The county seat (1885, 6,249 feet) was named for Nathan Meeker, who was found after the Ute attack on the White River Ute Indian Agency with a barrel stave driven through his throat. After this bloody episode and the ouster of the Utes, an army cantonment here evolved into a pleasant, treeshaded town, the hub of the White River valley, an unusually green and pastoral place by Colorado standards and a prosperous sheep, cattle, and hay raising area. The Flat Top Mountains in nearby White River National Forest are a hunting, fishing, and camping haven after the snow melts in June.
Meeker's main street might be a Hollywood set, with its antique acorn streetlamps and vintage hotel, cafe, bank, and drugstore. The beige sandstone used for many of these buildings is from the bluffs northwest of town. Conspicuously absent is a railroad station. No railroad ever reached Meeker, sparing it the usual pattern of speculation, boom-and-bust cycles, and industrial development. Very little has been demolished, and most buildings are still used in their original capacity. City Park, a rural riverside park, has three log cabins ranging from a 6-foot-high, dirt-roofed cabin to newer, larger models, all moved from outlying locations.
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