A. B. (Alfred Benjamin) Meacham

Born in Indiana in 1826, Alfred Benjamin Meacham went west during the mid-19th century and became deeply involved in the history of Oregon and Northern California. He served as a Methodist minister and later as U.S. Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon from 1869 to 1872.

Meacham is remembered for his role in events surrounding the Modoc War. After serving on the Modoc Peace Commission in 1873, he was badly wounded in the meeting that turned violent, and the experience shaped much of his later public work. He continued to lecture and write about the conflict, often arguing that Native people had been treated unjustly by the U.S. government.

His books, including Wigwam and War-path and Wi-Ne-Ma, the Woman-Chief, and Her People, combine memoir, history, and advocacy. They offer a vivid window into the American West of his time and show why he remained a striking, controversial voice until his death in 1882.