early as 1883. The falls and bridge were a popular stop for passengers on the close-by Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Co., or for passengers on steamboat trips up the Columbia River.

In 1891, workers reinforced the bridge with additional timber bracing and cables, but the bridge did not last into the 20th century, disappearing for unknown reasons 8 years later.

In 1914, a new footbridge construction plan was underway funded by Simon Benson, a wealthy Portland lumberman for whom the bridge is named. Shortly after, Benson donated the surrounding land in agreement with the city of Portland that they were to construct a lodge on its premises.

The lodge was completed in 1925, but closed in 1942 during the duration of World War II. The lodge reopened after the war under new management and is now home to the Multnomah Falls Lodge Restaurant, gift shop, snack bar, espresso bar, and Interpretive Center.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Hayley Benton.