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The controversy surrounding the waterfalls on Marion Creek is one of the big question marks in my Oregon data. Some sources list Gatch Falls as an alternate name for Gooch Falls, which occurs a few miles downstream. The USGS lists it as being immediately downstream of Marion Falls, which prompted me to think that Marion Falls could be the upper tier of what I know as Marion Falls, and Gatch Falls could be the lower tier. Much to my disappointment, this turned out to be the truth. It is my professional opinion, however, that since those two drops are no more than 100 feet apart, that they should be considered one waterfall, and the name Gatch should be applied to another waterfall in the area, either downstream of Marion Falls, or at the outlet of Lake Ann.
- Gatch Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.
- Known Alternate Names: Linn Falls
The name Gatch Falls was originally applied to the waterfall known today as Gooch Falls in 1874 by John Minto, to honor Thomas M. Gatch, a well known pioneer educator. In the 1880's, Nathan Gooch took a squatters claim to the land adjoining the falls, and thereafter, the name Gooch was applied to the falls. The similarity of the names caused a lot of confusion, so the name Gatch was applied to another waterfall further upstream, which had itself been previously known as Linn Falls. The name Linn Falls had passed into disuse, and when the USBGN instructed a subcommitte member to find a suitable feature to apply the name Gatch to, this was the chosen feature. Personally, I find this naming ridiculous, since the feature which was chosen both had a name with historical precedent and can legitimately be considered the lower half of Marion Falls (the USBGN only recognizes the top tier as Marion Falls, even though the two tiers are separated by no more than 100 feet).
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