text:
Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express is a specific recurring atmospheric river both in the waters immediately northeast of the Hawaiian Islands and extending northeast to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. It is a non-technical term and a meteorological phenomenon. It is characterized by a strong and persistent large-scale flow of warm moist air, and the associated heavy precipitation. A Pineapple Express is an example of an atmospheric river, which is a more general term for such relatively narrow corridors of enhanced water vapor transport at mid-latitudes around the world.

Causes and effects
A Pineapple Express is driven by a strong, southern branch of the polar jet stream and is marked by the presence of a surface frontal boundary which is typically either slow or stationary, with waves of low pressure traveling along its length. Each of these low-pressure systems brings enhanced rainfall.

The conditions are often created by the Madden–Julian oscillation, an equatorial rainfall pattern which feeds its moisture into this pattern. They are also present during an El Niño episode.

The combination of moisture-laden air, atmospheric dynamics, and orographic enhancement resulting from the passage of this air over the mountain ranges of the western coast of North America causes some of the most torrential rains to occur in the region. Pineapple Express systems typically generate heavy snowfall in the mountains and Interior Plateau, which often melts rapidly because of the warming effect of the system. After being drained of their moisture, the tropical air masses reach the inland prairies as a Chinook wind or simply "a Chinook", a term which is also synonymous in the Pacific Northwest with the Pineapple Express.

Extreme cases
Many Pineapple Express events follow or occur simultaneously with major arctic troughs in the northwestern United States, often leading to major snow-melt flooding with warm, tropical rains falling on frozen, snow laden ground. Examples of this are the Christmas flood of 1964, Willamette Valley flood of 1996, New Year's Day Flood of 1997, January 2006 Flood in Northern California and Nevada, Great Coastal Gale of 2007, January 2008 Flood in Nevada, January 2009 Flood in Washington, the January 2012 Flood in Oregon, the 2019 Valentine's Day Flood in Southern California, and the February 2020 floods in Oregon and Washington.

West coast, 1862
Early in 1862, extreme storms riding the Pineapple Express battered the west coast for 45 days. In addition to a sudden snow melt, some places received an estimated 8.5 ft of rain, leading to the worst flooding in recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada, known as the Great Flood of 1862. Both the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys flooded, and there was extensive flooding and mudslides throughout the region.

Northern California, 1952
The San Francisco Bay Area is another locale along the Pacific Coast which is occasionally affected by a Pineapple Express. When it visits, the heavy, persistent rainfall typically causes flooding of local streams as well as urban flooding. In the decades before about 1980, the local term for a Pineapple Express was "Hawaiian Storm". During the second week of January 1952, a series of "Hawaiian" storms swept into Northern California, causing widespread flooding around the Bay Area.

The same storms brought a blizzard of heavy, wet snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, notoriously stranding the train City of San Francisco on 13 January.

Northern California, 1955
The greatest flooding in Northern California since the 1800s occurred in 1955 as a result of a series of Hawaiian storms, with the greatest damage in the Sacramento Valley around Yuba City.

Southern California, 2005

A Pineapple Express related storm battered Southern California from January 7–11, 2005. This storm was the largest to hit Southern California since the storms that hit during the 1997–98 El Niño event. The storm caused mud slides and flooding, with one desert location just north of Morongo Valley receiving about 9 in of rain, and some locations on south and southwest-facing mountain slopes receiving spectacular totals: San Marcos Pass, in Santa Barbara County, received 24.57 in, and Opids Camp (AKA Camp Hi-Hill) in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County was deluged with 31.61 in of rain in the five-day period. In some areas the storm was followed by over a month of near-continuous rain.

Alaska, 2006
The unusually intense rainstorms that hit south-central Alaska in October 2006 were called "Pineapple Express" rains locally.

Pacific Northwest, 2006
The Puget Sound region from Olympia, Washington to Vancouver, British Columbia received several inches of rain per day in November 2006 from a series of successive Pineapple Express related storms that caused massive flooding in all major regional rivers and mudslides which closed the mountain passes. These storms included heavy winds which are not usually associated with the phenomenon. Regional dams opened their spillways to 100% as they had reached capacity because of rain and snowmelt. Officials referred to the storm system as "the worst in a decade" on 8 November 2006. Portions of Oregon were also affected, including over 14 in in one day at Lees Camp in the Coast Range, while the normally arid and sheltered Interior of British Columbia received heavy, coastal-magnitude rains.

Southern California, December 2010
In December 2010, a Pineapple Express system ravaged California from 15–22 December, bringing with it as much as 2 ft of rain to the San Gabriel Mountains, and over 13 ft of snow in the Sierra Nevada. Although the entire state was affected, the Southern California counties of San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Los Angeles bore the brunt of the system of storms, as coastal and hillside areas were impacted by mudslides and major flooding.

California, December 2014
In December 2014, a powerful winter storm enhanced by a Pineapple Express feature struck California, resulting in snow, wind, and flood watches. A blizzard warning was issued by the National Weather Service for the Northern Sierra Nevada for the first time in California since October 2009 and January 2008. The storm caused power outages for more than 50,000 people. It was thought to be the most powerful storm to impact California since the January 2010 California winter storms. A rare tornado touched down in Los Angeles on 12 December.

West Coast, 2017
Historically strong storms associated with the Pineapple Express brought flooding and mudslides to California, particularly the San Francisco Bay Area, destroying homes and closing numerous roads, including State Route 17, State Route 35, State Route 37, Interstate 80, State Route 12, State Route 1, State Route 84, State Route 9 and State Route 152.

The storm brought major snow to the Sierra Nevada and San Gabriel Mountains. A state record was recorded with places on the Sierra reaching up to 800 in of snow. The storm also brought not only significant flooding to the Los Angeles area and most of southern California (killing about 3 people), but also significant severe weather in that area.

California, January 2021
A powerful winter storm channeled a Pineapple Express into California from 26–29 January. One person was injured in one of the mudslides in Northern California, and many structures suffered damage. The storm killed at least two people in California. A significant length of California State Route 1 along the Big Sur collapsed into the ocean after massive amounts of rain were dumped, causing a debris flow onto the highway, which in turn triggered the collapse. In Southern California, the storm triggered widespread flooding and debris flows, forcing the evacuations of thousands of people and also causing widespread property damage. Salinas received 4 in of rainfall for the entire event causing mudflows that forced 7,000 people to evacuate. Across the State of California, the storm knocked out power to an estimated 575,000 people at one point, according to power outage tracking maps and PG&E. In the mountainous parts of the state, the winter storm dropped tremendous amounts of heavy snow, with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area receiving 94 in within 72 hours, and a total of 107 in of snowfall for the entire event. Blizzard conditions were also recorded on parts of the Sierra Nevada. Very high wind gusts were also observed, with gusts over 100 mph observed at Alpine Meadows, peaking at 126 mph.

Pacific Northwest, 2021
Heavy rains attributed to a Pineapple Express event heavily impacted the Puget Sound region from Bellingham, Washington into the British Columbia Interior and the Lower Mainland from 14–15 November. At the peak of the rainstorm on 15 November, Bellingham received 2.78 in of rain while Hope, B.C. measured rainfall of 277.5 mm from 14–15 November. The resulting floods and ensuing mass wasting events forced the closure of all major Canadian road connections to Vancouver, British Columbia including Highway 1, the Coquihalla, and the Sea to Sky Highway.

California, 2022–2023
Heavy rains attributed to a Pineapple Express caused widespread flooding in the Bay Area.

California, February 2024
A Pineapple Express storm hit the state from 1 to 2 February 2024, before moving over the United States and settling over the I-25 corridor in Colorado, where heavy snow fell. Another one hit 3 February and last until 5 February, with the National Weather Service calling it "potentially life-threatening." Other news sources estimated that Los Angeles received six-months' worth of rain in the 48-hour period, while the Sierra Nevada mountains got 1 to 3 ft of snow, with over 4 ft of snow expected in higher elevations, such as Mammoth Lakes, CA. Parts of the San Bernardino Mountains' foothills received 10 to 12 in of rain.

title: Pineapple Express


text:
Talk:Rare-earth element

Lede
The lede needs a different approach for accessibility. For example, after reading the entire lead, I cannot answer the rather simple question, are these substances solid, liquid or gas? That they are metals is indicative but not dispositive: mercury is a metal and it is a liquid; hydrogen is a metal and it is a gas. The general reader neither knows or cares what the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is; my General Chemistry textbook defines the rare earth elements and that's plenty good authority. That organization name should be moved into a technical footnote. The second sentence about the actinides is placing a falsehood in one of the most important passages in the article - the actinides are not the lanthanides, and that's the end of the argument. That statement should be moved into the text and placed in a historical footnote.

The second paragraph of the lede is a bare list of the elements. Consider whether in an article about the chemical elements, we'd give a general description, then add a whole paragraph: "Their names are: ". The problem is that a bare list conveys no information, and it's a pernicious problem throughout the encyclopedia. The list here is especially superfluous because there's a whole level 2 section which is nothing but that list. We can omit the paragraph with no loss of information or readability.

The abbreviations section is rather garish; the abbreviations can be moved into a technical footnote.

So back to the lede: what do I experience if I have a "gob" of gadolinium on my tabletop (say in a chem lab)? Then again, if I'm digging in my backyard, and come across one of these, what do I see? Instead of a list of names, a paragraph describing one or a few of the commoner rare earths, and their applications, would be far more accessible. Here's what I propose for the first sentence of the lede: The rare earth elements, also called the rare earth metals or (in context) rare earth oxides, or the lanthanides (though yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths) are a set of 17 nearly indistinguishable lustrous silvery-white soft heavy metals. They are distributed thinly through the earth's crust, usually as oxides in minerals and clays containing silicon, iron, and other compounds. They are called "rare" because there are few concentrated or mineable deposits. Sbalfour (talk) 19:21, 30 November 2020 (UTC)

I've redrafted the lede a bit in accordance with the above, but it's still quite anemic. It could/should be 4-6 decent paragraphs incorporating at least the following:

 * a physical and chemical description/definition of the substances
 * their names and applications
 * their physical and chemical properties
 * their analytical chemistry, such as atomic numbers, electron shell configurations, valence, and periodic table slots
 * their natural forms and distribution in the earth's crust
 * how they were discovered and named

This is sort of defines the structure of the article itself. Sbalfour (talk) 19:30, 4 December 2020 (UTC)

 * I've fixed some previous edit that left the fragment "though yttrium and scandium," in a random place in the lead section. This fix could benefit from examination by someone familiar with the chemical nomenclature involved. David Spector (talk) 15:05, 11 October 2022 (UTC)

Abundance of Cerium?
The lead section (final paragraph) states that Cerium has an abundance of "68 parts per million". However, the overview table lists its abundance as 66.5 ppm. Not much of a difference - but still a difference. Which one is correct? PatricKiwi (talk) 19:11, 16 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Following up: I see that the difference can be explained from the table in the page Abundance of elements in Earth's crust. The 68 ppm figure comes from "Barbalace"; the 66.5 ppm figure comes from the CRC.  Would anyone object to changing the number in the lead section (final paragraph) to 66.5 (the CRC number), to make it the same as the overview table? PatricKiwi (talk) 19:17, 16 February 2021 (UTC)
 * That seems reasonable.David Spector (talk) 15:06, 11 October 2022 (UTC)

Biological Role?
It is no longer true that the lanthanides have no known biological role. They have been found to be required in the active sites of several specialized enzymes. For instance various lanthanide dependent methanol dehydrogenases have been found (see https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01366/full) Ethan801 (talk) 21:13, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

 * I have added this information to the article, in the lead section. David Spector (talk) 15:17, 11 October 2022 (UTC)

"rare earth"
There is a sentence about them not actually being rare but if the article even mentions WHY they are called "rare earth" it sure hides it well. Why not have it stated the naming off the topic instead of only trivia like a town one of them were named after? 64.72.40.86 (talk) 13:28, 6 November 2022 (UTC)
 * See the last paragraph in the introduction:
 * Because of their geochemical properties, rare-earth elements are typically dispersed and not often found concentrated in rare-earth minerals. Consequently, economically exploitable ore deposits are sparse (i.e. "rare").
 * It should merit some treatment beyond that, though. Mind  matrix  14:34, 6 November 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Biogeochemical Cycles
— Assignment last updated by MethanoJen (talk) 01:53, 18 January 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: ERTH 4303 Resources of the Earth
— Assignment last updated by Naeim9146 (talk) 21:48, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Rare earths vs rare-earths
It seems most of the sources use "rare earths" and not "rare-earths", yet the entire article is written with the hyphen.

Perhaps we need to open a discussion about which style the article should use. 71.11.5.2 (talk) 16:10, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

 * The article has been fixed, and hyphens are now only used as modifiers. 71.11.5.2 (talk) 13:44, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

Round Top Mountain in Texas
Round Top Mountain isn't listed in this article. Leaving this here, in case it might be useful to some editor. • Sbmeirow  •  Talk  • 13:19, 14 February 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2024
— Assignment last updated by Warmedforbs (talk) 01:25, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

A lot of new developments need to be added
There have been numerous new geopolitical developments with regards to REEs as they become increasingly important with the rise of EVs. For instance, there is lots of pressure from the west to break China's monopoly in the industry. MP Materials is on the verge of producing REEs independently from China, Gina Rinehart has entered the industry, and both the Biden and Trump administrations have imposed tariffs on REEs from China. Should we include these developments in this entry? I am not even seeing anything about MP materials here. Frankserafini87 (talk) 21:19, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Rare-earth element


text:
Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Wik/Evidence

Please place here relevant evidence in this matter (include internal wikipedia link to source). Fred Bauder 19:42, Feb 20, 2004 (UTC)

Emsworth
[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=User_talk:Wik&diff=2408864&oldid=2408854 :Anthony is an obvious troll, I revert him on principle. Wik] 04:11, Feb 16, 2004 (UTC)]

 * Talk:Nick Griffin Page History: Anthony DiPierro removed the comments of three different users (himself, Jwrosenzweig and Secretlondon) without providing a reason . Thereafter, he and Wik engaged in an "edit war," with Mr DiPierro consistently removing the text and Wik consistently re-inserting it. (Offered as an example of the edit wars between the users.) -- Emsworth 21:03, Feb 20, 2004 (UTC)

1729

 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&action=history
 * Selected reverts which have no basis for reversion other than the fact that I made the addition:
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2408461&oldid=2408368
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2408691&oldid=2408476
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2408844&oldid=2408817
 * Even going on to edit war with RickK over them:
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2408894&oldid=2408844
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2408983&oldid=2408894
 * This final revert is more disputable, but no reason was given, and no compromise was suggested.
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=One_thousand_seven_hundred_twenty-nine&diff=2419429&oldid=2419407

WWJD

 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&action=history
 * Started out as a reasonable dispute:
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2364692&oldid=2364689
 * Fabiform proposed a compromise:
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2364766&oldid=2364752
 * Wik's response: no need to compromise with trolls
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2364794&oldid=2364769
 * Now three enter the edit war
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2387184&oldid=2378379
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2390959&oldid=2387184
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2402068&oldid=2390959
 * Another try at a comprimise:
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2407256&oldid=2407250
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2408320&oldid=2407256
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2408349&oldid=2408320
 * RickK gets involved in this one too
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2413654&oldid=2409121
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2413669&oldid=2413654
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2413687&oldid=2413669
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2413827&oldid=2413687
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2413933&oldid=2413827
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=WWJD&diff=2414339&oldid=2413933

Atlantium

 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2341946&oldid=2341935
 * Anthony: if we're gonna say claims, then get rid of the structure and organization part, rv POV
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2341956&oldid=2341946
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2341968&oldid=2341956
 * Pakaran: some fixes... WIk, your changes seem to express anti-Atlantium POV...
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342003&oldid=2341968
 * Wik: rv; it's unverifiable that "the Atlantians have designated" him anything; most likely he designated himself emperor
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342033&oldid=2342003
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342037&oldid=2342033
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342052&oldid=2342037
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342064&oldid=2342052
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342072&oldid=2342064
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2342080&oldid=2342072
 * After protection wik starts again, with the comment "NPOV"
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2414566&oldid=2413924
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2414576&oldid=2414566
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Atlantium&diff=2414599&oldid=2414576

Some of the articles he's blanked

 * The Best Page in the Universe
 * What would Brian Boitano Do?

RickK

 * 1) First piece of evidence is just a negative -- check Wik's edits and you'll find that he rarely puts any content into his edit summaries, except for "rv". http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Contributions&target=Wik  RickK

 * I have yet to find another user who reverts so much. From going over the list, I'd say roughly one in every five edits by Wik is a revert or a hidden revert, and with topics dealing with Poland the reverts by far outnumber his contributions. Furthermore what little he does contribute is very POV. Jor 13:47, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

 * 1) indication that he would revert Anthony DiPierro regardless of the appropriateness of Anthony's edits
 * 2) The Sarah Edmonds talk page - Wik edit war and comments on his talk page concerning the edit war:

 * "So let me ask you, did you know that Danny's reversion was accidental at the time you reverted? -- Cyan 05:55, 8 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * I didn't care. I was reverting anyway. --Wik 06:07, Dec 8, 2003 (UTC) "

 * 1) Wik's Talk page archive history, in which Jimbo Wales wrote him, "Well, my main suggestion, and not just to you but to anyone, is to avoid just writing 'rv' and reverting whenever you can. Generally speaking, it would be better if you made new edits that attempt to be mutually satisfactory. Yes, I know that sometimes it's difficult. But I feel that you rely too heavily on 'rv', and that it gets in the way of you ultimately getting the changes that you want. Jimbo Wales 21:29, 2 Dec 2003 (UTC)"
 * 2) More of his talk page archive, in which Jimbo suggested that he not revert all the time, and to use more useful edit summaries:
 * "I disagree that it's impossible to work with him, and I do not agree that 'rv' is sufficient. You aren't even trying, take for example Impressionism. He was making serious edits, and rather than try to accomodate his edits in the least, you just kept reverting. You wanted to add back some information that he was omitting, which is fine, but you were ALSO reverting the ENTIRETY of his changes, which is completely unfair. I think you can do better than that. Jimbo Wales 19:47, 14 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * Well, we just have to disagree then. Why should I repeat the edit summary I gave before? Don't you think maybe he should have accommodated my edit instead of just reverting? I agree my actions on Impressionism could have been unfair if it had been any other user than Lir - but you have to see it in context, he was on a roll of making moronic edits just to seek conflict. For a clear proof of that: he was adding an irrelevant Dutch transliteration of the Russian name of Anton Chekhov and while that edit war was still going on, he did the same thing (adding random foreign transliterations) with Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev, pointlessly escalating the conflict. He is just back to his old ways. Why did you unban him anyway? Can you please publish his statement that supposedly convinced you he has changed his ways? --Wik 11:39, Nov 15, 2003 (UTC)"

 * 1) Discussion with Kosebamse over his philosophy of edit wars
 * 2) Edit war involving Wik which caused the article at 2003 North America blackout to have to be abandoned and a new article created at 2003 U.S.-Canada Blackout.
 * 3) edit war over the Richard Neustadt article
 * 4) Wik's comments on why he reverted my perfectly legitimate edits on Bush dynasty. See especially " it is not my responsibility to sort out other people's edit conflicts; when I revert, the other one will notice it and ultimately re-add his content properly" and "Usually it is an ignored edit conflict, and I won't accept that, even on the risk that some content is lost"
 * 5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Wik/Archive_September_2003, in which he reveals his philosophy to blank articles he finds unworthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, rather than having to bother listing them on VfD
 * 6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Wik/Archive_July-August_2003: "I'm not responsible for sorting out an edit conflict which you ran into", "I'm tired of people carelessly overriding my edits. So I'm now reverting in those cases on principle"
 * Now, let's see how long those things remain in his archives now that they're pointed out here. RickK 05:07, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Jor

 * 1) Stettin edit history. After expanding the article and working together with Przepla to keep the name in the article consistent the article history clearly shows that Wik began his revisionist war. He seems to insist that current German and English names which differ from the Polish ones are removed from articles, or are prefixed by 'former'. Jor 13:29, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

 * 1) Swinemünde edit history As above, Wik insists on removing info on the German/English names and insists on reverting any changes, removing info only to enforce his "former" prefix. Jor 13:31, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

 * Note also in the above that Wik calls me a "revisionist", and in the article talk page Wik calls me Cartman, which as far as I can find out is a fascist cartoon character. Jor 13:35, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

SecretLondon’s counter-arguments
However:
 * on Szczecin. It takes two, of course. My concern with this is that Darkelf as a strong POV on this issue. Of course he would like Wik banned. Secretlondon

 * Of course. I have yet to see contributions by Wik to the Wikipedia which do not involve revertionism: I keep hearing Wik has actual contributions, but I'm yet to see them. All I've seen of him is his love for edit wars and namecalling. I believe Wik's love for constant reverts and edit wars is detrimental to the Wikipedia as a hole, and for that reason I believe it is best if he is banned. He has proven time and time again he refuses to reason and act like a normal editor. Jor 22:10, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC) (comment edited)

 * Talk:Swinoujscie - where Morwen points out the German name advocates' misuse of Google. Secretlondon 13:50, Feb 22, 2004 (UTC)

 * Are you implying that Google can never be used? The the "Polish name advocates" are surely misusing it as well. Jor 13:56, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Wik on Pila: "I made my point. The Google stats clearly prove that it is not the German name today."
 * And also More from Wik on Pila: "… can I ask you to unprotect Pila and defend my edit, which I have backed up with Google figures but which Nico and Darkelf, two German-revisionists, like to revert based on nothing but empty claims?" — I invite you to show where in the edit history I ever touched Pila. Jor 13:56, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Pakaran
Wik seems to troll just on principle. He requested de-adminship of nine en sysops, including several of the most active ones, for a variety of reasons which by and large have not been perceived as that important by anyone else (vigilante blocks of him by two people aside). He then got in a move war with Angela and various other users over where these requests should be kept.

 * I am on that list; in my case the concern was over 1 sentencein a slashdot post in which I called him an "idiot;" I later appologized for that remark.  Pakaran. 18:47, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Charles Matthews
Well, I did some work on 1920 in Germany, which is very long (49K), and had my 'cuts for length' reverted on the grounds that WP has the space (see edit history). I think this is off-putting.

Charles Matthews 14:04, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I also asked a little while back on Talk:1920 in Germany for a comment on whether this is from a PD source (it's written in a rather pompous and old-fashioned academic style). Nothing back on that - I think this means that anyone working on this page may find their efforts wasted because of later discovery of copyvio.

Charles Matthews 11:30, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

 * I asked Wik about that as well. He said it was adapted from the Annual Register of that year.  I assume that this is public domain. john 16:40, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

 * Interesting to know - I can't agree with your 'excellent' below, since this is source material, in desperate need of wikification, headings, tough editing, removal of obvious bias and so on.

Charles Matthews 19:15, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Szczecin once again
Szczecin once again was protected. Once again it was protected because of Wik. This time however Wik edited the page despite an effort of resolving the problem of Szczecin/Stettin name via Talk page. Despite the disclaimer pleading for not editing controversial material, and that the discussion is taking place and that current version is not endorsing any particular view. Once again Wik didn't explain why he changed. I am making efforts in order to resolve Szczecin dispute, we are even getting some progress (see Talk:Szczecin), and here comes Wik, don't even bother to discuss and edit as he want. I am very upset. Everybody else interested in Szczecin accepted my plea for not editing controversial topics, but not Wik. I acknowledge that this was another Nico/Wik edit war, but this time Nico was defending community consensus. And Nico explained reasons for his version of the article in change log. Please arbitrators, take Wik under control! Przepla 18:24, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
 * Oh, stop it. If it's on your preferred version, it's easy to accept a plea not to edit it. I stated my reasons long ago, there is no argument I haven't responded to. You're just repeating arguments already debunked, this tactic doesn't fly with me. --Wik 18:29, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * Very well. Please show me where on Talk:Szczecin you made an arguments than in German language Szczecin is not named Stettin as was in the article prior your editing but Szczecin? (Hint for who is factually right: Szczecin is a redirect to Stettin). I won't argue with you any further about if I am POV or not. My contributions are speaking for themselves. Przepla 18:54, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
 * You acknowledged it yourself:
 * Please don't misrepresent what I said. I said in German both names are about equally popular. In English Szczecin is about 30 times as popular as Stettin. --Wik 17:07, Feb 12, 2004 (UTC)
 * Sorry, you are naturally right.Przepla 19:40, 12 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * If the two names are equally popular in German you can't say that the one is "the German name". --Wik 19:12, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * So it seems we both err. If both names are equally popular one can not be "former German name", isn't it? (possible continuation on Talk:Szczecin.) Przepla 19:21, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)

That Szczecin is used in the German language does not make it any more German than coup-d'état is an English word. The former is of course as much a Polish name as is the latter a French phrase. Former German name is actually something else than Formerly known by its German name. --Ruhrjung 20:32, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Lir
"Wik doesn't like Lir". --Lir

Quality Articles
He has come up with the following lists of British politicians which are not available anywhere on the internet:
 * MPs elected in the UK general election, 1987
 * MPs elected in the UK general election, 1983
 * MPs elected in the UK general election, 1979
 * MPs elected in the UK general election, 1974 (October)

The work involved in these four alone got him 5 wikis an article.

 * Wik comes up with a list of British Attorney Generals using Who Was Who, Keesing's Record of World Events, Annual Register and others.

Other original high quality articles:
 * 1922 in Germany
 * 1921 in Germany
 * 1920 in Germany
 * 1922 in France
 * 1921 in France
 * 1920 in France
 * 1922 in Greece
 * February 1922 in the United Kingdom
 * January 1922 in the United Kingdom

 * Baroness Hayman - finding the first name of Baroness Hayman for me

Removed spammmed links: , (there were about 20 of these)

 * List of national leaders - regularly updates:, ,

Also note the argument on that page between Wik and Jaing as Wik was arguing that the CIA shouldn't be the arbiter of who is the head of state (this is one of many bits of NPOVing Wik does).

Secretlondon 13:26, Feb 22, 2004 (UTC)

John Kenney
Well, let me note a number of lists I started that Wik has filled out, as for instance, ,

I'd also note that, in most edit conflicts involving wik that I've followed, as at, for instance, Gdansk, Wik is essentially in the right. And there's all the copyediting. Wik can certainly be difficult to deal with, but I think he also contributes a great deal to Wikipedia. And those articles on years in German history are excellent. john 19:34, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Maximus Rex
Here are some pages that the article history indicates that Wik is the original contributor. Since the "new article flag" appears only in Recent changes, and is not stored in the database, there is to my knowledge no easy way to determine what pages a user has created. Maximus Rex 01:41, 23 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * 2002 in India
 * 2001 in India
 * 2000 in India
 * 1999 in India
 * 1998 in India
 * 1997 in India
 * Franz Müntefering

John
Some further notices. Wik has just aided in turning links to Danzig into pipes to Gdansk, since the former page is no longer a redirect, but a disambiguation page. He's also frequently done a good job making corrections to additions I've made to lists of incumbents. john 06:20, 23 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Dori
Wik is great at fixing many little things, too many to list here. For a taste look at User:Wik/Articles. He also creates original content, such as Timeline of Albanian history from 1994 for example. Dori | Talk 02:31, Feb 24, 2004 (UTC)

Cimon avaro
Having spoken in a manner that might be coloured as against Wik before, let me offer an example that IMO illustrates both the best and worst features of Wik at a very few glances. Protecting a page from pernicious POV insertion, but doing it with more industry than consideration or communication. Please note that his action is hardly in a political or personal knowledge based motivation, but truely to protect the integrity of wikipedia:

Viktor Klimenko

-- Cimon Avaro on a pogostick 09:25, Feb 25, 2004 (UTC)

Evidence relating to Wik's complaints
Action against Anthony DiPierro "for being a blatant troll" is considered seperately (currently at requests for arbitration

Regards blocking, I append the relevant sections of the block log:

 * 06:02, 17 Feb 2004 Hephaestos unblocked "Wik"
 * 04:44, 17 Feb 2004 Hephaestos blocked "Wik" (repeated and unceasing inability to cooperate with the community since at least October 2003)
 * 04:40, 17 Feb 2004 John Kenney unblocked "#1795" (unblocking Wik, so should unblock this as well, I guess)
 * 04:38, 17 Feb 2004 John Kenney unblocked "Wik" (giving him another chance - he's not a vandal)
 * 03:30, 17 Feb 2004 RickK blocked "Wik" (Once again vandalizing just for the sake of reverting Antony DiPierro)
 * 09:19, Feb 16, 2004 Secretlondon unblocked "#1775" (unblocking Wik - blocked without discussion)
 * 09:19, Feb 16, 2004 Secretlondon unblocked "Wik" (unblocking Wik - blocked without discussion)
 * 04:29, 16 Feb 2004 RickK blocked "Wik" (Blanking of pages without discussion, reversion of pages only because Anthony DiPierro edited them, too many other problems to merit keeping him around)
 * 02:09, Feb 14, 2004 Delirium unblocked "Wik" (It's been over 24 hours since the temporary block.)
 * 02:20, Feb 13, 2004 Tim Starling blocked "Wik" (voluntary mutual ban of Wik and Anthony, after edit war on VfD)
 * 02:20, Feb 13, 2004 Tim Starling blocked "Anthony DiPierro" (voluntary mutual ban of Wik and Anthony, after edit war on VfD)
 * 20:35, 12 Feb 2004 Jamesday unblocked "Wik" (Implementing view of 4 in IRC that unilateralblock was inappropriate.)
 * 20:33, Feb 12, 2004 Secretlondon unblocked "Wik" (people should not be blocked because you object to thier non-US politics)
 * 20:25, 12 Feb 2004 Ed Poor blocked "Wik" (Edit wars)
 * 06:49, Feb 4, 2004 Delirium unblocked "Wik" (blocked by a sysop exceeding his authority)
 * 06:41, 4 Feb 2004 Hephaestos blocked "Wik" (for incessant edit wars for no discernable reson)

Martin 21:58, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)


text: File:Lust in phaze album cover.png

title: File:Lust in phaze album cover.png


text:
John A. Samford

John Alexander Samford (August 29, 1905 – December 1, 1968) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as Director of the National Security Agency.

Early life and education
Samford was born at Hagerman, New Mexico, in 1905. He graduated from high school in 1922 and then spent one year at Columbia University in New York City. In 1924, he received a senatorial appointment to the United States Military Academy. He graduated in 1928, 131st in a class of 260.

Military career
Samford's first assignment was that of a student officer at Brooks Field, Texas. In 1929, he received his pilot wings at Kelly Field and was eventually rated a command pilot.

Samford was next assigned to Fort Crockett, located at Galveston, Texas. In 1930, he returned to Kelly Field where he served as a flying instructor. In 1934, he was ordered to an Engineering and Armament School at Chanute Field, Illinois. From 1935 until 1942, he held various assignments in Panama, Virginia, Louisiana and Florida.

Samford was assistant chief of staff, G-1, Headquarters Third Air Force, in Tampa, Florida, when appointed chief of staff of the VIII Air Force Composite Command located in Northern Ireland.

In 1943, Samford was appointed deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Air Force, and later chief of staff of the VIII Bomber Command.

In 1944, Samford was promoted to brigadier general and appointed chief of staff of the Eighth Air Force. In October 1944 he was appointed deputy assistant chief of staff, A-2, Headquarters U.S. Army Air Forces.

In January 1947, Samford was appointed commander, 24th Composite Wing which soon thereafter became the Antilles Air Division of the Caribbean Air Command.

In May 1949, Samford was appointed commandant of the Air Command and Staff School. He was promoted to major general in 1950 and held a brief appointment as commandant of the Air War College before being appointed director of intelligence for the United States Air Force.

It was during Samford's tenure as director of Air Force intelligence that Project Blue Book, which investigated unidentified flying objects (UFOs) was started. On July 29, 1952, Samford conducted a press conference at the Pentagon related to UFOs. Samford was mentioned at the beginning of the 1956 film UFO which examined the phenomena of unidentified flying objects.

Samford served as Vice Director of the National Security Agency from June to August 1956. In November, Samford was appointed director of the National Security Agency and promoted to lieutenant general. He held this post until his retirement on November 23, 1960. His successor as NSA director was Admiral Laurence H. Frost. He died on November 20, 1968, in Washington, DC.

Awards

 * Command Pilot Wings
 * Army Distinguished Service Medal
 * Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
 * Air Medal
 * American Defense Service Medal
 * American Campaign Medal
 * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
 * World War II Victory Medal
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Officer, Legion of Honor (France)

title: John A. Samford


text:
Lust in Phaze

Lust in Phaze is a 2002 'best of' compilation album composed of tracks recorded by the band Soul Coughing. The album title comes from a lyric in their song "Soft Serve", which does not appear on this album. The album is composed of, in order, six tracks from the LP Ruby Vroom, "Buddha Rhubarb Butter" from the Warner Bros. sampler album Trademark of Quality™, "Unmarked Helicopters" from the X-Files tribute album Songs in the Key of X, six tracks from Irresistible Bliss, four tracks from El Oso, and, from the UK single for "Super Bon Bon", a live version of "Casiotone Nation" and the Propellerheads' radio edit remix of "Super Bon Bon".

Track listing

 * 1) "Bus to Beelzebub" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 2) "Sugar Free Jazz" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 3) "True Dreams of Wichita" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 4) "Screenwriter's Blues" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 5) "Janine" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 6) "Blueeyed Devil" (From Ruby Vroom)
 * 7) "Buddha Rhubarb Butter" (From "Down to This" single)
 * 8) "Unmarked Helicopters" (From Songs in the Key of X)
 * 9) "Super Bon Bon" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 10) "Soundtrack to Mary" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 11) "Lazybones" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 12) "Paint" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 13) "Collapse" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 14) "The Idiot Kings" (From Irresistible Bliss)
 * 15) "Rolling" (From El Oso)
 * 16) "St. Louise is Listening" (Edit) (From El Oso)
 * 17) "$300" (Edit) (From El Oso)
 * 18) "Circles" (Edit) (From El Oso)
 * 19) "Super Bon Bon" (Propellerheads Radio Edit) (From "Super Bon Bon" single)
 * 20) "Casiotone Nation" (Live) (From "Super Bon Bon" single)

title: Lust in Phaze


text:
Uruguay River

The Uruguay River (Río Uruguay ; Rio Uruguai ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La Mesopotamia from the other two countries. It passes between the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil; forms the eastern border of the provinces of Misiones, Corrientes and Entre Ríos in Argentina; and makes up the western borders of the departments of Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Soriano and Colonia in Uruguay.

Etymology
The name of the river tends to comes from the Spanish settlers' interpretation of the Guaraní language word the inhabitants of the region used to designate it. There are several interpretations, including "the river of the uru (an indigenous bird)", and "[river of] the uruguá" (an indigenous gastropod, Pomella megastoma).

Course
The river measures about 1838 km in length and starts in the Serra do Mar in Brazil,   where the Canoas River and the Pelotas River are joined, at about 200 m above mean sea level. At this stage, the river goes through uneven, broken terrain, forming rapids and falls. Its course through Rio Grande do Sul is not navigable.

An unusual feature of the Uruguay River is a submerged canyon. This canyon formed during the Ice Age, when the climate was drier and the river was narrower. Its depth is up to 100 m below the bottom of the river channel and it is 1/8 to 1/3 as wide as the river. The canyon is only visible in two places, one of which is the Moconá Falls (also called the Yucumã Falls). However, the falls are not visible for 150 days per year and become more like rapids when they are not visible. Unlike most waterfalls, the Moconá Falls are parallel to the river, not perpendicular. The falls are 10 m to 12 m high and between 1800 m and 3000 m wide. They are 1215 km from the mouth of the river. The 17491 ha Turvo State Park, created in 1947, protects the Brazilian side of the falls.

Together with the Paraná River, the Uruguay forms the Río de la Plata estuary. It is navigable from around Salto Chico. Its main tributary is the Río Negro, which is born in the south of Brazil and goes through Uruguay for 500 km until its confluence with the Uruguay River, which is located 100 km north of the Uruguay's confluence with the Río de la Plata, in Punta Gorda, Colonia Department, Uruguay.

The river is crossed by five international bridges called (from north to south): Integration Bridge and Paso de los Libres-Uruguaiana International Bridge, between Argentina and Brazil; and the Salto Grande Bridge, General Artigas Bridge and Libertador General San Martín Bridge between Argentina and Uruguay.

The drainage basin of the Uruguay River has an area of 365000 km2. Its main economic use is the generation of hydroelectricity and it is dammed in its lower portion by the Salto Grande Dam and by the Itá Dam upstream in Brazil.

Cellulose plant conflict
Argentina and Uruguay experienced a conflict over the construction of pulp mills on the Uruguay River. Two European companies, ENCE and Botnia, proposed building cellulose processing plants at Fray Bentos, Uruguay, opposite Gualeguaychú, Argentina. According to a 1975 treaty, Argentina and Uruguay were supposed to jointly agree on matters relating to the Uruguay River. Argentina alleged that Uruguay broke the treaty. Additionally, Argentina believed the Finnish company Botnia was polluting the fish and the overall environment of the river while Uruguay believed that the plant was not depositing a large amount of toxins in the Uruguay River.

Starting in April 2005, residents of Gualeguaychú, as well as many others, protested, claiming that the plants would pollute the river shared by the two countries. Early in 2006, the conflict escalated into a diplomatic crisis, compelling one of the companies move the project 250 km south. Beginning in December 2005, the international bridges linking the Argentine province of Entre Ríos with Uruguay were intermittently blockaded by Argentine protesters, causing major disruptions in commercial traffic and tourism.

In 2006, Argentina brought the dispute before the International Court of Justice. The ICJ completed hearings between Argentina and Uruguay regarding the dispute on October 2, 2009. In 2010, the court ruled that although Uruguay failed to inform Argentina of the construction of the pulp mills, the mills did not pollute the river, so closing the remaining pulp mill would be unjustified. Later in 2010, Argentina and Uruguay created a joint commission to coordinate activities on the river.

Links across the Uruguay
The course of the Uruguay is crossed by the following bridges, beginning upstream:

title: Uruguay River


text:
User talk:80.222.7.66

Stop with the Holocaust denial.

title: User talk:80.222.7.66


text:
Skate-class submarine

The Skate-class submarines were the United States Navy's first production run of nuclear-powered submarines. They were an evolution of the Tang-class submarine in everything except their propulsion plants, which were based on the operational prototype USS Nautilus (SSN-571). The four Skate class boats re-introduced stern torpedo tubes. Although among the smallest nuclear-powered attack submarines ever built, the Skate class served for many years, with the last being decommissioned in 1989. USS Skate was the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, on 17 March 1959.

Skate and Sargo were built with the S3W reactor, Swordfish and Seadragon also had the S3W reactor in the S4W reactor plant (same machinery in an alternate arrangement).

Design
The Skate class were designed under project SCB 121 as economical production nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs), and thus were smaller and more austere than their ground-breaking predecessor USS Nautilus (SSN-571), whose high cost had raised concerns. They were designed before Nautilus demonstrated the advantages of sustained high underwater speed, thus their designed speed was about the maximum speed of the conventional Tang class, which had a similar displacement to the Skates. Their S3W reactor was a scaled-down version of Nautilus' S2W reactor with about half the power output; it was known as SFR (Submarine Fleet Reactor) during development. A slightly modified version known as S4W powered the second pair of Skate-class boats. Unfortunately, scaling down the reactor did not reduce the weight of reactor shielding proportionally, and it was eventually realized that further downsizing was impractical. In the late 1950s it was hoped that the nuclear-powered aircraft program would develop reactors suitable for very small SSNs, but the program was unsuccessful. Their armament was the same as the Tangs, six bow and two stern 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Like the Tangs, the stern tubes had no ejection pump, and could only be used for swim-out weapons such as the Mark 37 ASW homing torpedo. The quest for a high submerged speed and improved sonar led to the subsequent Skipjack-class submarine and Thresher-class submarinees becoming the model for further development.

Service
Skate was notable as the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, on 17 March 1959. A previous attempt in 1958 had resulted in no suitable place found for surfacing near the Pole. Sargo and Seadragon also conducted significant polar operations in their careers. This class was the most suited for ice breakthrough attempts until the Sturgeon-class submarine, with fairwater planes that could be rotated vertically, entered service beginning in 1967. After 25–30 years each of successful service, mostly out of Pearl Harbor, the class was retired in the 1980s and disposed of through the Navy's nuclear Ship-Submarine Recycling Program.

title: Skate-class submarine


text:
Ulva

Ulva (Ulbha) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, off the west coast of Mull. It is separated from Mull by a narrow strait, and connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge. Much of the island is formed from Cenozoic basalt rocks, which are formed into columns in places.

Ulva has been populated since the Mesolithic period, and there are various Neolithic remains on the island. The Norse occupation of the island in the Early Middle Ages has left few tangible artefacts but did bequeath the island its name, which is probably from Ulvoy, meaning "wolf island". Celtic culture was a major influence during both Pictish and Dalriadan times as well as the post-Norse period when the islands became part of modern Scotland. This long period, when Gaelic became the dominant language, was ended by the 19th-century Clearances. At its height, Ulva had a population of over 800, but by May 2019, this had declined to 5; some increase in the number of residents was expected in future, with the re-population plan that was to commence in 2020.

Numerous well-known individuals have connections with the island including David Livingstone, Samuel Johnson and Walter Scott, who drew inspiration from Ulva for his 1815 poem, The Lord of the Isles. Wildlife is abundant: cetaceans are regularly seen in the surrounding waters and over 500 species of plant have been recorded. Today there is a regular ferry service and tourism is the mainstay of the economy. In March 2018 the Scottish Land Fund pledged £4.4 million towards a community buyout of the island, and the North West Mull Community Woodland Company took ownership of the island on 21 June 2018.

Geography
Ulva is roughly oval in shape with an indented coastline. It is aligned east-west, being 12 km long, and 4 km wide. Viewed on a small scale, Ulva and its neighbouring island Gometra appear to be a peninsula of the Isle of Mull, as they are separated from one another by narrow straits. Caolas Ulbha (the Sound of Ulva) at the east of the island is a narrow channel a few hundred metres across to Ulva Ferry on Mull. To its west, it is separated from Gometra by Gometra Harbour. To the south are Mull's headlands of Ardmeanach and the Ross of Mull. To the north, Loch Tuath (Loch-a-Tuath) separates it from another headland of Mull, and to the south east is Loch na Keal (Loch nan Ceall), and the island of Eorsa. There are two main bays on the south coast, Port a' Bhàta, and Tràigh Bhàn. On the north coast, there is the horseshoe bay of Lòn Bhearnuis (Bearnus lagoon), Soriby Bay and a few minor inlets.

The highest point of Ulva is Beinn Chreagach ("rocky mountain"), which reaches 313 m. It has a neighbour in Beinn Eoligarry the summit of which is 306 m above sea level. The island has a central ridge, with the highest ground running along its lateral axis - this ridge is somewhat broken by Gleann Glas and some other valleys. The south east peninsula tends to be lower lying, with a small plain along the south coast, consisting of raised beaches.

Parish and region
Ulva was part of Argyll pre-1974, and Strathclyde Region after that. It is now part of Argyll and Bute.

The island, previously a quoad sacra parish with its own church, is in the civil parish of Kilninian and Kilmore (Cill Ninein, Chille Mhór), which also includes Gometra, Staffa, Little Colonsay and the north-west part of Mull. The minister traditionally preached in Kilninian and Kilmore on alternate Sundays. For more details, see the church section.

Surrounding islands
Gometra is a tidal island and connected to Ulva by a bridge. Little Colonsay and Inchkenneth (with Samalan Island) are to Ulva's south west and south east respectively. Further to the west are the Treshnish Isles, including the distinctive Bac Mòr, and beyond them, the larger islands of Coll and Tiree, with Gunna between them. To the south west are the islands of Staffa, of Fingal's Cave fame and Erisgeir. Much further to the south west is the island of Iona.

There are a number of smaller islets and rocks off Ulva. To the south and the east are Eilean na Creiche (listed as "Eilean na Craoibhe", on the island's guide's map.) between Little Colonsay and Ulva. Off Port a' Bhàta are Geasgill Beag & Geasgill Mòr, between Ulva and Inchkenneth. To the south west is Sgeir na Sgeireadh, and Màisgeir due south of Gometra. These islands, along with Ulva itself, form part of the Loch na Keal National Scenic Area, one of the forty national scenic areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.

Geology

Ulva's interior is moorland, while the spectacular geological formations of the south coast, have been somewhat overshadowed by those of its neighbour Staffa. Nonetheless, they are still renowned in their own right. Around 60 million years ago, the region was volcanically active, with Ben More on Mull being the remnant of a volcano, and it was in this period that the famous rock formations of Staffa and the basaltic columns of "The Castles" on Ulva came into being. The lava flows are known as the "Staffa Magma Type member" and can also be seen on Mull at Carsaig, Ardtum, and near Tobermory on its east coast. They are particularly rich in silica. These were formed when the cooling surface of the mass of hot lava cracked in a hexagonal pattern in a similar way to drying mud cracking as it shrinks, and these cracks gradually extended down into the mass of lava as it cooled and shrank to form the columns which were subsequently exposed by erosion.

Much more recently, Ulva was subjected to glaciation, which dug out the fjords/sea lochs on its north and south east sides – Loch Tuath (meaning simply "north loch") and Loch na Keal, as well as softening some of its sharper edges.

The Hebridean coastline has been subject to significant post-glacial changes in sea level and the area is rising up at about 2 mm per annum as isostatic equilibrium is regained. The relative drop in sea-level has left the highest raised sea cave in the British Isles on Ulva at A' Chrannag. At some point, Ulva was probably a west pointing headland of Mull, connected to Gometra and Eilean Dioghlum off the latter's west coast.

Etymology
The derivation of "Ulva" is not certain, but is probably from the Old Norse for "wolf isle". Samuel Johnson deduced that it was probably not Gaelic in origin:

"[sic] The name is supposed to be a depravation of some other; for the Earse language does not afford it any etymology."

The English name "Ulva" is from the Scottish Gaelic, Ulbha, but this may have been corruption of Old Norse. It is debatable whether the Norse root Ulfr refers to an individual's name, or to the animal itself (possibly because of the shape of the island). The island's official website and guide book claims - "A scout, sent ashore from the longboat is alleged to have reported, 'Ullamhdha', Viking for 'Nobody home'." However ullamhdha is not Norse, but appears to be the Scottish Gaelic for "ready for it". Munro and MacQuarrie (1996) state that the scout said "ullamh dha" in Gaelic, meaning the island "was ready for occupation".

The Old Statistical Account of Scotland mentions an alternative folk etymology, namely that Ulva comes from ullamh-àth meaning 'ready ford' in Gaelic, that could refer either to the tidal stretch with Gometra, or the Sound of Ulva over which cattle were sometimes swum.

Prehistory
Ulva's human history goes back thousands of years. Its standing stones have been dated to 1500 BC, and a shell midden in Livingstones Cave dates to c. 5650 BC; it includes remains of flint and a human infant, as well as fauna more appropriate to the Ice Age, such as lemming and Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). The cave has been excavated since 1987 by archaeologists from the University of Edinburgh.

There are a number of dolmens and standing stones on the island, including some west of Cragaig, and one north east of Ormaig, as well as dùns such as Dùn Bhioramuill on the south east slope of A' Chrannag near Cùl a' Gheata above the cliffs, and Dùn Iosagain on the south west slope of Beinn Eolasary.

Dál Riata
Ulva was anciently part of the border zone of the kingdom of Dál Riata, and during this period the old Gaelic language first came to be spoken here. Presumably the area formed part of the Pictish lands, but they left little evidence behind. This region was amongst the first in northern Scotland to become Christianised. This is commemorated in some of the local place names which contain the word "Cill" or "Ceall", which is frequently anglicised as "Kil-" e.g. "Loch na Keal" is Loch nan Ceall, meaning "loch of the culdee cells", and Cille Mhic Eoghainn, which means literally "Monk's cell of the son of Ewan/MacEwan", or less literally "MacEwan's Church".

The Senchus fer n-Alban lists three main kin groups in Dál Riata in Scotland, with a fourth being added later. The Cenél Loairn controlled parts of northern Argyll around the Firth of Lorne, most probably centred on Lorne but perhaps including the Isle of Mull, Morvern and Ardnamurchan, supposedly the descendants of Loarn mac Eirc. The chief place of the kingdom appears to have been at Dun Ollaigh, near Oban. The chief religious site may have been on Lismore, later the seat of the High Medieval bishop of Argyll.

Saint Columba (Colm Cille) visited Ulva in 563.

Norse period and Middle Ages
Ulva later became part of the Norse Kingdom of the Isles. Rubha nan Gall ("point of the foreigners"), on the north coast of the island, may refer to the Norse.

Gometra and Inchkenneth nearby both have connections to Iona so it is not likely that Ulva had as well. Ulva came under the Diocese of Sodor and Man, and then the Diocese of Argyll.

Ulva came into the possession of the Clan MacQuarrie (an anglicised version of the surname MacGuaire ) family over a thousand years ago, and they controlled it until the mid-19th century. The name MacGuaire is also anglicised as McGuire in Ireland. The English version has many variants, for examples, a 16th-century clan chief was Donn-slèibhe MacGuaire, possibly the ancestor of the Livingstone (MacDhùn-lèibhe) family. MacKenzie mentions that his name was anglicised in the following widely differing versions - "Dunslavie McVoirich" (either MacMhuirich (which becomes Currie or MacPherson) or MacMhurchaidh), "Dulleis MacKwiddy", "Dwnsleif MacKcurra" and "Dwnsleyf MaKwra". "Dunslav" was recorded as a forename in Ulva in 1693 as well.

The Ulva Brooch was found in a pool of water in a cave in 1998. Its exact date of origin is unknown, but it is reckoned to be 16th or 17th century. The original is now in a museum in Dunoon, and a replica can be seen in Sheila's Cottage on the island. It is an engraved woman's brooch, for keeping a shawl tied together, and is believed to have been left in the cave after someone sheltered there.

18th century
In 1722, the inhabitants of Ulva were sent to a court in Inveraray, because they had taken oil from a stranded whale.

During the second Jacobite uprising, Clan MacQuarrie fought at Culloden on Charles Edward Stuart's side.

The Rev. John Walker lamented the lack of commercial fishing, which he thought could provide the islanders with an additional income and food source. He noted the presence of herring, cod, and ling in the surrounding waters, but said, that there was

"[N]o net or Long Line on the island to catch them [fish] and none of the inhabitants were acquainted with any kind of fishing, but with the Rod from Sea Rocks'."

Lachlan Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie was born on Ulva 31 January 1762. He is sometimes referred to as "Father of Australia". He left when he was 14, and was Governor of New South Wales from 1809–21, the longest tenure of any Australian governor. However, after his long sojourns in India, Australia and elsewhere, Lachlan Macquarie returned to his home turf. His mausoleum may still be seen at Gruline on Loch na Keal, on the Isle of Mull, within sight of his home island. The mausoleum is possibly the only site in Scotland maintained by the National Trust of Australia.

His father, who had the same name, was a cousin of the sixteenth and last chieftain of the clan. According to local tradition, he was either a miller or a carpenter. There is some argument as to where exactly he was born: Ormaig is generally stated, because he appears to have come from that branch of the clan. It has even been suggested that he was born on the near section of Mull – at either Oskamull or Lagganulva, but local tradition says he was born at Cùl a' Gheata, which is 1/4 mi south of Ulva House. Clan Macquarrie Lachlan MacQuarrie, the last chief to live on the island, claimed that his clan had possessed Ulva since the 9th century; and although the chiefs are not on public record until the mid-15th century, they can produce a pedigree of sorts going back to the 13th. They even claim kinship with Saint Columba. General Lachlan MacQuarrie, the most famous member of the clan, was possibly born at Ormaig on the Mull side after his parents moved there from Ulva. After a military career, he became the first Governor of New South Wales and Australians make pilgrimages to his mausoleum at Gruline on Mull.

The men of Ulva were known in sonorous Gaelic as "the fierce, fearless, great-feated MacQuarries". Their war cry was "The Red Tartan Army" and they took part in many far flung battles – at Inverkeithing, Bannockburn, in the colonies. Graves of MacQuarries at Culloden are on the right hand side where other Mull men rest. They followed the MacLeans who joined Prince Charles under MacLean of Drimnin at Stirling. An Ulva man carried the banner back from Culloden. With it wrapped around his body, he swam home across the sound. David Livingston was a descendant of this warrior.

MacQuarrie needed to sell Ulva in 1777 to pay his debts but many of his clan remained on the island for over a century.

In 1787, Macquarie came back to Mull and Ulva, to try to recruit men for the British army. Few Ulbhachs had any interest, and he deemed them "ungrateful":

"I was equally unsuccessful in the place of my Nativity, and ancient Possessions of my Ancestors, – among my own Clan and Namesakes, the Macquaries of Ulva; where every fair and Lawful Means were used by their old Chief and Master, my Relation the Laird of Macquarie, and myself; but, such is the aversion of these People to become Soldiers or to go abroad, that notwithstanding all the entreaties of their old Chief and Master, not one of his ungrateful Clan, (to whom he had been, in the days of his Prosperity, a most kind and Generous Master,) would enlist or follow me and his own Son Murdoch Macquarie, (a lad about Sixteen years of age) who voluntarily offered to follow my Fortunes, and push his own in India – as a Volunteer. — I was not much surprised, tho' at the same time I confess I was exceedingly displeased, at the ungrateful conduct of these People, who had treated their old chief exactly in the same manner, when he got his Commission in the Army in Decr. 1777 and hoped to get his whole Quota of Men among his own Clan; but in this, he was cruelly disappointed, very few indeed, having followed him to the American War: – it would appear he had lost his Power and influence over them, at the same moment he had lost the Estate of his Ancestors. Finding I had no success in the Recruiting way in Mull I determined upon setting out for the Low Country without loss of time to Recruit there'."Whilst in India, Macquarie sent significant amounts of money back to support kith and kin in Ulva and the Highlands.

19th century
By the early 19th century, potatoes were a major staple of the island, and Ulva exported them.

The main remnants of Clan MacQuarrie's chiefs fell at the battles of Malda and Waterloo. Their mother Marie was given a medal by King George IV with the slogan Màthair nan Gaisgich - "mother of heroes" on it.

Kelp industry
Until the mid-19th century its main industry was kelp collection and export primarily operated by Staffa MacDonald who bought the island in 1785 because of the kelp. At the turn of the 19th century, the kelp industry supported a large amount of the population. It was seasonal work, with collection taking place in the months of May, June and July, when it was considered possible to dry it outdoors. The dried kelp would usually then be burnt, and the ash used to produce various products, including fertiliser (mostly soda ash) and iodine as well as glass and soap. The ruined kiln on the south shore may have been used for this. Between 1817 and 1828, no less than 256 tonnes of kelp were collected in Ulva. Kelpers collected on average, a wage of two shillings a week, and a stone of wheat.

Ulva's Kelp Industry Seaweed plays an important role in the history of Ulva. It was burned to produce kelp, a product in great demand in the early 19th century for making glass and soap. Being a labour-intensive process (it took 20 tons of seaweed to produce 1 ton of kelp) Ulva's population grew to meet the demands of cutting, carrying and burning enough seaweed for an average output of 23 tons of kelp per year. In 1785 Ulva was purchased by a pioneer of the kelp burning industry and his son, Staffa MacDonald was reputed to have "trebled his income and doubled his population by careful attention to his kelp shores".

The Clearances

Francis William Clark, a lawyer from Stirling, bought the island in 1835. According to the Isle of Mull website, Ulva was booming in 1837, with a population of 604 people.

After the Clearances ordered by Clark, two-thirds of the islanders were gone within a few years. Sometimes those who were to be evicted were given no warning, and had the thatch of their houses set on fire by "brutal landowners who replaced them with more economically sound sheep", according to one news report. In 1841, the population of Ulva and Gometra was 859, but by 1848 this had plummeted to 150 thanks to a combination of the Highland potato famine and Clark's mass evictions. In 1849, 360 people lived on Ulva, but that number had dropped to 51 by 1881.

MacKenzie records at Aird Glas, near Ardalum, the now abandoned row of houses was nicknamed "Starvation Terrace":

"...Where the old and feeble folk cleared from their crofts were placed by Clark, to exist as best they could on shellfish & seaweed till they died."

He thinks however, that the plan may not have been to starve them, but to create fishing stations of the type which Walker lamented the lack of. This is certainly what was attempted in Sutherland. Opinions on Clark remain divided. The island's guidebook claims:

"Clark's high hopes for this thriving community were shattered when the kelp market collapsed, and he was left with a great surplus of tenants. His greatest concern would have been for the people and their livelihoods."

One of Clark's neighbours did not think much of his concern, and is reported to have shouted "Francis William Clark, there's a smell of your name all over Scotland".

"In an era in which large-scale evictions were commonplace — those of Torloisg and Glengorm for example — this Francis William Clark gained a notoriety that matched or exceeded that of the [other] evicting landlords of his time. 'Notorious', 'ruthless', 'cruel', 'callous' are some of the epithets attached to his name."

MacKenzie further notes, that unlike in Sutherland, where the Clearances are most remembered, there was no factor or middle man to provide a buffer between the tenants and the landlord, like the notorious Patrick Sellar, and that Clark did a lot of the evicting himself.

In evidence to the Napier Commission, Alexander Fletcher recounted that Clark moved people from one piece of land to a small one, repeatedly "then to nothing at all, and when they would not clear off altogether, some of them had the roofs taken off their huts."

Fletcher also claimed that Clark bullied the sick and the elderly: "In another case, there was a very sick woman... Notwithstanding the critical condition of the woman, he [F. W. Clark] had the roof taken down to a small bit over the woman's bed." Another recorded that a woman fetching water at a well was so terrified of him, that she "ran away, and left her kettle at the well, which Mr Clark took hold of and smashed to pieces."

F. W. Clark was still alive at the time of the reports to the Napier Commission, and never made any attempt to refute these accusations. His son, of the same name, disagreed vocally with his father's behaviour and said, "he would rather have a cailleach (old woman) to light his pipe in every ruined house than all the sheep... of Ulva".

The Clark family continued to own the island until 1945. F. W. Clark also bought, and cleared, the islands of Gometra and Little Colonsay.

Here is a list of some of the cleared townships, and their current state. (Notes: All information from MacKenzie (2000). )

Clark had a memorial built to himself, and his family on top of the Iron Age fort at Dùn Bhioramuill. A huge marble slab to F. W. Clark was "accidentally" lost in the mire, on its way to be placed here. Some say this was deliberate, but according to local folklore, this was due to the "weight of evil on it". The other parts of the memorial may still be seen.

20th century

In The Scottish Field (September 1918), there is a description by Angus Henderson of how the cattle were driven to "mainland" Mull.

"The handsome herds of Ulva were 'floated' across the ferry on their way to the Oban sales... The cattle are driven into the water, and forced to swim to a small island, there, they are allowed to rest for a few minutes and then they are made to complete their swim to Mull. Men in boats guide them to the right landing places."

During the 20th century, the population of Ulva continued to fall. In 1981 it dropped to 13, the lowest point in recorded history until then. By 1991, however, it had risen to 30, mostly due to incomers working on the island. In 2001 the usually resident population was 16 but by 2011 it had decreased again to 11. During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.

The Clarks owned the island for the best part of a century, selling it in 1945 to Edith, Lady Congleton, with her daughter Jean Howard then owning it, and her grandson James Howard as estate manager. Under the Howards, the population fluctuated, rather than falling continuously as it had under the Clarks.

In 1950, Queen Elizabeth and the royal yacht, Britannia visited.

In 2000, D. W. R. MacKenzie wrote As It Was/Sin Mar a Bha: An Ulva Boyhood, which is a combination of autobiography and a potted history of the island. His father was a Church of Scotland minister, who moved there from Rothesay, where he had been in charge of the Gaelic church there. MacKenzie describes his early impressions, as a child, of the island in the 1920s, and how the minister's children slowly began to recognise the landscape of eviction:

"We saw ruins of houses (tobhtaichean) roofless and windowless, and near them neglected green patches that had obviously been cultivated at one time. We saw overgrown ridges and furrows that once had been the lazybeds (feannagan) on which former inhabitants had grown their potatoes and cereals. When returned home from our explorations, to recount our discoveries, we learned, over the years, that the Ulva of 1827, when the church and the manse were built was very different from the Ulva we came to know a hundred years later.'"

According to a 2018 publication by Tourism Scotland, "There are no tarmac roads on Ulva, so no cars, just the 4 wheel cross country bikes used by all inhabitants".

Infrastructure and economy
None of the island's roads is tarmacked or numbered, due to the low population, and there are no fewer than six fords on the length of the southern road. There is however a bridge to Gometra, which can also be reached dry-shod at low tide. Like certain other islands, e.g. Sark, there are no cars, but quad bikes and tractors are used.

A ferry sails from Ulva to the hamlet of Ulva Ferry on Mull, on request. Ulva Primary School is in fact on Mull at Ulva Ferry. There are ruined school buildings still to be seen at Glac na Gallan and Fearann Àrd-àirigh.

Ulva's main industry now is tourism. Other industries on the island include sheep and cattle farming, and fish farming (salmon at Soriby Bay). There is also a small sawmill. There is no hotel on the island, but there is a locked bothy at Cragaig which can be rented and camping is also possible. At Ardalum, there is a former shooting lodge, which is now a self-catering unit, and was also workers' accommodation for a while. There is a licensed restaurant/tea room on the island, "The Boathouse", where locally harvested oysters are sold.

In the summer of 2017, the island was put up for sale by owner Jamie Howard. The North West Mull Community Trust was granted the right to register its interest in a community buyout, which was subsequently backed by 63.9% of voters in a poll ordered by the Scottish government, with residents of Ulva and part of Mull eligible to vote.

Subsequently, the government had stopped the attempt to sell Ulva on the open market. A fundraising appeal was launched and in March 2018 the Scottish Land Fund pledged £4.4 million towards a community buyout. John Watt, the chair of the Fund, stated that it was a "momentous day" for local residents. "I wish them every success as they go on to raise the remaining funding that will allow them to turn their dreams into reality." The buyout was completed on 21 June 2018. The North West Mull Community Woodland Company acquired the Ulva Estate, through the Community Right to Buy legislation.

A 2019 news report provided the following specifics: "'The community company raised £4.4m from the Scottish Land Fund to buy Ulva from owner Jamie Howard, whose family had owned the island for 70 years. The total purchase cost £4.65m with a global fundraising effort helping to secure the balance'."

Re-development master plan
By 21 June 2018, the sale of the island had been concluded. The subsequent master plan for the island involves making improvements, increasing the population and returning farming to Ulva. More specifically, the residents were "hoping to create jobs here, build new affordable housing and tempt young Scots to make it their home". Some of the ideas discussed in spring 2018 included opening a campsite, hostel and mini-hotel and to commence oyster farming. Roughly 5,000 people visited the island each summer. In February 2019, repairs to the slipway and the connecting pier on Mull were completed, beneficial for both ferry passengers and fisherman working out of the Sound. The project was funded by Marine Scotland.

Restoration of the oldest blackhouse on the island was being completed in October 2019; it is the one closest to the ferry dock. The building is known as Sheila's cottage, since it was the home of dairy maid Sheila MacFadgen from 1911 to the 1950s, the last resident of the row of cottages. This was the second significant step in the Ulva master plan.

At that time, Wendy Reid, Ulva’s development manager said that the hope was for the population to increase to 20 by 2024 and to 50 in the future. Six houses were scheduled for renovation, including three that were vacant; this process will help attract new residents to the island. By late 2019, news suggested that the population could "soar by 6,000%" as a result of the campaign to encourage people to move to the island. The large Ulva House was being converted into self catering flats.

In January 2020, 30 Highland cattle were scheduled to be delivered to the island since the plan includes "communion between humans, animals and nature", according to Reid. Until then, the island was supporting a small flock of wild Hebridean sheep and a few feral goats. During the year, efforts to refurbish other old dwellings would continue. The restorations were expected to be planned by the community and completed under the supervision of Argyll and Bute Council. Land sales would also commence.

"We want to attract people from all backgrounds, but also keeping one goal in common: to contribute to the wellbeing of the community with their skills and talents", Reid said.

In May 2021, the island announced a drive to replace petrol and diesel-engined quad bikes with all electric vehicles, and the start of work to restore three tenanted homes and three vacant properties on the island.

Fauna
Ulva is known for its wildlife, which as is usual for many Scottish islands, includes many varieties of seabirds. A number of raptors breed on the island including buzzards and golden eagles. Game birds include snipe, grouse, pheasant, and woodcock. White-tailed eagles, which were reintroduced in the nearby Island of Rùm have migrated to Mull, where they now have a stronghold - they can occasionally be seen on Ulva, but are not known to nest there. Ravens also breed here. Puffin, black-legged kittiwakes, shag, common and Arctic tern, gannets, eider ducks, oystercatchers, curlews, redshanks, red-breasted mergansers and gulls nest on the island and the surrounding waters provide a livelihood for numerous seabirds. Occasional visitors (usually not breeding) include - house martins, Leach's storm petrel, corncrakes (which are rare in the British Isles), peregrine falcons and spotted flycatchers.

Land mammals that can be found on the island, include red deer, rabbits, and mountain hares. Stoats and hedgehogs are occasionally sighted on the island as well. In 1986 the island's otters were studied by experts from the University of Leeds - in the six weeks that they were there, they sighted the otters every evening. In regard to canids, there are no foxes on the island, although it has been suggested that the name "Ulva" - wolf isle - meant that wolves lived on the island in the Norse period.

There is only one known kind of reptile on the island, the pseudo-snake slowworm, but no true snakes have been reported. The name "Ormaig", however, is probably a corruption of the Norse Ormrsvi, which means "bay of the worm" - this may refer to a snake.

Cetaceans that can be seen in the surrounding waters include minke whales, porpoises, dolphins, and pilot whales. Whales occasionally get beached on the island, more recent examples including 1966 (pilot), 1987 (pilot) and 1991 (two sperm whales). Grey seals and basking shark also frequent the area.

Ulva is also home to two extremely rare insects: the Scotch burnet moth, which can also be found on Mull, but nowhere else, and a dragonfly, Orthetrum coesilesceus.

Flora

More than 500 species of plant have been recorded on Ulva.

Bracken is particularly abundant on the island, with heather growing in some other parts. Wild flowers that grow here include Hyacinthoides non-scripta ('common' or 'British' bluebells), Campanula rotundifolia ('bluebells of Scotland' or 'harebells'), orchids, sundews (Drosera) and Dianthus ("pinks").

Much of the island is treeless, but there are substantial stands in some places, especially near the island's small reservoir.

However, in the areas where trees grow, there is a surprising diversity. There are at least 43 varieties and/or species of broadleaf trees on the island, and over a dozen types of conifer. Amongst the coniferous trees are silver and noble firs, juniper, European and Japanese larch, Sitka spruce, and Scots pine. The broadleafs include laburnum, wych elm, three types of oak, four kinds of cherry tree, alder, sycamore, sweet chestnut, walnut and various other fruit trees.

In literature and the arts

Boswell and Johnson
Dr Johnson and Boswell visited The MacQuarrie on Ulva in October 1773, the year after Sir Joseph Banks brought Staffa to the English-speaking world's attention. Perhaps aware that Banks considered that the columnar basalt cliff formations on Ulva called "The Castles" rivalled Staffa's Johnson wrote:

"When the islanders were reproached with their ignorance or insensibility of the wonders of Staffa, they had not much to reply. They had indeed considered it little, because they had always seen it; and none but philosophers, nor they always, are struck with wonder otherwise than by novelty."

Both men left separate accounts of the visit, Johnson in A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (18 January 1775) and Boswell in Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D (1785). They arrived on Saturday, 16 October, and left the following day.

Scott and Hogg

Boswell and Johnson were not the only famous non-Highland visitors to the island. Walter Scott and James Hogg also visited the islands some decades later. Scott was struck by the contrast between Ulva and the nearby island of Inchkenneth: "... a most beautiful islet of the most verdant green, while all the neighbouring shore of Greban, as well as the large islands of Colinsay and Ulva, are as black as heath can make them. But Ulva has a good anchorage, and Inchkenneth is surrounded by shoals."

By the time, Scott visited the "mean" house referred to in Boswell's journal was gone, and replaced by one from a design by Robert Adam. This in turn has been destroyed, and the current Ulva House is on its site.

Hogg wrote some graffiti on the wall of Ulva Inn, now lost due to its burning down in 1880:

Many other visitors to neighbouring Staffa stayed at Ulva Inn, this included Keats, Mendelssohn, and William Wordsworth.

After his visit, Walter Scott used Ulva as material for various works, for example, in his 1815 poem, Lord of the Isles (Canto 4)

In Tales of a Grandfather, Scott tells the story of "Alan-a-Sop". In his youth, Alan-a-Sop was treated badly by his stepfather, one Maclean of Torloisk. He grew up to be a pirate and eventually took a bloody revenge on Torloisk with the help of MacQuarrie of Ulva.

Other
A piper named MacArthur set up a famous piping school on Ulva, possibly in the 17th century. He himself was trained by the great MacCrimmon dynasty of Skye, whose piping skills were legendary in Gaeldom. The MacArthurs themselves were said to be amongst the greatest bagpipers to come out of Scotland.

The Scottish missionary and explorer of Africa, David Livingstone recounted how his ancestors had originally come from Ulva.

"Our great-grandfather fell at the battle of Culloden, fighting for the old line of kings; and our grandfather was a small farmer in Ulva, where my father was born."

The most famous commemoration of Ulva in literature is Thomas Campbell's poem, Lord Ullin's Daughter, written after the writer had visited the region. The opening two stanzas are as follows:

Moladh Ulbha (In Praise of Ulva) is a song written by the Ulbhach Bard, Colin Fletcher (Cailean Mac an Fhleisdeir). It was transcribed by the Rev. MacKenzie. This is the first verse.

John MacCormick (Iain MacCormaig; 1870–1947), the author of the first full length Scottish Gaelic novel, Dùn Aluinn (1912) was an occasional visitor to the island. He wrote a number of short stories, non-fiction and a novella. He came from Mull, and was a distant relative of the politician of the same name and Neil MacCormick

English children's writer, Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) also visited Ulva from time to time. She was a relative of the Clark family, and The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912) is dedicated to F. W. Clark (III - grandson of the man who bought the island). The dedication says rather cryptically: "FOR FRANCIS WILLIAM OF ULVA — SOMEDAY!" Although the main characters of the book are a fox (tod) and a badger (brock), neither species can be found on Ulva.

Structures

Many structures on Ulva are in ruins, such as the former water mill between Ormaig and Cragaig, and if not in ruins, they have been incorporated into other buildings, e.g. Bracadale Steadings, which includes bits of the old Ulva House which Boswell and Johnson stayed in. On the southern coast are found the ruins of the hamlet of Ormaig (walls of old cottages) and of Kilvekewen church.

The Boathouse Cafe remains in business. A January 2020 news item indicated that it was "rapidly gaining a reputation for its fresh seafood".

Ulva Church
In the early 19th century, an unflattering report stated: "No district was more deficient in the means of religious instruction than Ulva" and that "Divine service was little frequented in winter."

A small church was built at Ardalum between 1827 and 1828. It cost £1,500 and was designed by Thomas Telford. It was restored in 1921. the original church did not have a proper floor, and its floor boards were laid on top of the earth.

The Certificate of Complete of the Ulva Church and Manse is dated 14 March 1828, and it was conveyed by Charles MacQuarie. There was a budget of £1,500 for the construction and the actual cost came to £1,495 14/1.

Privately owned since the mid 1950s when it was purchased by the family who then owned the island, it is still used, partly as a community centre, and the north-west wing for worship at least twice a year, at Easter and at Harvest time. (The island was sold to the residents in 1998 however, and the building is now owned by that small group.) It is claimed that in 1847 (Statistical Account), everyone on the island attended services in it including one Roman Catholic and one atheist. Dr Johnson was probably speaking of the old church at Cille Mhic Eòghainn when he said: "Ulva was not neglected by the piety of ardent times: it has still to show what was once a church." Ulva Church is dedicated to St Eòghann of Ardstraw, possibly the same person.

The last resident minister, Rev. MacKenzie left in 1929.

Sheila's Cottage
"Sheila's Cottage" is a thatched but and ben, which was restored in the 1990s. It is named for Sheila MacFadyen (Sile NicPhaidein), who lived in the cottage between the turn of the 20th century and the early 1950s. Sheila was originally a milkmaid at Ulva House, but she spent her later years, after her son predeceased her, garnering a scanty living by gathering and selling winkles for sale locally. One room, the "but" was for livestock, and the other, the "ben" was her living space, where all activities took place.

The cottage contains a box bed, dresser, and a life-size model of Sheila herself.

An additional restoration of the cottage was being completed in late 2019.

Other buildings
The Inn at Ulva was popular with visitors to Staffa. However, although it called itself a "temperance inn", its keeper was charged three times with breach of licence. It burnt down in 1880 - the buildings were thatched, and the guest book, which contained many famous signatures was destroyed with it. It reopened, but was finally closed in 1905.

More than one building has gone by the name "Ulva House", and the current one was designed by Leslie Grahame-Thomson in the early 1950s. There is a dovecot and a pig sty on its gable end. The Ulva Master plan called for converting the House into self catering flats, according to an October 2019 news report.

There are several ruined kilns on the island for a number of different purposes. At Baligartan, there is the remains of a kiln for drying grain, and on the south shore, in a gully (GR173378), there is another, which was probably used in the island's old kelp industry.

Folklore and customs
It may be presumed that much of the island's folklore disappeared with the island's population. The story of "Allan-a-Sop", adapted by Scott would have formed part.

Bradley's Cave (G 439398) is named for an Irish itinerant who used to visit in the 19th century. Bradley, or O' Brolligan (as his name is sometimes recorded) was a retired sailor, who took to the roads as a pedlar, and when on Ulva, he was said to live in this cave. Though there is little evidence of his existence, during the 20th century, buttons and a coin dated 1873 were found in here.

Cairistiona's Rock near Ormaig has a more gruesome story attached to it. Cairistiona accused, probably falsely, her sister of stealing a large hunk of cheese, and tried to extract a confession from her, by lowering her off a cliff with a plaid tied round her neck. The plaid slipped, and ended up strangling her sister, which she had never intended to do. Wracked with remorse, she confessed to the accident, but this was not enough for the islanders, who decided to drown her, by throwing her in a sack and laying her on the rock, which still bears her name.

Mercheta Mulierum
Mercheta Mulierum was an ancient custom persisting in the island: "Inquiring after the reliques of former manners, I found that in Ulva, and, I think, no where else, is continued the payment of the Mercheta Mulierum; a fine in old times due to the Laird at the marriage of a virgin. The original of this claim, as of our tenure of Borough English, is variously delivered. It is pleasant to find ancient customs in old families. This payment, like others, was, for want of money, made anciently in the produce of the land. Macquarry was used to demand a sheep, for which he now takes a crown, by that inattention to the uncertain proportion between the value and the denomination of money, which has brought much disorder into Europe. A sheep has always the same power of supplying human wants, but a crown will bring at one time more, at another less."

Boswell said "I suppose, Ulva is the only place where this custom remains", and Sir William Blackstone says in his Commentaries on the Laws of England that "he cannot find that ever this custom [Borough English] prevailed in England".

Walter Scott claimed that mercheta mulierum persisted at the time of his visit.

General references

 * Bannerman, John, Studies in the History of Dalriada. Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1974. ISBN 0-7011-2040-1
 * Broun, Dauvit, Dál Riata in Lynch (2001).
 * Howard, J. & Jones, A., The Isle of Ulva: A Visitor's Guide, published by Ulva Estate, (2004)
 * Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins. Articles: Ulva & "MacQuarrie, Lachlan"
 * Johnson, Samuel (1775) A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. London. Chapman & Dodd. (1924 edition).
 * Livingston, David LL.D., D.C.L., Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa, and a Journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda on the West Coast; Thence Across the Continent, Down the River Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean.
 * MacKenzie, Donald W. R. As It Was/Sin Mar a Bha: A Ulva Boyhood Birlinn Ltd (16 May 2000) ISBN 978-1-84158-042-5
 * Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry Into the Condition of the Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (Napier Commission)
 * Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry Into the Condition of the Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (Napier Commission)

title: Ulva