Joseph Meek | |
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| Legislator in theProvisional Government of Oregon | |
| In office 1846–1847 | |
| Constituency | Tuality District |
| Marshal ofOregon Territory | |
| In office 1848–1853 | |
| Appointed by | James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | James W. Nesmith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Lafayette Meek February 9, 1810 |
| Died | June 20, 1875(1875-06-20) (aged 65) |
| Spouse | Virginia (3rd wife) |
| Relations | Stephen Meek (brother) James K. Polk (cousin) |
| Occupation |
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Joseph Lafayette Meek (February 9, 1810 – June 20, 1875) was an American pioneer,mountain man, law enforcement official, and politician in theOregon Country and laterOregon Territory of the United States. A trapper involved in thefur trade before settling in theTualatin Valley, Meek played a prominent role at theChampoeg Meetings of 1843, where he was elected a sheriff. He was later elected to and served in theProvisional Legislature of Oregon before being appointed as theUnited States Marshal for the Oregon Territory.
Joseph Meek was born on February 9, 1810, to James Meek and Spica Walker inWashington County, Virginia, near theCumberland Gap. At the age of 18 he joinedWilliam Sublette and theRocky Mountain Fur Company, and roamed theRocky Mountains for over a decade as a fur trapper. In about 1829, the nineteen-year-old Meek traveled with a trapping party along theYellowstone River. A band of Blackfoot scattered the trappers, leaving Meek to travel into what is todayYellowstone National Park.
In a later account included in authorFrances Fuller Victor's 1870 biography of Meek,The River of the West, Meek described the region: "The whole country beyond was smoking with the vapor from boiling springs, and burning with gasses, issuing from small craters, each of which was emitting a sharp whistling sound."[1][2]
InIdaho in 1838, Meek married a woman given to him byNez Perce chief Kowesota; it was customary for trappers to make what were called "country marriages".[3] Her Nez Perce name is not recorded, but Meek called her "Virginia". He had previously been married to a different Nez Perce woman.[3]
By 1840, as it was becoming clear that the fur trade was dying due both to a change in fashion preferences and the overtrapping ofbeaver, Meek decided to join fellow trappers Caleb Wilkins andRobert Newell in theOregon Country. On their way there, they met a small group of emigrants atFort Hall who were also headed to Oregon. The trappers agreed to guide them to theWhitman Mission nearFort Nez Percés. The single wagon that the group brought became the first ever to make it as far west as the mission on theOregon Trail, although to get it there they ended up leaving the load behind.
In Oregon Country, Meek took to wearing a bright red sash in imitation of theFrench Canadian trappers employed by theHudson's Bay Company. As the French trappers enjoyed good relations with most of the Indian tribes in the area, Meek seems to have hoped that the Indians would take him for a French Canadian or "Canadien" and leave him alone. In 1841, Meek settled in theTualatin Valley, northwest ofOregon City, and entered into the political life of the area. In the spring of 1841, Meek served as guide in Oregon for theUnited States Exploring Expedition. In 1843, atmeetings inChampoeg, Oregon called to form a provisional government, his was one of the foremost voices on the side of the American settlers. In 1843, when the provisional government was formed, Meek was appointed sheriff, and he was elected to the legislature in 1846 and 1847.[4]
In the late fall of 1847, someCayuse andUmatilla Indians killedMarcus Whitman, his wifeNarcissa, and 12 others at theWhitman Mission. Among the dead was Meek's daughter by his first wife, Helen Mar Meek, age 10, who died in captivity.[5] Meek traveled to Washington, D.C., with the news of the killings (known as theWhitman massacre) and the ensuingCayuse War. Leaving in early January, Meek,George W. Ebbert, and John Owens made the difficult winter trip, arriving inSaint Joseph, Missouri on May 4 and proceeding to Washington by steamboat and rail.
While in Washington, where he met with PresidentJames K. Polk (whose wifeSarah Childress Polk, was Meek's cousin), he argued forcefully for making theOregon Country a federal territory. The following spring,Joseph Lane was appointed Territorial Governor and Meek was made Territorial Federal Marshal.[4] Meek served as Territorial Marshal for five years. His account with the Hudson's Bay Company was often in debt, the mountain man owing the company over $300 in 1849,[6] equivalent to $11,300 in 2024.[7] In 1850 as Marshal, he supervised the execution of five Cayuse Indians found guilty of theWhitman massacre,[4] despite ArchbishopFrançois Norbert Blanchet defending the men as innocent.[8] Meek organized the Oregon Volunteers and led them in theYakima Indian War and was promoted to the rank of major for his service.
On June 20, 1875, Meek died at his home on the land he settled on theTualatin Plains just north ofHillsboro, Oregon, at the age of 65. His wife survived him by almost 25 years. Virginia Meek died on March 3, 1900. They are buried at the cemetery of theTualatin Plains Presbyterian Church ("Old Scotch") north of Hillsboro, inWashington County, Oregon. As Meek said "I want to live long enough to see Oregon securely American... so I can say that I was born in Washington County, United States, and died in Washington County, United States."[9]
His older brotherStephen Meek was also a trapper, and became known for his role in the ill-fatedMeek Cutoff.[4]
TheactorPeter Whitney was cast as Meek in the 1961 episode, "Who's Fer Divide?", on thesyndicated televisionanthology series,Death Valley Days, hosted byStanley Andrews. The episode focuses on the annexation of the Oregon Territory.[10]John Alderson played Meek in the 1964Death Valley Days episode, "From the Earth, a Heritage." In that segment, a rival trapper, Nat Halper, played by Peter Whitney, pressures Meek to sell his beautiful Indian wife, Tula (Marianna Hill).[11]
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