I was referring to Dewey Ganzel, in Mark Twain Abroad, pg. 232.

As for the Yuba Dam story, see: https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2020/08/yuba-dam-once-more/ where folklorist Stephen Winick tracks down the history of the story.

Philip

> On Nov 21, 2023, at 1:42 PM, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> In answer to Philip Trauring, I would answer that I was probably under the influence of Strathcarron at the time I speculated that Jonestown was “more likely” Quneitra. The past couple of years I’ve tried to be more precise about attributions and added a “References” content type and menu option to Twain’s Geography.
> 
> It should be noted that routes to both locations, Kefr Hauwar and Quneitra, are displayed on maps for September 16 and 17^th . My use of KML files to show lines (paths and routes) does not allow much in the way of theming capabilities. Points can easily be customized (I’m not all that happy with mine) but not lines. At the time I wrote this page I was confused about this very issue.
> 
> I would appreciate the Ganzel reference. I assume this is Professor Tova Ganzel.
> 
> We can be fairly certain of the location of Al Kiswah. From there the Pilgrims (and a couple of Sinners) may have turned west to Kefr Hauwar or taken a longer road southwest to Al Qunaitra.
> 
> I like Philip’s final paragraph and would like to include it in the September 17^th page. I am very grateful for this type of response to the pages of Twain’s Geography. The site has a webform on the bottom of most pages to provide for input on each of the pages. This does not require any type of registration, only a valid email address so that I can correspond with the visitor.
> 
> On 11/20/23 15:08, Philip Trauring wrote:
>> On the Twain’s Geography site, for Sept 16, 1867, it says “It seems more likely that, rather than Kefr Hauwar, then pilgrims traveled to Al Qunaitra, Jonesborough."
>> 
>> Is this based on Strathcarron’s identification of Jonesborough as Quneitra?
>> 
>> Ganzel identifies it as Kefr Hauwar, pointing out that the guidebooks mention the town was believed to have had the tomb of Nimrod, although they discounted it.
>> 
>> The 1858 edition of A Handbook for Travellers in Syria and Palestine notes:
>> 
>> Kefr Hauwar, a large prosperous village surrounded by gardens, orchards, and fruitful fields; and inhabited partly by Druzes, and partly by Muslems. Tradition or fate has placed here one of the numerous tombs of Nimrod but the spot is now unhonored, if not altogether unknown.
>> 
>> Tent Life in the Holy Land (also 1858) notes:
>> 
>> We passed Kafr Howaran…There is a fine ruin in the village, which I glanced at, but did not pause to examine. I believe this is the traditional tomb of Nimrod, but in this I may be in error.
>> 
>> It is similarly described in Travels in Syria and the Holy Land (1810) as:
>> 
>> …the village Kferhauar. Before we entered it I saw to the left of the road a tomb which attracted my attention by its size. I was told it was the Kaber Nimrod (the tomb of Nimrod)
>> 
>> Twain describes the town as "The village is built on some consumptive little water-course, and about it is a little fresh-looking vegetation” and then discusses the town as containing the tomb of Nimrod.
>> 
>> If you look on a map, it’s nearly a straight line from Damascus to Kafr Hawr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafr_Hawr) to Banias (the next location). If Twain went to Quneitra, he would have had to double-back to get to Banias. It seems unlikely he would head northeast from Quneitra to get to Banias. Lastly, is there any reference to Nimrod’s tomb being in Quneitra?
>> 
>> I’m also wondering about Strathcarron’s identifying El Yuba Dam with Odem (also referenced on Twain Geography). He mentions that a 1922 British map says Yuba means Crater and Dam means Spring. And the current town of Odem is near an extinct volcano crater and a spring. However, Odem is south of Banias, so I’m again not sure Twain would have ventured out of his way to get to Banias. It’s possible there was an earlier town called something similar to El Yuba Dam, but I think it’s actually a joke. In 1863, while working in Nevada, a co-worker named William Wright (aka Dan De Quill) wrote a story about a man who asked the locals where he was, and they all answered Yuba Dam, which he assumed was them saying “you be damned”. If they were actually prevented from getting water because they were Christian, I certainly think Twain could be have been using this joke as a way to say they were telling him “you be damned”. Maybe I’m reaching a bit, but it seems much more in line with his humor to insert this joke, then to guess that it connected to the modern town of Odem (which didn’t exist in Twain’s time).
>> 
>> Philip Trauring
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