Joseph Lafayette Meek (1810–1875) was born in Washington County, Virginia, near the Cumberland Gap. At the age of 18 he joined William Sublette and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and roamed the Rocky Mountains for over a decade before settling in Oregon. In Idaho in 1838 he married the daughter of Nez Perce chief Kowesota. Her true name is unknown, but Meek called her "Virginia". Washington County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... The Cumberland Gap was the chief passageway through the Appalachian Mountains in early American history. ... Rocky Mountain National Park (photo courtesy of NPS) View of Colorado Rockies. ... The Oregon Territory is the name applied both to the unorganized Oregon Country claimed by both the United States and Britain, as well as to the organized U.S. territory formed from it that existed between 1848 and 1859. ... State nickname: Gem State Other U.S. States Capital Boise Largest city Boise Governor Dirk Kempthorne Official languages none Area 216,632 km² (14th)  - Land 214,499 km²  - Water 2,133 km² (0. ... Nez Perce photographed in the 19th century The Nez Perce or Nez Percé (pronounced /n3z pVrs/, or /ne perse/ as in French) are a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Pacific Northwest region of North America and adjoining regions at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ...

By 1840, as it was becoming clear that the fur trade was dying due to over trapping of beaver, Meek decided to join fellow trappers Caleb Wilkins and Robert Newell in Oregon. On their way there, they met a small group of emigrants at Fort Hall who were also headed to Oregon. The trappers agreed to guide them to the Whitman Mission near Fort Walla Walla; the single wagon that the group brought became the first ever to make it as far west as the Mission on the Oregon Trail, although to get it there they ended up leaving the load behind. Robert Newell was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Fort Hall Fort Hall in the United States was a 19th century outpost in the eastern Oregon Country. ...

In Oregon, Meek took to wearing a bright red sash in imitation of the French Canadian trappers employed by the Hudson'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 Quebecois and leave him alone. In 1841, Meek settled in the Tualatin Valley, northwest of Oregon City and entered into the political life of the area. At meetings in Champoeg, 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. The Hudsons Bay Company building in Montreal The Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) is the oldest corporation in Canada and is one of the oldest in the world still in existence. ... Municipal Elevator in Oregon City Oregon City is the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies. ... Champoeg, Oregon Champoeg, pronounced sham_POO_ee (SAMPA /ʃæm. ...

When, in the late fall of 1847, some Cayuse and Umatilla Indians killed Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa, and 15 others at the Whitman Mission, Meek traveled to Washington, DC with the news of the killings (the Whitman Massacre) and the ensuing Cayuse War. Leaving in early January, Meek and George Ebbert made the difficult winter trip, arriving in St. Joseph, Missouri on May 11 and proceeding to Washington by steamboat and then by rail. While in Washington, where he met with President James K. Polk (whose wife was Meek's cousin), he argued forcefully for making the Oregon country a federal territory. The following spring, Joseph Lane was appointed Territorial Governor and Meek was made Territorial Federal Marshal. Meek served as Territorial Marshal for five years; in 1855 he supervised the execution of five Cayuse Indians found guilty of the Whitman Massacre. He organized the Oregon Volunteers and led them in the Yakima Indian War and was promoted to the rank of major for his service. Sahaptin Tribal Representatives to Washington D.C. (1890) Cayuse is a Native American group in the state of Oregon in the United States. ... Umatilla is a city located in Umatilla County, Oregon. ... Marcus Whitman (NSHC statue) Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802–November 29, 1847) was an American physician and missionary in the Oregon Country. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... On November 29, 1847 Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa, and 15 other were killed by by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians that had previously lived at Waiilatpu, the mission founded by the Whitmans. ... Saint Joseph (also known as St. ... Order: 11th President Vice President: George M. Dallas Term of office: March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849 Preceded by: John Tyler Succeeded by: Zachary Taylor Date of birth: November 2, 1795 Place of birth: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Date of death: June 15, 1849 Place of death: Nashville, Tennessee First... Joseph Lane (1801-1881) was an American general during the Mexican War. ...

In June 1875, Meek died at his home on the land he settled just north of Hillsboro, at the age of 65. His wife survived him by almost 25 years; she died on March 3, 1900. They are buried near Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church ("Old Scotch") north of Hillsboro, Oregon. Hillsboro is a city located in Washington County, Oregon. ...