# Meeker, Colorado

Meeker is a statutory town in and the county seat of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States, that is the most populous municipality in the county. The town population was 2,374 at the 2020 United States census.

## Description

The town is largely a ranching community, located in the wide fertile valley of the White River in northwestern Colorado. Relatively isolated from other communities, it sits near the intersection of State Highway 13 and State Highway 64, on the north side of the White River and at the base of a long ridge, known locally as China Wall. The Bureau of Land Management has a regional office in the town. Meeker is the home of the annual Meeker Classic Sheepdog trials.

## History

The town is named for Nathan Meeker, the United States Indian Agent who was killed along with 11 other white citizens by White River Ute Indians in the 1879 Meeker Incident, also known as the Meeker Massacre. The site of the uprising, the former White River Indian Agency, is located along State Highway 64 in the White River valley west of town and is marked by a prominent sign. None of the buildings remain.
Meeker was the first incorporated town in Northwestern Colorado and is the County seat for Rio Blanco county. The town was incorporated in 1885 and became the central hub of banking and trade in Northwestern Colorado for several generations.
After the uprising and the ensuing conflict known as the Ute War, in 1880 the US Congress passed legislation requiring the Ute population to relocate to reservations in Utah. The United States Army established a garrison on the current site of the town, called the Camp at White River. The town was founded in 1883 following the removal of the troops. The White River Museum is located just north of the Rio Blanco County Courthouse and housed in several original wooden structures of the Army garrison.
The town emerged as a regional center for hunting by the turn of the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt visited the town twice in 1901 and in 1905 on a mountain lion and bear hunting trip and stayed in the historic Hotel Meeker opposite the courthouse. The town is also a favorite summer destination and permanent residence for many prominent Americans, including billionaires Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, Henry Kravis, former president and COO of Goldman Sachs Jon Winkelried, and comedian Daniel Tosh.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km$^2$), all of it land. The town is situated on the White River at an elevation of 6,250 feet (1,900 m) above sea level.

## Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Meeker has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Meeker was 103 °F (39.4 °C) on July 11, 1900, while the coldest temperature recorded was −43 °F (−41.7 °C) on January 7, 1913, and January 12, 1963.
Climate data for Meeker, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) | 65 (18) | 77 (25) | 86 (30) | 93 (34) | 102 (39) | 103 (39) | 99 (37) | 94 (34) | 86 (30) | 74 (23) | 63 (17) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.3 (9.1) | 54.1 (12.3) | 66.6 (19.2) | 74.3 (23.5) | 82.4 (28.0) | 89.9 (32.2) | 94.0 (34.4) | 92.0 (33.3) | 87.1 (30.6) | 78.2 (25.7) | 66.1 (18.9) | 53.0 (11.7) | 94.8 (34.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.9 (1.1) | 39.2 (4.0) | 50.3 (10.2) | 58.1 (14.5) | 67.9 (19.9) | 79.4 (26.3) | 86.4 (30.2) | 83.5 (28.6) | 75.5 (24.2) | 62.7 (17.1) | 48.0 (8.9) | 35.1 (1.7) | 60.0 (15.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 26.0 (−3.3) | 36.0 (2.2) | 42.9 (6.1) | 51.2 (10.7) | 60.7 (15.9) | 67.0 (19.4) | 64.9 (18.3) | 56.8 (13.8) | 45.0 (7.2) | 33.3 (0.7) | 21.7 (−5.7) | 43.8 (6.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 6.4 (−14.2) | 12.8 (−10.7) | 21.7 (−5.7) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 34.6 (1.4) | 40.9 (4.9) | 47.6 (8.7) | 46.2 (7.9) | 38.2 (3.4) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 8.4 (−13.1) | 27.5 (−2.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −15.3 (−26.3) | −9.7 (−23.2) | 3.8 (−15.7) | 12.9 (−10.6) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 38.1 (3.4) | 37.2 (2.9) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 12.4 (−10.9) | −2.8 (−19.3) | −14.4 (−25.8) | −19.9 (−28.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) | −38 (−39) | −24 (−31) | −5 (−21) | 12 (−11) | 17 (−8) | 23 (−5) | 29 (−2) | 14 (−10) | −17 (−27) | −25 (−32) | −36 (−38) | −43 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.17 (30) | 0.99 (25) | 1.24 (31) | 1.96 (50) | 1.80 (46) | 1.02 (26) | 1.09 (28) | 1.44 (37) | 1.75 (44) | 1.74 (44) | 1.31 (33) | 1.20 (30) | 16.71 (424) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.7 (35) | 11.3 (29) | 8.7 (22) | 4.9 (12) | 0.6 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 3.3 (8.4) | 9.9 (25) | 12.2 (31) | 64.8 (164.41) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 11.2 (28) | 11.3 (29) | 6.9 (18) | 3.1 (7.9) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 2.4 (6.1) | 5.3 (13) | 8.7 (22) | 13.3 (34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.7 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 89.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 32.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service ||||||||||||||

## Notable people

* Neal Blue, co-owner of General Atomics
* Virginia Neal Blue (1910–1970), Colorado State Treasurer from 1967 to 1970
* Margaret L. Curry (1898–1986), Colorado state parole officer
* Buddy Roosevelt, actor and stunt performer