Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Ezra Meeker/archive1


 * The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by 10:01, 2 May 2013 (UTC).

Ezra Meeker

 * Nominator(s): Wehwalt (talk) 08:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

I am nominating this for featured article because… I think it meets the criteria. Ezra Meeker was a legend in his own time: gifted with almost 98 years of life, he traveled the Oregon Trail as a young father, rose to wealth as the "Hop King of the World", lost it all thanks to hop aphids and an economic collapse, and as an old man, to promote the almost forgotten Trail, journeyed over it repeatedly in his final two decades, met several presidents, and was amazingly active right up to his death just short of his 98th birthday. Who else would run for office at age 93, drive an ox team in a Wild West Show at age 94, and appear before a Senate committee at age 95? Come and marvel with me at the life of Ezra Meeker. My thanks to the peer reviewers and to Dennis Larsen, Meeker scholar, who has been a great help with this article. Wehwalt (talk) 08:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Source review - spotchecks not done
 * Findagrave is not a high-quality RS
 * FN22: suggest link or catalogue number, if available; same with FN102
 * FN31: should use endash; same with 2nd EL
 * Be consistent in whether page ranges are abbreviated or not. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:42, 26 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I will get to work on the others, but that Findagrave page is reliable in that it is maintained by Dennis Larsen, a Meeker scholar. I inserted a hidden note in the article to that effect.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:23, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I am not aware of either link or catalog number for fn 22 and 102. You go to the reference desk in the Tacoma Public Library and ask for the clippings file on Ezra Meeker. The others are done. Thank you for your work.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:35, 27 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Image review:
 * File:Hop king barn.jpg: Author: One of Ezra's minions, no doubt: good for a laugh, but not quite encyclopedic.
 * File:Meeker around 1880.jpeg: Needs categories:
 * File:Meeker in Omaha.jpg could use a wee bit of cropping to avoid the black space
 * File:Meeker and Teddy.jpg this too. Also, it needs categories
 * File:Meeker airplane 1921.jpg needs categories
 * File:Pioneer Park.jpg needs categories
 * Otherwise look okay. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:56, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I've done those things, though I consider them outside the FA criteria. Note that Commons no longer has categories on the upload page, or if it is, it's not where it used to be.  That makes things more difficult on me as an uploader.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:46, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Out of the criteria, perhaps, but worth doing? I should think so. The first one, at the very least, is a matter of tone (which is part of the FA criteria). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 04:40, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
 * In any event, as I noted, I've done those things.--Wehwalt (talk) 05:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Prose review by Crisco 1492
 * Addressed comments by Crisco 1492 moved to talk


 * The commemorative half dollars were struck in small numbers in most years of the 1930s; after collectors complained about the lengthy series and high prices, Congress ended the series in 1939. - Not particularly relevant to the text before or after it.
 * I've moved it to the start of the next paragraph. I think it has to be said, somewhere in the section, and there's no perfect place for it.
 * Why not with your discussion of the coins? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 11:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Because of the ugly story of the marketing of that half dollar. Most sources pardon Meeker and blame the OTMA.  I feel better having it in the aftermath section.
 * I'll wait until I get to that section then. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 13:49, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I still think it would work:

"The piece was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser and her husband, James Earle Fraser (who had designed the Buffalo nickel). Six million coins were authorized, and a beginning was made by the striking of 48,000 for the Association at the Philadelphia Mint; when those quickly sold, 100,000 more were coined at the San Francisco Mint. Meeker was less successful in selling the later issue, and many remained unsold. Although the Bureau of the Mint struck more in 1928, these remained impounded due to the inability to sell the earlier issue. After Meeker's death the commemorative half dollars were struck in small numbers in most years of the 1930s. The series was ended in 1939, after collectors complained about the lengthy series and high prices."
 * I looked at it both ways. Part of the reason I'd like to keep it this way is OR I've done on the OTMA and am developing into an off-wiki article.  The way things were done under Meeker was very different from under Driggs.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:18, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Sounds interesting... alright, I'll scratch this but leave the suggestion up. It appears the other reviewers so far haven't had an issue, so... — Crisco 1492 (talk) 14:24, 1 May 2013 (UTC)


 *  Leaning support on prose and images. Looks good to me! BTW, if you have a chance you can check for a copyright notice on the statue. If it doesn't have one it would be PD. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:40, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I am not in Puyallup at present. I may be in Seattle in September, if so I will probably make another trip there. I suppose I could query Mr. Larsen, but it seems a better route to check copyright renewals for 1953 and 1954.  As the sculptor was dead by then, I consider it unlikely that he renewed it.  Thanks for the helpful comments; could you move addressed comments to the talk page please?--Wehwalt (talk) 00:29, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
 * That would be a good way to go at it. All addressed comments moved to talk. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:47, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you for a thorough review, and for the support.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:18, 1 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Support: I first encountered Ezra in the article about the doomed half dollar, and was pleased to make his further acquaintance. I peer-reviewed the Ezra article in detail, and did a little copyediting. Probably some further tweaking will occur during this FAC, but I have no doubt that the article meets the FA criteria. This account of a varied and often tumultuous life is full of interest, and is of some historical importance. It will make a great main page feature. Brianboulton (talk) 09:30, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your support and your kind words. I'm sure the article will survive. Meeker, after all, survived most things.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:19, 30 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Support: Superb work, simply superb. And so interesting! Pumpkin Sky  talk  01:52, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you for that.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:47, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Graham Colm (talk) 18:42, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.