The Pillars of Hercules, Oregon

Union Pacific steam train, 1902

In antiquity "The Pillars of Hercules" was a reference to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar; in Oregon USA, they were two towering basalt columns located on the Oregon side of the Columbia River at River Mile, just downstream of Bridal Veil Falls and just upstream of Crown Point and Rooster Rock. At one time the Union Pacific railway line went between the two columns of basalt; today the line is on the north side of the pillars. Photographs in the University of Washington Library by A.H. Barnes shows the tracks were moved sometime before or during 1913. The 120 foot (36.6 metre) high column once served as a training site for mountain climbers. More info and pics on this webpage