Stephen Meek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephen Meek
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| Born | July 4, 1807 |
| Died | January 8, 1889 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Trapper, Guide |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Schoonover |
Stephen Hall L. Meek (born July 4, 1807 – died January 8, 1889) was an important person in the American West. He worked as a fur trapper, catching animals for their valuable fur. He was also a guide, helping groups of people travel safely across the country.
One of his most famous jobs was guiding a very large group of wagons and people. This journey was known as the Meek Cutoff. Stephen was born in Virginia. Both he and his younger brother, Joseph Meek, spent their lives as trappers west of the Rocky Mountains.
Stephen Meek's Early Life
Stephen Meek was born in Washington County, Virginia, on July 4, 1807. He wrote his own life story, where he said he was related to President James K. Polk. His brother also said this was true.
Stephen went to public schools in Virginia. In 1827, he started working for William Sublette. He began as a laborer for Sublette's Rocky Mountain Fur Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Soon after, he became a trapper for different companies.
Adventures in the American West
In 1831, Meek joined an expedition with Benjamin Bonneville. He worked as a trapper while Bonneville explored the Great Salt Lake. From 1833 to 1834, Stephen traveled to California with Joseph R. Walker.
Meek moved to Oregon in 1835. He started working at the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver. There, he worked for John McLoughlin. This work included trips to California with a man named Tom McKay.
In 1841, Stephen Meek bought the first piece of land in the new town of Oregon City, Oregon. He bought it from John McLoughlin. He also helped to measure and map out the land for the town. That same year, he joined a group of American mountaineers for one year.
The next year, in 1842, he became a guide. He led a wagon train of pioneers from Fort Laramie to the Willamette Valley. In 1845, he led a group that followed him from the Oregon Trail onto the Meek Cutoff. This journey was difficult for the group. That party separated from the main group, which included Joel Palmer and Sam Barlow, at Fort Hall.
In May 1845, Stephen married Elizabeth Schoonover in St. Louis, Missouri. They later had one son named George. The Meek family lived in Linn City, Oregon, until 1848.
Later Life and Legacy
After 1848, Meek spent time in the mines during the California Gold Rush. He later settled in Siskiyou County, California. In 1850, he went back to Oregon for a short time. Then he returned to California and kept mining until 1865.
In 1865, his wife Elizabeth died. After her death, Stephen went back to working as a guide and trapper. Stephen Meek passed away in Etna, California, on January 8, 1889. He was 81 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Meek para niños
