Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 29, 2021

Ezra Meeker (December 29, 1830 – December 3, 1928) was an American pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by ox-drawn wagon in 1852, migrating from Iowa to the Oregon Territory with his wife and newborn son. The entire Meeker party survived the difficult six-month journey. In 1862, he settled at the present site of Puyallup, Washington, where he grew hops for brewing beer, and served as Puyallup's first mayor. An infestation of hop aphids in 1891 took much of his fortune. He made four trips to the Klondike during its gold rush, bringing groceries in an unsuccessful attempt to recoup his losses. In 1906–1908, convinced that the Oregon Trail was being forgotten, Meeker retraced his steps along the Trail by wagon despite being in his late 70s, seeking to build monuments in communities along the way. He reached New York and Washington, D.C., where he met President Theodore Roosevelt. He wrote several books, and traveled the Trail several more times, including by airplane in 1924.