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| Title | Ezra Meeker, amateur pioneer historian, holding a self-portrait, probably in Seattle, ca. 1928 |
| Photographer | Staff Photographer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
| Date | ca. 1928 |
| Caption | Born in Ohio in 1830, Ezra Meeker married and headed west with his wife and newborn son to seek a prosperous life. They settled in Puyallup and developed a successful business raising hops. Later in life, Meeker developed an avid interest in commemorating the Oregon Trail route of the early pioneers. He traveled the route in his replica covered wagon, an automobile, and by train as well as flying over portions of it at age 93. Raising funds for memorials to be built along the route, he published many booklets, postcards and articles, and met with President Roosevelt.
This photograph of Meeker seated and holding a self-portrait was likely taken in 1928 when Meeker attempted to follow the trail for the last time with his automobile replica covered wagon. He became ill and finished his journey by train to Seattle where he died at age 98. |
| Notes | Handwritten on image: Ezra Meeker.
Caption information sources: University of Washington Libraries Exhibits website; Wasco County History website. |
| Subjects | Pioneers--Washington (State)--Seattle; Self-portraits--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Personal Names | Meeker, Ezra, 1830-1928 |
| Places | United States--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Digital Collection | Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection |
| Image Number | 1986.5G.1918 |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction or to inquire about permissions contact photos@mohai.org or phone us at 206-324-1126. Please refer to the Image Number and provide a brief description of the photograph. |
| Credit Line | Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved |
| Repository | Museum of History & Industry, Seattle (MOHAI) |
| Repository Collection | Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection |
| Type | Image |
| Physical Description | 1 glass negative: b&w; 4 x 5 in. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original negative as a 3000 pixel TIFF image in 8-bit grayscale, resized to 640 pixels in the longest dimension and compressed into JPEG format using Photoshop 6.0 and its JPEG quality measurement 3. |
