Template:Did you know nominations/Jeremiah's Gutter

Jeremiah's Gutter

 * ... that a gutter predated the Cape Cod Canal (pictured) by almost two hundred years?
 * Reviewed: Tommy Curtis

Created/expanded by Ktr101 (talk). Self nom at 19:48, 8 August 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm on it. Kevin, if you're watching this, check out article edits. I have some questions for you. Drmies (talk) 14:11, 10 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Length checks out, but there are a few issues signaled in my edit summaries. Also, a few sources can be added--this has a note or two and the site looks reliable enough for the purpose: bibliographical information is here, and you can cite it as a book, I think. This is reliable. This is incomplete, saying it was dug in 1804 as if there was no previous history. This gives an alternate name ("Jeremiah Smith's gutter", which gains little information--it's the only hit on GBooks). Another alternate name, "Jeremy's dream", with only four hits on GBooks. Thoreau "forded" it, mention here, and described it in his journal, also mentioned here; here is the journal. Cyprian Southack rowed a whaleboat through it. Not all of this is terrifically relevant, maybe, but it's worthwhile looking at them and through the rest of the hits for "Jeremiah's gutter" in Google Books. There's an issue with the hook: "predate" without further explanation suggests it's in the same location as the canal, which is not correct, and thus the hook should be tweaked ("before the Canal provided a way across Cape Cod" or something like that: wordier but correcter). Here is a reliable mention of it being the "first canal" and that's good to add, considering the lead as well. ("The first canal through Cape Cod predated blah blah"). Expand it a bit with some of these sources, if only to beef up the reference list. Drmies (talk) 16:18, 10 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Ah, thanks! Well, it looks like I'll have bountiful amounts of time today, so I guess I might be able to vastly improve upon it later. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 21:54, 10 August 2012 (UTC)
 * It won't take that much time, Kevin--save your vast improvements for the GA review. Take it easy, Drmies (talk) 06:40, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
 * True, true. I actually had way too much time during that night, but now it is all done and I added some of the references that you pointed out above. Thanks! Kevin Rutherford (talk) 00:34, 13 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Oh, and here's my alternate hook: "... that almost two hundred years before the Cape Cod Canal opened, a gutter was the only way to cross Cape Cod by water?" I wish I could make it more intriguing, but that works. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 05:19, 13 August 2012 (UTC)


 * ALT2: "...that almost two hundred years before the Cape Cod Canal opened, a gutter was the only way to cross Cape Cod by water?"
 * Pictogram voting keep.svg On good faith since "It Happened on Cape Cod" is not available online. Drmies (talk) 01:45, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Symbol question.svg Image is not eligible for use, as it does not appear in the article as required by DYK rules. It should be deleted from this nomination unless added to the article. BlueMoonset (talk) 04:34, 17 August 2012 (UTC)