THE DISCREPANCY // 060
Some visitors remember the Statue of Liberty standing on Ellis Island. The National Park Service places it on Liberty Island. Both islands belong to the familiar visitor journey, but their names identify different places.
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BEDLOE / 1956 — An old island name is tucked under a new label. The land kept another name.
BEFORE THE REFERENCE
Reconstruct the trip in order: departure, first stop, museum, statue and return. Did the remembered name belong to a ferry ticket covering both destinations? Keep the moment at which somebody named the island. A spoken tour label and a map beneath the statue can leave different impressions.
THE TRACE TO FOLLOW
The park’s visitor references distinguish the two islands. Compare them with a dated itinerary or photograph from your visit. The statue’s island was also formerly called Bedloe’s Island; a historical name is another genuine trail. Which place were you standing on when you felt certain that it was Ellis?
Keep your first version
Record the detail before opening a reference. Keep the exact object, release or edition with your comparison. A first recollection and a later discovery can be followed as separate traces.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
Compare the particular object, recording or documented account.
Reported recollections and discussion; a separate trail from the reference.