A pioneer and leading citizen of Puyallup; first mayor, one-time Hop King, author Ezra Meeker became the self-appointed Champion of the Oregon Trail in 1906, when at the age of 76, accompanied by two oxen, a wagon, a driver and a dog, he made his way from his front yard to Washington D.C., by way of New York City. His purpose was to preserve and re-mark the Oregon Trail, which was being obliterated by civilization. He thought he would make this trip once before he died, but this remarkable man lived to 98, and made this journey by ox team once more, then by automobile in 1915, and by airplane in 1924. The fact that today you can see actual traces of the Oregon Trail is due almost entirely to Ezra Meeker.