For those who missed Kay Biven’s library talk, this is a condensed version of “The Metzger Family” by Florence Metzger Franks. It is a wonderfully detailed example of early homesteaders to the White River Valley.Otto and family, including his brother Bob Metzger, farmed on the Mesa south of Meeker in[Read More…]

Special to the HT One of the first things the Meeker Founding Fathers did was survey and dig a water ditch from the White River to Meeker. The Smith irrigation ditch still exists today as it meanders through town. Smaller ditches connected to it along the numbered streets. It served[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | July 4 holds a special place in American history. The anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is foremost among the reasons. It marked the colonies’ separation from England and the creation of a republican form of government. A brief history lesson: The United States[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | There is a brown road sign south of Meeker along Highway 13. You will see the word “Petrolite,” a date, and an outline of a school building. The sign is near mile marker 29, just south of the “Hole-in-the-Wall.” It marks the site where[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | The earliest use of electricity in Meeker was the telegraph lines connecting Rawlins to the Camp on the White River. Service stopped in 1883, when the post was closed. The private company of Rawlins and White River Telegraph company was maintaining telegraph lines in[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | As part of the Homestead Act, there was also a process for settlers who had already taken up residence on public domain land without a prior homestead claim. In other words, they were squatters without a title of any sort. Such public domain land[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | Since most of Rio Blanco County was considered public domain in 1883, it was available for homesteading. The Utes had relinquished the White River Reservation but not the right to hunt in the area. This treaty exception was to cause friction for many years.[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | The role of Leadville in the development of the White River Valley and Piceance was huge. Leadville and the surrounding mining areas were a giant magnet, drawing miners and entrepreneurs from back East and Europe — gold seekers and adventurers from every social stratum:[Read More…]

MEEKER | In March 1935, the people of Meeker sought federal funding to construct a new pool using water from a well in Alkali Flat, east of Meeker. The well in Alkali Flat was not as warm as the one drilled by the Marlan Company in 1925, but it still[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER | Residents of Meeker closely followed the progress — and eventual failures — of the Marland Company. Although efforts to produce oil were unsuccessful, the hot-water byproduct inspired a new idea for revenue. Hot springs elsewhere in Colorado were already drawing tourists. Why not make[Read More…]

Special to the HT MEEKER| Many longtime residents remember the Happy Landing Pool east of Meeker along County Road 8 near the White River. It was a popular local spot for years. Research by Kay Bivens of the Rio Blanco Historical Society notes a roadside marker for that site is[Read More…]