Travelers throughout history have been awed by the steep cliffs and unique mountain formations of the Columbia River Gorge, including Wind Mountain, the tall cone-shaped peak on the river's shore to the east. Weary pioneers of the 1880s, worn down by months of hard travel and anxious about the Cascade rapids below, still paused to write about the beauty of this waterway. Whirlwinds blow fiercely around Wind Mountain, and a cloud hat can often be seen on its summit. Local lore suggests the mountain may once have been a spirit quest site where Native Americans sought a lifelong guardian spirit. William Clark in 1806, Thomas J. Farnham in 1843, and Honoré-Timothée Lempfrit in 1848 all recorded admiration for the dramatic scenery, waters, winds, and riverbanks of the Columbia.