[Geysers] Mystery geyser

[Dave TAYLOR]

Thank you- that clears it up, especially when I consider the distinct lack of orange at 'Orange Rock Springs'.  Doubtless this will also cause confusion in future years as people research the early treks (late 90's, early 2000's) made to Joseph's Coat/Fairyland, which end up following the incorrect notation.

>>> <Lee_Whittlesey at nps.gov> 04/04/2005 8:49:46 AM >>>
Dave---You must be referring to a notation that says "Orange Rock Springs"
on the very recent 7 1/2-minute map, because as I recall, this name does
not appear on the older fifteen-minute maps nor on the 1961 park
topographic map.

If that is the case, the new notation may eventually cause us problems,
because the USGS has gotten it WRONG. Apparently in not knowing where to
place this peripatetic name and finding it officially approved with a
decision, they elected to stick it onto this rather innocuous area
(consisting mainly of ONE small yellowish hot spring and a bunch of acid
seeps) in the meadow at the jumping off point to Joseph's Coat.

Here is the entry, I've placed in the upcoming NEW edition of YELLOWSTONE
PLACE NAMES:

ORANGE ROCK SPRINGS*
This place name, which was mistakenly approved in 1937 to refer to hot
springs thought to be at the head of Moss Creek, actually refers to
present-day Joseph's Coat Springs, as the ones on Moss Creek have no
existence. The Orange Rock Springs name originated in 1873 with Capt. W.A.
Jones when he visited present Joseph's Coat Springs: "On Orange [Broad]
Creek*occurs a notable mass of springs that have so cut down and discolored
the rocks that I have named the locality Orange Rock Springs" (Jones, 1875,
p. 27). At this place the rocky bed of Broad Creek is bright orange in many
places.


 As this entry notes, the original name was placed by Jones on Joseph's
Coat Springs and then mistakenly approved in 1937 to apply to some alleged
springs on Moss Creek. Puzzled by this when I first came to the park, I
hiked Moss Creek all the way to the Grand Canyon and found, as I suspected,
that there are NO springs on Moss Creek.

You are welcome to share this information with others or place it on the
listserver and I hope it helps. I dread the possibility that usage by
people who read the map may eventually result in the transference of this
name to the current innocuous area, but, as I say, the USGS is simply wrong
about it. Rocco Paperiello and I have discussed this, and I believe that he
agrees with me.

Lee Whittlesey
Park Historian
"




                                                                                                                                   
                      "Dave TAYLOR"                                                                                                
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                      04/01/2005 09:27                                                                                             
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Lee,
I'm confused by something here.  In the second paragraph, you list
Joseph's Coat Springs as also being officially know as Orange Rock
Springs.  However, there is an Orange Rock Springs on Wapiti trail,
which is often considered the jumping off point for the bushwhack to
4B1, Joseph's Coat springs.  With these two areas being separated by
roughly two miles, I don't think that they are part of the same complex.
 How is it possible then that two distinct features have the same name
(Orange Rock springs), or am I missing something?

Please keep in mind that I'm posing this question out of my own
ignorance, and in no way is this a challenge to your authority on the
matter.  Just the opposite- it seems to me that you are the only one who
could possibly shed some light on this apparent dichotomy.

In other words, 'Help us Obi-wan Lee-Whittlesey, you're our only
hope!'.

Thanks,
Dave Taylor

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx


>>> Lee_Whittlesey at nps.gov 03/31/2005 8:37:28 AM >>>
Yes, this photo seems to be of Crater Hills Geyser. Don't forget that
Crater Hills Geyser is one of those thermal features that actually has
TWO
names. Its other name is officially approved with a USBGN decision and
the
name is SULPHUR SPRING.

History, or usage, or the USBGN's approval, or all three have
sometimes
combined to leave us with two names for single features such as
Steamboat
Geyser (New Crater Geyser), Monument Geyser (Thermos Bottle Geyser),
Oblique Geyser (Avalanche Geyser), Joseph's Coat Springs (Orange
Rock
Springs), Lover's Leap (Rock Point), Queen's Laundry (Red Terrace
Spring),
Teton Hill (Lookout Terrace), Mask Geyser (Bellefontaine Geyser), and
perhaps others that I have not thought of.

Even stranger are two-name cases like Old Bath Lake, Restless Geyser,
Diana
Spring, and Dragon Geyser, where the official name is not the one
entrenched in local usage (see respectively Ranger Pool, Atomizer
Geyser,
Cleopatra Spring, and Aurum Geyser). Recall the Board's rule that
one
cannot ignore official names. But here that is difficult, because of
the
Board's other rule instructing us not to ignore local usage.

There is always interesting stuff in the place names arena.

Lee Whittlesey
Park Historian, NPS
Yellowstone National Park