Meacham

Harding came up the mountain by train in July 1923, on the long western tour that ended with his death. He spent the day at an outdoor amphitheater before a crowd put at fifteen thousand or more, watched a pageant of the 1843 wagon migration, dedicated the Oregon Trail site and a highway still under construction, and after a powwow the Cayuse declared him a member of the tribe. He stayed hours longer than his schedule allowed. Accounts disagree on whether the day was July 2 or 3. He died in San Francisco on August 2.

What the plaque says

Historic Oregon Trail Meacham First known as Lee's Encampment, from establishment of a troop camp by Major H.A.G. Lee in 1844. A.B. and Harvey Meacham operated famous "Mountain House" here which gave the town it's present name. In later years a famous railroad eating house "The Log Cabin"became nationally known under the supervision of Grandma Munra, a well-known pioneer figure. On July 3, 1923, reporters noted Meacham was capitol of the U.S. for a day when President Harding stopped and participated in the excercises commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the covered wagon migration 1843.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Tamástslikt Cultural Institute — 15 mi
  The only tribally owned museum on the Oregon Trail, where the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tell the wagon migration from the side of the people it rolled through.
• Pendleton Woolen Mills — 20 mi
  A mill that has woven blankets for the tribes of the Plateau since 1909, whose oldest customers folded its blankets into their own ceremonies.

More markers nearby

• Emigrant Springs State Park — 2.9 mi
• Pendleton — 20 mi
• Triple Nickles - Pendleton — 21 mi
• Umatilla County — 23 mi