We celebrate our great nation’s 250th anniversary this year. We can also celebrate the 250th anniversary of the White River. The valley had its first European tourists in 1776. The resident Native Americans had been roaming this area for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Saint Clement of Rome was an[Read More…]
Tag: Meeker History
HISTORY LESSONS – The Metzger Family
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…]
History set to come alive at Highland Cemetery this October
On Oct. 9, we are planning a History Walk at Highland Cemetery, and we would love to have our community — especially families whose loved ones rest there — be part of it. A cemetery is much more than a collection of stones and dates. Every marker represents a person[Read More…]
141 Years…Happy Birthday to the Herald Times!
The Herald is 141 this week! That’s 7,332 editions of community news. Don’t stop the presses! Make a donation to The Lyttle Project at theheraldtimes.com/donate.
HISTORY LESSONS: Waterworks
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…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Battle Hymn of Republic
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…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Petrolite
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…]
RBC HISTORICAL SOCIETY: When volunteerism becomes history
Special to the HT MEEKER | Recently, I found myself reflecting on an unexpected question: At what point does history become part of history? As a historian, I spend much of my life studying the people who came before us. Recently, another question has been weighing on my mind: At[Read More…]
LEADING THE WAY: Hilkey named 2026 parade marshal
MEEKER | When this year’s Meeker Range Call and Fourth of July Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Friday in downtown Meeker, longtime Rio Blanco County resident Ron Hilkey will be leading the way as the 2026 parade marshal. The honor comes during a milestone year for the annual celebration.[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Electricity to Meeker
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…]
RBC HISTORICAL SOCIETY: When History Becomes Part of History
Special to the HT MEEKER | Recently, I found myself reflecting on an unexpected question: At what point does history become part of history? This question arose after the theft of a newly installed sign at the White River Ute Agency site near Meeker. The marker had been placed to[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Homesteading Pt. 2
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…]
