Joseph L. Meek
Born 1810 - Died 1875
Born in Washington Co. Va., Meek leaves home at age 18, arriving in St. Louis in the fall of 1828. Meek signs on as a trapper with the Rocky Mtn. Fur Co., remaining in the Rockies until 1839.
1839 - 1843: Meek travels to the Willamette Valley and eventually starts farming on the "Tualatin Plains".
1843: Early settlers recognize the need to form a governing body in the Oregon Country. They convene at Champoeg in May, 1843. Meek has a pivotal role in establishing an American type of provisionally government. He is appointed Sheriff of the Oregon Country.
1848: Meek accepts the duty of Messenger to Congress. He arrives in Washington D.C. on May 28, 1848, with dispatches concerning conditions in Oregon. Meek is hosted by his cousin, President James Polk. Oregon is admitted as a territory and Joe Meek is commissioned the first U.S. Marshal in the territory.
Marker is at the intersection of McLoughlin Boulevard (Pacific Highway) (State Highway 99) and 6th Street on McLoughlin Boulevard (Pacific Highway).
Courtesy hmdb.org
