Meeker, Colorado

Last updated

Meeker, Colorado
Statutory Town
2010-1101-MeekerCO.jpg
Aerial view of Meeker, November 2010
Motto: 
The river runs through it.[ citation needed ]
Rio Blanco County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Meeker Highlighted 0849875.svg
Location of Meeker in Rio Blanco County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 40°03′00″N107°53′40″W / 40.05000°N 107.89444°W / 40.05000; -107.89444
Country Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of Colorado.svg  State of Colorado
County Rio Blanco (County seat) [1]
Founded1883
Incorporated 1885-11-10 [2]
Named for Nathan Meeker
Government
 • Type Statutory Town [1]
 •  Mayor Kent Borchard [3]
Area
[4]
 • Total3.59 sq mi (9.30 km2)
 • Land3.59 sq mi (9.30 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[5]
6,444 ft (1,964 m)
Population
 (2020) [6]
 • Total2,374
 • Density660/sq mi (260/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code [7]
81641
Area code 970
FIPS code 08-49875
GNIS feature ID2412977 [5]
Website Town of Meeker

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. [8] The town population was 2,374 at the 2020 United States Census. [6]

Contents

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

Troop D of the Colorado National Guard at Meeker during the Colorado Labor Wars, 1904 Troop D of Colorado state militia in Meeker, 1904.png
Troop D of the Colorado National Guard at Meeker during the Colorado Labor Wars, 1904

The town is named for Nathan Meeker, [9] 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. [10] 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. [11] The town was incorporated in 1885 and became the central hub of banking and trade in Northwestern Colorado for several generations. [12]

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 km2), all of it land. The town is situated on the White River at an elevation of 6,250 feet above sea level.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 260—
1900 50795.0%
1910 80759.2%
1920 93515.9%
1930 1,06914.3%
1940 1,39930.9%
1950 1,65818.5%
1960 1,655−0.2%
1970 1,597−3.5%
1980 2,35647.5%
1990 2,098−11.0%
2000 2,2426.9%
2010 2,47510.4%
2020 2,374−4.1%

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. [13]

Climate data for Meeker, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
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)7.77.68.09.39.15.37.08.27.26.96.76.689.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)7.25.54.22.50.30.00.00.00.11.34.76.332.1
Source 1: NOAA [14]
Source 2: National Weather Service [13]

Notable people

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Town of Meeker Colorado Government Website, Meeker Colorado. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  4. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Meeker, Colorado
  6. 1 2 United States Census Bureau. "Meeker town; Colorado" . Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 34.
  10. ↑ admin. "Meeker History". Meeker Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  11. ↑ admin. "Meeker History". Meeker Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ admin. "Meeker History". Meeker Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Grand Junction". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Meeker, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ "From the Archives: Virginia Neal Blue". University of Colorado Boulder. April 19, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
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