Ezra Meeker, "Oregon Trail Pioneer"
(December 29, 1830 - December 3, 1928)
Ezra Meeker was an early pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by ox cart as a young man. He was born in Huntsville, Ohio, the son of Jacob and Phoebe Meeker, in the last days of 1830, and his life would span almost 100 years, as he saw the birth of this nation unfold, right before his eyes. His family relocated to Indiana, in 1840, and he married his childhood sweetheart, Eliza Jane Summers, in 1851.
With his new wife and a newborn son, Marian, they loaded an ox cart, in 1852, and headed for the Pacific Northwest, via The Oregon Trail, seeking a land claim near Puget Sound, in Oregon Territory. Their hard trip across the Western U.S. made a remarkable impact on Ezra, and he and his family arrived to the claim. A visionary, Ezra became the "founding father" of Puyallup, Washington. Ezra began growing hops, on his land, for brewing beer. He encouraged other farmers in the area to do likewise, and soon had created a brokering and brewing business that made him wealthy.
His brewing business took he and Eliza Jane to Europe, where they were introduced to Queen Victoria. Eliza Jane came back to the Pacific Northwest desiring a home, and although Ezra was perfectly content living in a log cabin, he built Eliza Jane a $26,000.00 mansion, known today as the Meeker Mansion. It took three years to build the exclusive home.
Meanwhile, in 1891, an infestation of disease in the vast hops crops of the area rendered Ezra almost penniless, as his crops were destroyed. However, this didn't destroy his true American Spirit, and he survived. He pioneered other business, such as dehydrating fruits, searching for gold, and packaging milk in paper cartons. It was during this time
that Meeker wrote a novel about his experiences on The Oregon Trail.
And, it was in 1906, at the age of 76, that Meeker decided that the nation had forgotten the Oregon Trail, that had brought over 300,000 pioneers westward, so he assembled a covered wagon and team of oxen and began to re-trace his steps on the trail. With a rough appearance and the brightly painted wagon, Ezra traveled the trail, charging 10 cents to those adults who wanted to see his wagon, and 5 cents for children. He stated that the purpose of his trip was to "kindle in the breasts of the rising generation, a flame of patriotic sentiment."
At each town along the trail, Meeker, stopped and made speeches and became known as a "modern day Johnny Appleseed." After reaching the start of the Oregon Trail, Meeker decided to continue his trip to Washington D.C. and New York City. Meeker and his wagon did great, until he arrived in New York City, where his wagon was "confiscated" and he was charged with "driving cattle on the streets of New York City." However, city officials relented and let him bring his wagon, pulled by oxen, down Broadway and on across the Brooklyn Bridge, where people stared after the heroic gentleman. He made his way to Washington and met with then President Theodore Roosevelt, who promised to seek funds from the U.S. Congress to mark the Oregon Trail as a significant route westward. Some were appauled, when Meeker slaughtered his two faithful oxen, "Dave and Dandy" and had their heads mounted by a taxidermist, to commemorate the trip.
Meeker traveled the Oregon trail two more times, once by automobile and another time he flew over the route, before his death in 1928. In 1926, through is heroic efforts, the U.S. Congress finally passed a bill, that was signed by President Calving Coolidge, to commemorate the Oregon Trail. Meanwhile, James Earle and Laura Gardin Frazer, a husband and wife team, designed a two-sided coin that was sold to help raise funds to mark the trail (James Earle Frazer was the same man that sculpted "The End of the Trail Statue and designed the Buffalo Nickel).
A bronze likeness of Ezra Meeker, on a plaque, can be found on "Independence Rock" and the town of Puyallup, Washington, has a statue in his honor.
Ezra Meeker truly "blazed the trails" of the American West and proved to be a hero of determination and "the power of one," in the "American Spirit!"
