Joe Meek: The Merry Mountain Man

by Stanley Vestal

"A tall man, with long black hair, smooth face, dark eyes (inclining to turn his head a little to one side, as much as to say, 'I can tell you about it'), a harum-scarum, don't-care sort of man, full of life and fun. That's how a contemporary described Joe Meek." Born in Virginia, Joe Meek became a trapper, Indian fighter, pioneer, peace officer, frontier politician, and lover of practical jokes and Jacksonian democracy. He was a boon companion to two other larger-than-life mountain men, Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, and just as important in frontier history. In 1829, our nineteen-year-old hero joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company of Jedediah Smith and the Sublettes and headed west on an odyssey of hair-raising high adventure and hilarious low comedy. For the next twelve years, the Rockies rang with tales of Joe's wild exploits. After the Last Rendezvous in 1840, he helped drive the first wagons to Oregon, served in the legislature of the provisional government, and went to Washington as a special envoy to President Polk. He later returned to Oregon to live out his days in the community that he helped build.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, American History

349 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1963

About the author

Walter Stanley Vestal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley...

Reviews

[Dave Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost from his birth in 1810, Joe Meek, the son of Virginia planters, felt oppressed by civilization. Stanley Vestal's "Joe Meek" examines the life of this trapper, pioneer, graduate of the "College of the Rocky Mountains," U.S. Marshall, frontier politician, and soldier. During the span of Meek's 65 years, the West was opened, the fur trade rose and fell, Manifest Destiny birthed a continental empire, and the very idea of the frontier began its long recessional.

Vestal's chronological work is heavily reliant on Frances Victor's earlier oral biography, but manages, nonetheless, to bring some order to Meek's disorderly life. Joe Meek advanced rapidly through the ranks of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. As a 19 year old boy-man, William Sublette hired Meek to join his 1830 expedition to the Company Rendezvous. Over time, Meek became a free trapper, rubbing shoulders with such luminaries as Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, and Jim Beckwourth. The demise of the fur trade carried Meek on to Oregon, where his life took a different turn. In his second act, Meek became a farmer-albeit a complacent one- and a government official. Near his end, Meek enjoyed the role of doting father to his beloved Olive, and avuncular Uncle to the people of Oregon.

Vestal's biography is ordered ,but, at times, overly colloquial. While Vestal cannot be blamed for the anachronistic expressions which litter the text, the contemporary reader might take offense at some of his locutions. A book for American history enthusiasts.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought that this was a well written biography about a very interesting man in a very interesting time. I enjoyed the fact that I found myself laughing to some of the wild adventures and funny anecdotes.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this time period and lifestyle.

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty interesting book about a man who was instrumental in settling the Oregon Country.