I am still waiting for history to repeat itself from this article published in February of 1890. “The News of Meeker is responsible for this: Frank Barton of Meeker, Rio Blanco county, while out hunting the other day shot a fish duck. Nothing strange in this, but we doubt whether[Read More…]

There were 26 signatures on the original 1883 Meeker Townsite incorporation papers. None of them were women. That didn’t stop Mrs. S.C. Wright from buying some shares. I am going to use her story to introduce two men in her life who were also shareholders. Charles Dunbar and William H.[Read More…]

George Dana Thayer, AKA G.D. Thayer, or Dana Thayer, was not an original 1883 Meeker Townsite Company member, however, he did become a stockholder by June 1886, where he was listed as secretary of the Townsite Co. and Meeker Town Recorder. Dana Thayer was a retail grocer at Fort Fred[Read More…]

Francis E. Sheridan, known here as Frank or F.E. Sheridan was a member of the Meeker Townsite Company. I am sure in French Canada, where Francis Xavior Sheridan was born, the name rolled off the tongue rather smoothly.  Frank believed that his birth name might be a hinderance doing business[Read More…]

Special to the HT Recently on a road trip, we stopped at the Arriba, Colorado rest stop. It is one of our favorite stops along I-70. As a matter of fact, it is about the only state-sponsored stop between Denver and the Kansas border. Colorado has gotten way too cheap[Read More…]

James L. McHatton was a member of the Meeker Townsite Company. He was president of the Townsite in July 1885 when he, Mayor Clark and Thayer went to Glenwood Springs to apply for a patent on the land.  James was a well-known rancher in early White River valley. The outfit[Read More…]

Newton Major or “ole Maj” to his friends in Meeker was a very early resident of southwest Wyoming and Northwest Colorado. The first record of him in the West was his marriage to Nellie Reed in December of 1877. In the 1880 Carbon County Wyoming census near the Snake River,[Read More…]

In the Hollywood Westerns, good guys wore white hats and bad guys wore black hats. There was always a prim and pretty maid with a bonnet and lace on her dress being the object of affection of both bad guys and good guys. I always wondered why the fair maid[Read More…]

When General Merritt set up a garrison on the White River, J.W. Hugus saw his opportunity to get the Sutler contract there. He had the supplies in Rawlins, the teamsters, and experience. Although I can find no corroboration, I believe that Wilbur Hugus filled the position as Post Trader for[Read More…]

John William Hugus was a Meeker Townsite shareholder. The importance of his mercantile company and bank to the development of Meeker can not be overstated. However, J.W. Hugus himself was not deeply involved with the formation of the town. By the time the soldiers had pulled out in 1883, John[Read More…]

Occasionally, I get feedback that fills in a gap to my story.  It is important to me to get these things in print before that knowledge disappears forever. When the Herald Times published the story of the Rio Blanco Store, several people came to us with their memories. One of[Read More…]