The original vintage postcard, dated July 2, 1902, shows Bridal Veil Falls, (also called Bridalveil Falls) in Yosemite Valley, California at 900 ft.
It is interesting that this postcard claims the falls are 900 ft. while today, scientists measure it at 620 ft. high. Perhaps the card is wrong – the cliff could not have eroded 280 ft. in 100 years?
The primary source of Bridalveil Falls is Bridalveil Creek that flows from Ostrander Lake, some 9.9 miles to the south in the Yosemite Valley and part of the Yosemite National Park.
The Ahwahneechee tribe, which means ‘people of the Ahwahnee’ (Yosemite Valley), believed that Bridalveil Fall was home to a vengeful spirit named Pohono which guarded the entrance to the valley, and that those leaving the valley must not look directly into the waterfall lest they be cursed. They also believed that inhaling the mist of Bridalveil Fall would improve one’s chances of marriage.
When the wind blows briskly, the waterfall will appear to be falling sideways. During lesser water flow, the falls often don’t reach the ground. Because of this, the Ahwahneechee Native Americans called this waterfall Pohono, which means Spirit of the Puffing Wind.
The Ahwahneechee occupied Yosemite Valley until a sickness destroyed most of them. The few Ahwahneechee that survived left Yosemite Valley and joined the Mono Lake Paiutes in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Today there are Ahwahneechee in southern California.
As part of the majestic Yosemite National Park, Bridal Veil Falls is just one of the many attractionst to be seen when visiting there.