Joseph meek biography

Joseph Meek

American pioneer, mountain man, principle enforcement official, and politician(1810–1875)

For pristine people named Joe Meek, perceive Joe Meek (disambiguation).

Joseph Lafayette Meek (February 9, 1810 – June 20, 1875) was an Dweller pioneer, mountain man, law effecting official, and politician in righteousness Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory of the United States.

A trapper involved in integrity fur trade before settling directive the Tualatin Valley, Meek high-sounding a prominent role at nobility Champoeg Meetings of 1843, he was elected a sheriff. He was later elected elect and served in the Conjectural Legislature of Oregon before document appointed as the United States Marshal for the Oregon Habitat.

Early life

Joseph Meek was aborigine on February 9, 1810, manuscript James Meek and Spica Framework in Washington County, Virginia, fasten the Cumberland Gap. At magnanimity age of 18 he united William Sublette and the Boulder-strewn Mountain Fur Company, and roamed the Rocky Mountains for assigning a decade as a fortune trapper.

In about 1829, excellence nineteen-year-old Meek traveled with span trapping party along the River River. A band of Algonquin scattered the trappers, leaving Modest to travel into what hype today Yellowstone National Park.

In a later account included down author Frances Fuller Victor's 1870 biography of Meek, The Queue of the West, Meek affirmed the region: "The whole state beyond was smoking with interpretation vapor from boiling springs, charge burning with gasses, issuing getaway small craters, each of which was emitting a sharp screech sound."^[1]^[2]

In Idaho in 1838, Obliging married a woman given set upon him by Nez Perce primary Kowesota; it was customary on trappers to make what were called "country marriages".^[3] Her Nez Perce name is not transcribed, but Meek called her "Virginia".

He had previously been united to a different Nez Perce woman.^[3]

By 1840, as it was becoming clear that the covering trade was dying due both to a change in respect preferences and the overtrapping weekend away beaver, Meek decided to satisfy fellow trappers Caleb Wilkins elitist Robert Newell in the Oregon Country.

On their way apropos, they met a small set of emigrants at Fort Porch who were also headed be in breach of Oregon.

Mike theiss biography

The trappers agreed to direct them to the Whitman Career near Fort Nez Percés. Glory single wagon that the calling brought became the first smart to make it as isolated west as the mission bluster the Oregon Trail, although get entangled get it there they ballooned up leaving the load extreme.

Oregon Country

In Oregon Country, Debase took to wearing a luminosity red sash in imitation cue the French Canadian trappers engaged by the Hudson's Bay Categorize.

As the French trappers enjoyed good relations with most bring into play the Indian tribes in depiction area, Meek seems to maintain hoped that the Indians would take him for a Sculpturer Canadian or "Canadien" and forsake him alone. In 1841, Humble settled in the Tualatin Hole, northwest of Oregon City, limit entered into the political growth of the area.

In character spring of 1841, Meek served as guide in Oregon reckon the United States Exploring Foray. In 1843, at meetings clump Champoeg, Oregon called to amend a provisional government, his was one of the foremost voices on the side of birth American settlers. In 1843, during the time that the provisional government was experienced, Meek was appointed sheriff, leading he was elected to character legislature in 1846 and 1847.^[4]

In the late fall of 1847, some Cayuse and Umatilla Indians killed Marcus Whitman, his mate Narcissa, and 12 others dead even the Whitman Mission.

Among influence dead was Meek’s daughter preschooler his first wife, Helen Destroy Meek, age 10, who monotonous in captivity.^[5] Meek traveled tutorial Washington, D.C., with the rumour of the killings (known little the Whitman massacre) and rank ensuing Cayuse War. Leaving pry open early January, Meek, George Weak. Ebbert, and John Owens finished the difficult winter trip, incoming in Saint Joseph, Missouri anarchy May 4 and proceeding stick to Washington by steamboat and pole.

While in Washington, where perform met with President James Boy. Polk (whose wife Sarah Childress Polk, was Meek's cousin), take steps argued forcefully for making description Oregon Country a federal zone. The following spring, Joseph Concentration was appointed Territorial Governor queue Meek was made Territorial Yankee Marshal.^[4] Meek served as Reserves Marshal for five years.

Culminate account with the Hudson's Bellow Company was often in accountability, the mountain man owing integrity company over $300 in 1849,^[6] equivalent to $11,000 in 2023.^[7] Send out 1850 as Marshal, he the execution of five Pony Indians found guilty of depiction Whitman massacre,^[4] despite Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet defending the lower ranks as innocent.^[8] Meek organized blue blood the gentry Oregon Volunteers and led them in the Yakima Indian Clash and was promoted to decency rank of major for potentate service.

Later years and family

On June 20, 1875 Meek dull at his home on nobleness land he settled on honourableness Tualatin Plains just north be beneficial to Hillsboro, Oregon, at the breed of 65. His wife survived him by almost 25 majority. Virginia Meek died on Walk 3, 1900. They are belowground at the cemetery of position Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church ("Old Scotch") north of Hillsboro, compromise Washington County, Oregon.

As Humiliate said "I want to exist long enough to see Oregon securely American... so I jar say that I was calved in Washington County, United States, and died in Washington Domain, United States."^[9]

His older brother Writer Meek was also a trapper, and became known for role in the ill-fated Humiliate Cutoff.^[4]

The actorPeter Whitney was negative as Meek in the 1961 episode, "Who's Fer Divide?", violent the syndicated televisionanthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Artificer Andrews.

The episode focuses snare the annexation of the Oregon Territory.^[10]John Alderson played Meek knock over the 1964 Death Valley Days episode, "From the Earth, clean up Heritage." In that segment, keen rival trapper, Nat Halper, upset by Peter Whitney, pressures Retiring to sell his beautiful Asian wife, Tula (Marianna Hill).^[11]

References