Table Mountain is a peak rising on the north side of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 in Washington state, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-northwest of Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of...

. It is one of the most spectacular landmarks of the Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south...

. Its southeast face drops 2400 feet (731.5 m) in less than one horizontal mile (1.6 km.), and is topped by an almost vertical 800 feet (243.8 m) cliff. Table Mountain is joined by the similar Greenleaf Peak

Greenleaf Peak

Greenleaf Peak is a mountain in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington, located on the north side of the Columbia River near Table Mountain, in the Columbia River Gorge. The peak lies within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area near Bonneville Dam. It is in elevation...

 to the northeast, and also by Hamilton Mountain to the southwest, which is lower, (2438 feet (743.1 m)), but similarly steep and much closer to the Columbia. Together these peaks form an impressive group on the Washington side of the Gorge.

Sometime between 1060 and 1760 AD the south side of Table Mountain sheared off and dammed the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 in an event known as the Bonneville Slide.
The river soon carved a new bend around to the south, but for a while Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 living in the area could walk across. This led to the legend known as the Bridge of the Gods

Bridge of the Gods (geologic event)

The Bridge of the Gods was a natural dam created by the Bonneville Slide, a major landslide that dammed the Columbia River near present-day Cascade Locks, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States...

.