| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Oregon |
| County | Umatilla |
| Unit pref | Imperial |
| Area total | 5.87 km² |
| Area land | 5.87 km² |
| Area water | 0.00 km² |
| Area total | 2.27 sq mi |
| Area land | 2.27 sq mi |
| Area water | 0.00 sq mi |
| Population density | 37.49 sq mi |
| Population as of | 2020 |
| Population total | 85 |
| Population density | 14.47 km² |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| Time zone (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| Elevation | 3740 ft |
| Coordinates | 45°31′23″N 118°26′22″W |
| ZIP code | 97859[1] |
| Area codes | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-46800 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2805457[2] |
Meacham is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon. It is located on the old alignment of U.S. Route 30 off Interstate 84, in the Umatilla National Forest, near Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area and the route of the Oregon Trail. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Meacham had a population of 85.[3]
History
Meacham was a station on the Union Pacific Railroad, near the summit of the Blue Mountains. Major Henry A. G. Lee established a troop encampment, called Lee's Encampment, there in 1844. Meacham was named for Harvey J. and Alfred B. Meacham, who operated Meacham Station, a stage station, in the 1860s and 1870s. The first post office in the locality, established in 1862, was named "Encampment". The name was changed to "Meacham" in 1890.[4][5]
On July 3, 1923, Meacham was visited by President Warren G. Harding, who stopped for the day during his Voyage of Understanding and participated in the exercises commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the Oregon Trail.[6] Harding gave a speech in Pendleton on July 4, commemorating the Oregon Trail, at which time his wife, Florence Harding was presented with a Pendleton blanket shawl in a design that became popular as the "Harding design".[7][8] According to local tradition, Harding in his speech said (or, as a historic marker tells it, "reporters noted") [9] that the little town of Meacham was the nation's capital "all day long".[10][11] However, the transcript of the event contains no such declaration.[12]
Climate
Meacham has a dry-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dsb) with cold snowy winters and mild summers. It was widely reported that Meacham set the state record for lowest recorded temperature in February 1933 at −52 °F (−47 °C). Seneca, in Grant County, however, was colder at −54 °F (−48 °C).[5]
References
- ^ "Meacham OR ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ^ McArthur, Lewis A. & Lewis L. McArthur (2003 [1928]). Oregon Geographic Names. Seventh ed. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ "Meacham and Ukiah, Arctic Kings". www.oregonphotos.com. Retrieved 2006-11-13.
- ^ "Meacham Historical Marker"
- ^ "Drew's Pendleton® Native American Blankets and Shawls". Archived from the original on 2006-11-12. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "Pendleton Blankets, Robes & Shawls". Historical Gazette, Volume Three Number One. Historical Gazette. Archived from the original on 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2006-11-13.
- ^ "Meacham — Historic Oregon Trail", The Historical Marker Database
- ^ Mason, Dick (Jul 1, 2013). "For a day, Meacham was 'capital of the United States all day long'". The Observer. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Meacham re-dedicates historic marker". East Oregonian. Oct 10, 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ Vaughn, Chelsea K. (2014). ""The Road that Won an Empire": Commemoration, Commercialization, and the Promise of Auto Tourism at the "Top o' Blue Mountains"". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 115 (1): 6–37. doi:10.1353/ohq.2014.0067. ISSN 2329-3780. S2CID 245851836
Further reading
- Stewart, Betty Booth (1996). Meacham: A Wide Spot on the Oregon Trail Where the Meadowlark Still Sings. Tigard, Oregon: Crossroad. ISBN 0-9653021-0-5.