Pagebanner
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It was replaced unilaterally with the following, which I reverted for a discussion:
I haven't been to Oatman or even Arizona (I don't think changing planes once or twice in Phoenix Airport counts), but on the face of it, I find the proposed new banner interesting and worthwhile but a lot less unique than the dollar bills, so I'd tend to disfavor changing to it.
Your views, everyone? We can call the existing banner Banner A and the proposed alternative Banner B and chalk up one provisional vote to keep Banner A. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:36, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
- Hello Everyone:
- Taking the Wikipedia approach of “be bold” or, as you WikiVoyagers say – “plunge forward”, I swapped out Banner A for Banner B, feeling that A was better at representing the town of Oatman.
- In early March, I traveled along Historic Route 66 between Kingsman and Golden Shores in western Arizona. The Understand section of “Oatman” describes the town so well.
- “Gold was discovered in the nearby hills in the early 1900s and the town was home to a boom that lasted until the mines closed in the 1930s. The current population of 150 is down from about 23,000 in its boom years. The main street, lined with gift shops, looks like a set from a Hollywood Western, and with good reason: Hollywood dolled up the facades to film How The West Was Won here in 1962. A staged gunfight takes place every day at high noon. On the other side of the equation, if you show up after the tourists go home, you'll start to get a real feel for the place: a town of grizzled miners and dogged entrepreneurs determined to make a living at the far edge of civilization.”
- This area of the Mojave Desert has almost no water. While the Arizona Department of Highways keeps the road in good repair, the surrounding terrain is extremely rugged. I kept asking myself, “Who would want to live here”?
- In decline for years, Oatman with some 150 souls, survives based on tourists who come to see the not-so-wild burros and enjoy the Wild West entertainment. It is a fraught existence.
- I personally like the quirkiness of Banner A. It does resonate with the hardy character of Oatman residents. However, the image could be from anywhere. IMO. my Banner B provides at least some sense of the town and the surrounding rugged terrain. My vote is for Banner B. GRDN711 (talk) 07:26, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
- I understand why @GRDN711 would want to update the pagebanner---certainly the proposed banner better represents what a visitor would find if he went to this place. It did take me a couple reads through the article before I caught the tie-in with the image (it's a wall covering inside the Oatman hotel, which is in the Eat section). I think @Ikan Kekek makes a good point about the uniqueness of the original banner. It's a bit quirky and reflects local color. I vote to keep the original banner. Mrkstvns (talk) 16:09, 18 April 2025 (UTC)