Re: Silver Strand or Widow's Tears Evolving Controversy

Following a PM with B-e-g, I am left clearly confused by the naming of certain waterfalls on southern wall of Yosemite Valley.

Specifically, is Silver Strand the same as Widows Tears? If not, which is associated with Meadow Brook Creek?
If they are the same, did, in fact, Billy-e-g "discover a new falls" and named it Goat Fallz?

Widows Tears vs Silver Strand Falls

Same or different fall(s)?

evidence for "same":

http://mapx.map.vgd.gov.lv/geo3/Ukr/Pamatlapas_Slices/Arzemes_E/Pasaules%20augstakie_E.htm

http://waterfallintheworlds.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

(search for "Widow" http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_valley_place_names/

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/California/Yosemite_National_Park-756823/Things_To_Do-Yosemite_National_Park-Other_Water_Falls-BR-1.html

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/region_111/vol2-2c.htm

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/waterfalls/waterfalls_of_height.html


From Guide to Yosemite (1920):
available at:
<http://books.google.com/books?id=relJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA42&lpg=PA42&dq=widows+tears+fall+yosemite+silver&source=bl&ots=IPqlCqStwE&sig=wq7SKmNSMzLhU_rNJbuFKaTKfZA&hl=en&ei=5i4CSq2ALYSKtAPzzd3jAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#PPA42,M1>;

About a quarter of a mile westward is the old Mail Carrier's Cabin, the site of the ancient village of Ah-wah'-ma. Across the canyon the rugged ramparts of the south rim rise imposingly above and Meadow Brook pours over the edge to leap 1170 feet as Widow's Tears Fall. A small dam in the Merced diverts water for the intake of the two thousand-watt generators of the new government power house just below the road. South of the river is a grotesque promontory which is well named Pulpit Rock.





the falls are different:

http://www.waterfallswest.com/waterfall.php?id=263

http://www.iceclimb.com/CA_area.data (search for widow)

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Quote
Frank Furter
Following a PM with B-e-g, I am left clearly confused by the naming of certain waterfalls on southern wall of Yosemite Valley.

GOOD! Nice to know that at least SOMEbody else on this board gets confused!

I just got home and was gonna post this..

(and no I did not look at your 100 links above) (ok, I looked at a couple)

From Yosemite Place Names by Peter Browning (another book I just got):

Silver Strand Falls:
The falls is on Meadow Brook, which drains a small area and thus quickly runs
dry once the snow has melted. It's earlier name was "Widow Tears Falls" -
because-as early stage coach drivers told tourists-it only lasted two weeks.
It appeared with that name on the Wheeler Survey map of 1883 and on the
Yosemite Valley maps from 1907 to 1922. The present name was given at
the suggestion of Francois E. Matthes, and appeared on the 1927 edition of
the map.

This is what I would go with. They are the same.

Goat Fallz it is.

Just want to comment on this book:
"Yosemite Place Names" by Peter Browning

Ok, so I actually really like the book. The first edition was in 1988
and the book I have which I just got the other day is copyright 2005.

Well, I guess noone actually edits the book because there are some obvious errors:

Neall Lake is not near Ten Lakes
Gravel Pit Lake kinda sorta has trees around it - and how about just a little more history on it...
not "Be thankful you know nothing more about it".

This just throws into question the Widow Tears Falls...



Also I thought that Double Rock was called Tuolumne Castle. But the book says Grand Mountain.
Anyone confirm which one?
Haven't climbed around Grand in a number of years...
but Double Rock for sure looks like a Castle to me... (I do have pictures of that...)