wee stinky glen, I swear I am not making this up!

(Wee Stinky Glen, Cornell University)

So I was asking the missus to stop at the credit union after she gets off the bus this morning, on her way to the office. I say "you know, get off the bus and go down that sidewalk behind the Cornell book store". And she says "yeah, through the wee stinky glen". "SAY WHAT?????" says I. "Yeah, its on the map, the little creek and trees behind the bookstore". Indeed, it is true, the exact center of the Cornell campus has a pretty little park with a ravine, creek and woods. Called Wee Stinky Glen. The name's origins are: ( I should mention that Cornell still has a cow herd, horses, a donkey or two and who know what else at the agriculture and vet schools still 2 blocks upriver from the main campus, on the same site as before, but sanitation has improved! The Cornell cows are milked daily and students in food science make ice cream and sell it in the dairy bar)

"Wee Stinky Glen is a small grassy and wooded area divided by a stream. It's located between Day Hall, Sage Hall, the Campus Store, and East Ave. Although there are several theories for the origin of the name, the consensus is that you're right, it was literal. The adjective "stinky" no longer applies, however.

As to the former odor, some say it came from the Vet School's cows who once roamed near the actively flowing stream. Where you have cows...well, you can figure out the rest. Other sources say that storm drains near the Veterinary and Agriculture Colleges contributed foul-smelling fumes from sewage or other pollution. One of the archivists in Olin Library said he was here in the 1940's, at which time the aptness of the name was quite apparent...the smells emanating from the stream were severely malodorous.
Today, the lovely and sweet-smelling creek still winds its way around campus for us to enjoy. The Glen is a beautiful spot to relax or have a quiet picnic on one of the sunny days that will soon arrive."