Tsagaglalal (She Who Watches)
Native American artwork; maker not recorded · Horsethief Lake area, Columbia Hills Historical State Park, Washington
Photo: John Nelson (rooftop65) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0), as also published on Street Art Utopia.
Tsagaglalal, She Who Watches, is a petroglyph on a basalt cliff overlooking the Columbia River at Horsethief Lake, in Columbia Hills Historical State Park. Source Checked It is part painted and part carved, a combination of pictograph and petroglyph. Source Reported
Seen Oct 2026: Washington State Parks lists guided tours to Tsagaglalal through 31 October 2026, on Fridays and Saturdays from April to October. Source Checked
💡 5 things to know
- A sacred artworkWashington State Parks describes Tsagaglalal as sacred Native American artwork, one of several pictographs and petroglyphs shown on its tour. Source Checked
- The story behind the nameIn the legend, a female chief worried about what would happen to her people when she was gone; Coyote turned her to stone so she could watch over them and the river. Source Reported
- Reserved tours onlyThe area is open by reserved tour only, at 9 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from April to October, for up to 20 people. Tours are free; parking needs a Discover Pass. Source Checked
- Endangered in 1993The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation says vandalism put Tsagaglalal on its Most Endangered Places list in 1993; it is now protected, with access through ranger-guided tours. Source Reported
- Left in placeArchaeology magazine reports that about 40 other works were cut from the cliffs before The Dalles Dam flooded the area; Tsagaglalal remains high on the cliff face. Source Reported
📍 Where it is
On a basalt cliff above the Columbia River in the Horsethief Lake area of Columbia Hills Historical State Park, near Dallesport, Washington. Source Checked The National Park Service says it can be viewed on a ranger-led tour booked in advance. Source Checked
Opens Columbia Hills Historical State Park on Google Maps. We give no position for the petroglyph itself, which can only be visited on a guided tour.
🗓️ Sightings
- 1910
Curtis photo published · Washington Trust
- 1993
Vandalized · Washington Trust
- 201416 Aug
Described · The Columbian
- 201717 Apr
Trail feature · Portland Monthly
- 202631 Oct
Tours listed through · State Parks
Amber stamps mark records and reports; the red stamp marks damage, not loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
“A combination of both pictograph and petroglyph, She Who Watches is among the best examples of aboriginal art in the U.S.”
“The legend of Tsagaglalal tells of a female chief who was concerned over what would happen to her people when she was gone.”
✅ The facts
- Name source
- Wishram (Washington Trust) or Wasco-Wishram (Archaeology magazine); Portland Monthly says a Sahaptin dialect Source Source Source Conflicting
- Motif date
- The face motif appeared at Gorge burial sites from the 1600s to the late 1800s (Portland Monthly); no date found for this panel Source Unconfirmed
🔗 Related
All sources & image credits
- Washington State Parks: Tsagaglalal (She Who Watches) tours at Columbia Hills
- The Columbian: She Who Watches (16 August 2014)
- National Park Service: Columbia Hills Historical State Park
- Archaeology magazine: Off the Grid, Columbia Hills (May/June 2017)
- Washington Trust for Historic Preservation: Most Endangered Places, Tsagaglalal (1993)
- Portland Monthly: Scouting petroglyphs in the Columbia River Gorge (17 April 2017)
- Image: John Nelson (rooftop65) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (file page), as also published on Street Art Utopia; a 16:9 share image was made from it. No More photos row: the free-licence photos named in our research could not be checked against their Commons pages in this run.
Last checked: 3 November 2026. How we verify art