[Talk-us] USGS Topos, "Draw", "Gulch", etc.

[Tod Fitch]

> On Jun 1, 2020, at 10:59 AM, Paul Johnson <baloo at ursamundi.org> wrote:
> 
> On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 12:57 PM Mike Thompson <miketho16 at gmail.com <mailto:miketho16 at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Do the names on the USGS Topo Maps that end in "Draw", "Gulch", and similar terms refer to a stream, or a valley?  I have always assumed a stream, and applied the name to waterway=stream in OSM, but perhaps that is not correct.
> 
> Could be a canyon, or the stream at the bottom of it.  Context is king when it comes to the names we gave things in the US.


I concur that it could be either the canyon or the stream at the bottom.

But it seems in the desert southwest the “stream”, in the bottom is usually ephemeral so it is more likely to be the canyon/arroyo. In that case I tag it as natural=valley.

With respect to names on USGS topographic maps: At least on most of the old “historic” quads I have they used a different typeface/typographic treatment for waterways versus valleys/canyons/draws/gulches. So you might take your clue from that.

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