Hon. Commodore Perry Meek, a retired rancher and stock man, born in Maysville, Missouri, on the 12th of May, 1851, is a son of Richard and India Ann Meek, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father followed farming throughout his entire life and passed away in Missouri in 1864. The son was reared to young manhood in his native state and acquired a common school education such as was afforded by the country schools of that day. He assisted in the work of the home farm until he reached the age of twenty years and in 1871 he made his way westward, landing at Cheyenne, Wyoming, which was then a territory. He began work at driving a bull team and was engaged in freighting between Cheyenne, Red Cloud, Fort Robinson, Fort Fetterman and old Fort Laramie. In 1876, when gold was discovered in the Black Hills, he made his way to Custer, at that time the only town in the Black Hills district. He remained there for a short period but afterward returned to Cheyenne, where he loaded up his freight team and then freighted to Custer, where he unloaded his stock for his employers. Once more he made the trip to Cheyenne and in fact made several trips between that place and the Black Hills. On some of his trips he encountered Indians and had a number of "scraps" with them between Hat Creek and Custer. He reached the latter place in May, 1876, with fourteen freight teams–all bull teams. Gold had just been discovered at Deadwood, South Dakota, and the people were leaving Custer for that place. There was no road from Deadwood to Custer except what had been made by single wagons and pack outfits and many interesting experiences occurred at that time which Mr. Meek relates in a most entertaining manner. On one occasion a large freighting outfit had just arrived in Custer and Mr. Meek was with it. While most of the outfit layed off for two or three days to rest up, he decided to go on, having had some experience in the mountains. He pulled out with his teams four or five miles ahead of the others and got in five days ahead of them. He had many hard hills to climb and the roads, such as they were, were very bad, especially through the mountains. The first road ever built into Deadwood was a toll road known as Boulder Hill and Mr. Meek had to pay seventeen dollars toll tax for his six-yoke bull teams, going in and out. Deadwood at that time–May, 1876,–was a wilderness. There was nothing there but a few log cabins and all heavy timber where the streets of Deadwood are today. He had to drag logs out of the way in order to get to some of the cabins to unload some freight. He was the driver of the first bull team that was driven up the streets of Deadwood. Later in the summer of 1876 he returned to Cheyenne, loaded up his team and drove to Fort Fetterman on the North Platte river, freighting from Medicine Bow on the Union Pacific Railroad the rest of the summer. In the fall of 1876 he made one trip to Fort Reno, on Powder river, and in the winter of 1876 he returned to the Black Hills, where he prospected until the spring of 1877. At that time he went on a prospecting expedition into the Big Horn mountains, where he spent the summer and then went west to Camp Brown, a distance of about four hundred miles. He returned to the Black Hills, as the Homestake mine had just been discovered by two Frenchmen. This they later sold to Senator Hearst of California for eighty thousand dollars. Mr. Meek went to work in what was called a segregated mine, known as Old Abe and owned by Scotchmen, Messrs. Terry and Broadie. He hauled the first ore that was brought out of the Homestake mine. It was brought up in a wooden bucket hauled up by a windlass by two men, dumped out and hauled by wagon to Terry, a distance of two miles, to a ten stamp mill. After his experiences there Mr. Meek devoted his time to ranching and stock raising and owns now more than sixteen hundred acres of deeded land and over a thousand head of cattle. His ranch is located at Lodge Pole, in Weston county. In 1908 he removed to Upton, where he has since lived retired, spending his winter months, however, away.
    In 1909 Mr. Meek was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary Emma Brown, a native of Illinois. They have traveled extensively, gaining that liberal knowledge and experience which only travel can bring. Mr. Meek is a member of Sundance Lodge, No. 9, A. F. & A. M., and his wife is a member of the Eastern Star. His active interest in promoting its success and securing the adoption of its principles. He served as a member of the state legislature for two terms, covering 1913 to 1915. He and his wife are members of the First Church of Christ Scientist at Boston, Massachusetts, and Mrs. Meek is a practitioner. The life story of Mr. Meek, if written in detail, would furnish many a thrilling incident. His experiences in the Black Hills are most interesting, his reminiscenses presenting a clear picture of conditions that existed at the time when there were no roads into the district and when the traveler had to follow the old rails. Mr. Meek bore his part in the early mining development of the region and his efforts have been a contributing factor to the progress of the mining industry in the northwest and also a factor in the agricultural development of Crook county. He is honored by all who know him and most of all where he is best known, showing that his life record has ever been a straightforward one.