Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1906-12-29
PIONEER MEEKER
ON OREGON
TRAIL
Travelling Back East As tic
Did a Hall Century Ago
Over Same Old Road.

Burlington, 10. Dee - Slowly
travelling across Iowa nn OK team
hitehed 70 q canvasstoped prairie
schouncr. making iis way 90 indian
apolls % Is drives by Ezra Moeker of
puyailup. wash. who ai the age OF "a
is rciracing over the Oregon trail the
course be- took huyfour years ago
When he went west from indianapolis
hor wears u has been hls dream tu
fetrace hla path. aud now be- Is nnlsh
ing bis journey
Tho long trip D. made both as d
matter Of personal enjoyment ana iu
TIE interest 81 history Al regular &c.
tcFyals along bis route Meeker has
erected monuments go mark TIE old
Oregon irah so that be- who comes
after may be- able 30 pick out without
dlhiculiy the trail
The plan at operation S. simple
hcckef calls upon tho people of the
city or town scar whore be- desires t0
leave mark 90 erect a monument
and Ia every ease they have respond
I'd. Fhe si1e uf the monument has
depended upon the lihealHy Of the
donors
From Washingtoa to- Omaha nine
teen monuments have been erected
AZ the time when he traveller made
hla hrst trip ACROSS the plains. OMAHA
was not on The map. Council Blnna
was Then kuowa as kanesViilc "a trad.
ing station and che end of ciyl.ixa
ton
Since loayine Washington 10000
people have contributed tn the ercc
zion uf monuments At Baker City,
ore the monument was erected By
contribution received from 500 school
children.
A. Boise city. Idaho. Mpoker camp.
90 for several days hssidc The post
ufiuo We spoke 20 ths public school
children Of his onieCi and 200 con.
trihutod 10 purchase the granite mon
umcnt which Will mark he place
where the uldtimers passed through
what Do now a thriving city.
The governor of tho state and the
other state officials insisted that the
slab ~ erected in the state house
yard ans IL was. The monument at
this place is twelve feet high
To erect monument az the summit
Of South pass. M Mcekcr travelled
cighiyfour miles from o. pustoincc.
end tweEty.fonr people who reside ln
ne noiRhhorh0Od we're The only wit.
uesscs 10 the event Those people
wifb M Meohcr inscribed thc stone.
u stand ou the irrigation survey
near sweeiwaicr n-d is 7siu feet
above ire sea level probably the high
osi monument In The United States.
in most of tho towns AVID places
where monuments have heen erected
M Meeker stays go ace she work
done hut d. .omU instances fe bias
turned the matter over to a lOci conn
miftce appointed for mat purpme ne
Bias Witnessed the exercises lnyltputR'
GO tho erection of the permanent land
mar, lao tho following places ToUieo.
wash The Dmns, poudieiun. Meac.
ham i.u Grand unker City. nurtep
400 ln oregon American FAILS md
Twin Falls idaho Fort Boise and al
Casper Wyn
Mr. Mopker accompanied by Nia
granddaughter Miss % rha Tempe.
thu len puyHiup Wash january IN.
1896 aud has made The irin hy eUai
Stages Vie old fashioned pre- de
schooner 81 dtted up for housckrep.
ing and 100 "a be- spends DTS days and
lights as comfortable as lu his Own
Nome
ne has NOT BEEN lll hp sails. j0r
hnylnur years and hr LOOKS lt de
ls uOng and rugged and apparently
capable uf enduring any kind Of
hardship he win reach Indianapolis
n time for Christmas dinner with
friends OF hts boyh0Od
10 appearance Ezra Moeker "a the
q fuNN
straight. notw outstanding hs 1G wears
and his hard iife on the plains Ills
haiI and beard are white aud long
making him conspicuous in any
crowd.
The changes thar have been
made be- said. are marvellous. Thc
entire face af The country Is changed.
With the exception uf about 300
miles through the Rocky mountains.
the country is thlchly settled but
even Ia ,hls conatry things have
changed The od buffalo grass q
no more and other grussns have come
on 70 take its placi
"fhe country / n,ssed through over
fiiy'iuur years agu To nothing ike
the country I ann r0inE over today
Mountain rivers, Valleys. prairie8
AtAf" Aif HNf NiiltNNNN Ut HNNlNH
impossible l0r me- io eealize thar the
faat wildernes We Travelled over such
b shoH timr ase moss built up with
muguinocnl chlos and villages. aud
fhe neForending pfnlrlea have been
tfnpsiprmud intn great forests u.d
elerant homesteads
pho Increase n fhe uuNher nf for
csis s. wonderful iu me- We travel.
"a eays without seeing tree nnd
nov hp entire WAY De- Hlmnu shady
ln making his westward lrip ME
Meekor went up lhe plu,ba river
Through South pass down through
|1feron tn pugrt sound al ihe last
place be- located, probably because hc
had como t0 ihe jumping On place
hut tor nliy'f1ur years ae stayed
fhefe he and hts wife ana curing
that time $50 BE- said neither had
hcen 900.
10 those days the traveller was only
~ years Old and BE- was accompanied
hy hie young wife ana their one child
he q once began raising hops. which !
has been his business over since
ne Introduction of machinery and
IA growing demands for his products
Used him % make q dozen nr more
back east, but those trips were
aboard yarnlshed ears conse
hg knew only ln "a general /
Pie tHsi changes which had |
Qlu. Neh ono OF the oxen 4
stayed for SOME Weoka 4
build hnd another Much /