[Geysers] from a tour ad--"Third" Old Faithful

[Lynn Stephens]

I once addressed the question "Where is the third Old Faithful" in an article "Old Faithful’s Names and Namesakes" that appeared in The Sput.  I did not have an answer to the question, but offered up three possibilities.  I concluded the article by asking whether anyone else had any other suggestions for the third "old faithful" geyser.  Nobody responded.
 
Here is the part of that articlethat offered my suggestions:  



Various sources claim that “The [Calistoga] Geyser is one of
only three Old Faithfuls in the
world, designated as such because of its constant and predictable eruptions.”  Old Faithful in Yellowstone, Calistoga’s Old
Faithful—and the third Old Faithful geyser is
?


Using the criteria “constant” and “predictable” with respect
to eruptions, one possibility for the third “Old Faithful” is the hot water
geyser located at Hunter’s Resort about 1-1/2 miles north of Lakeview, Oregon.  This geyser was also created by a drilled well,
which tapped into geothermal hot water. 
The geyser erupts about every 60 to 90 seconds to a height of about 60
feet.  (I knew I was in desperate need of
a Yellowstone geyser fix one March when I
visited the site and found myself timing the eruptions and calculating
intervals and durations!)  But every
source I’ve reviewed indicates the name of this geyser is “Old Perpetual,” so I
don’t think it qualifies as the third “Old Faithful.”


Another “geyser” that is “constant” and “predictable” is the
“geyser” at Soda Springs, Idaho. 
“Soda Springs boasts the largest captive geyser in the world and was
featured in ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not.’ 
The geyser, in downtown Soda Springs, erupts every hour on the hour.”  [Soda
  Springs, Idaho.]  This feature was also created through
drilling.  In this case though, the
drilling was an attempt to find a hot water source for a swimming pool.  At less than 90ºF the water is not hot.  Carbon dioxide gas mixing with the water
creates the pressure to cause eruptions. 
Regularity of the geyser is guaranteed because it is controlled by a
timer.  However, the timer is not always
used to turn the geyser on.  If the wind
direction is toward the west such that the water from the eruption would blow
toward the town center, the geyser is not allowed to erupt.  But this probably isn’t the third “Old Faithful” because I couldn’t find any sources that
called the feature anything other than the Soda Springs Geyser.


The final feature I’ll offer up as a possibility for the
third “Old Faithful” is also an artificial
feature—but this one wasn’t the result of drilling.  Instead it was a deliberate attempt to create
an artificial geyser.  “Old Faithful
Junior” was a model geyser located at the Old Faithful Museum.  H. T. Lystrup provided the following
information and story about “Old Faithful Junior.”



Lynn Stephens

 
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 03:11:08 +0000
From: sgryc at comcast.net
To: geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
Subject: Re: [Geysers] from a tour ad

Either the tour company confused Yellowstone with Calistoga, California or they are actually offering a tour of Calistoga with its man-made "geyser."Here's the description of the Old Faithful Geyser of Calistoga:
About every 30 minutes, visitors to the Old Faithful Geyser of California are treated to an eruption of steam and scalding water spraying 60 to 100 feet in the air. There are only two other "old faithful" geysers in the world that have earned the title due to their regular eruptions.
I wonder where the third "Old Faithful" geyser is.
Steve Gryc

From: "Tom Kearney" <twogazers at hotmail.com>
To: geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2014 4:59:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Geysers] from a tour ad




Maybe someone should contact them?

 

Working 16 summers for the Park Service around Old Faithful I heard the old folk wisdom about eruptions on the hour and how the geysers built up pressure repeated endlessly by tour guides.

 

The year I drove the Yellowstone tour bus and observed the outside tour groups all around the park convinced me that they were factually challenged on every topic, Tauck Tours being the worst.  

 

Tom Kearney

 



From: kdboregon at gmail.com
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:09:53 -0800
To: geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
Subject: Re: [Geysers] from a tour ad


Scott:
If you were asked to re-write that, what would you say?


Thanks,


Kevin Brown

On Jan 22, 2014, at 10:29 AM, <TSBryan at aol.com> wrote:




A travel company called Collette is offering a tour of western national parks. This tour will include Yellowstone where (and I quote) "One of the many highlights is the world-famous Old Faithful geyser [sic], a fountain of steam that rises more than 60 feet in the air."
 
Well, OK -- steam is involved, and I guess that "more than 60 feet" is technically correct. But I wonder if the tour people have actually seen the thing.
 
Scott Bryan

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