Narcissa Whitman
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Narcissa Whitman (March 14, 1808 – November 29, 1847), born Narcissa Prentiss in Prattsburgh, New York in the Genesee Valley.[1] Along with Eliza Hart Spalding (wife of Henry Spalding) would become the first European-American woman to cross the Rocky Mountains in 1836 on her way to found the Protestant Whitman Mission with husband Dr. Marcus Whitman near modern day Walla Walla, Washington.[1]
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[edit] Early Life
Narcissa, child of Judge Stephen and Clarissa Prentiss, was one of nine children. She was the oldest of the five girls, followed by Clarissa, Mary Ann, Jane, and Harriet. Narcissa was educated at the Female Academy at Troy, on the Hudson before her marriage to Dr. Marcus Whitman. The marriage was on February 18, 1836 in Angelica, New York.
[edit] Journey West
Shortly after the wedding, Narcissa and Marcus headed west for the Oregon Country in March of 1836 to begin their missionary activities amongst the natives. The journey was by sleigh, canal barge, wagon, river sternwheeler, horseback, and foot. The founder of Ogden, Utah, Miles Goodyear, traveled with the Whitmans until Fort Hall. Finally on September 1, 1836 they arrived at Walla Walla Fort , a Hudson's Bay Company outpost near present day Walla Walla, Washington. Marcus and Narcissa then traveled on to Fort Vancouver where they were hosted by Dr. John McLoughlin before returning to the Walla Walla area to build their mission.
[edit] Whitman Mission
The Whitman Mission began to take shape in 1837, eventually growing into a major stopping point along the Oregon Trail. Methodist missionary Jason Lee would stop off in 1838 at the mission on his way east to gather reinforcements in the United States for his mission in the Willamette Valley. Then in 1840 mountain man Joseph Meek, who the Whitmans met on their journey to the area, stopped off on his way to the Willamette Valley. Built at Waiilatpu, the settlement was about six miles from Walla Walla Fort. At the mission Narcissa taught the native population bible instruction, as well as Western domestic chores that were unknown to the Native Americans. Besides the missionary goals of converting the natives, Narcissa also ran the household. Her daily activities included cooking, washing & ironing clothes, churning butter, making candles & soap, and baking. On March 3, 1837, Narcissa gave birth to the first white American born in Oregon Country. Marcus and Narcissa named their daughter Alice, their only child. Unfortunately, Alice would drown as a small child on June 23, 1839. Just before winter in late 1842 Marcus traveled back east to recruit more missionaries for the mission. During the time Marcus was away, Narcissa traveled west and visited other outposts in the territory including Fort Vancouver, Jason Lee’s Methodist Mission near present day Salem, and another mission near Astoria, Oregon.
[edit] Whitman Massacre
Throughout their time in Oregon Country, Narcissa and Marcus encountered trouble with the native tribes. The Cayuse and the Nez Percé tribes were suspicious of the activities and the encouragement of the white Americans. As early as 1841 Tiloukaikt had tried to force the Whitmans to leave Waiilatpu. In 1847 a measles epidemic broke out among the native population. Spread to the natives by contact with whites, the native population lacked immunity to the disease and it spread quickly. The American populations had some limited immunity to measles which meant a lower mortality rate than the natives. This discrepancy stirred discontent among the natives who felt Dr. Whitman was only curing the white people while letting Indian children die. The resentment over all the different issues boiled over on November 29, 1847 when Tiloukaikt and others attacked the mission killing both Marcus and Narcissa. This event would be known as the Whitman Massacre, in which many others were killed and many more taken hostage.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
Allen, Opal Sweazea. Narcissa Whitman: An Historical Biography. Binfords & Mort, 1959.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Biography of Narcissa Whitman. Whitman Mission NHS - History & Culture. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
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Pioneer History of Oregon (1806 - 1890) |
|---|---|
| Topics |
Oregon Country · Oregon Treaty · Oregon missionaries · Executive Committee · Oregon Trail · Oregon boundary dispute · Pacific Fur Company · Hudson's Bay Company |
| Events |
Champoeg Meetings · Treaty of 1818 · Russo-American Treaty · Donation Land Claim Act · Whitman massacre |
| Places |
Fort Astoria · Oregon Mission · Fort Vancouver · Champoeg, Oregon · Willamette Stone · Barlow Road |
| People |
George Abernethy · Sam Barlow · Tabitha Brown · Abigail Scott Duniway · Peter French · Joseph Gale · William Gilpin · David Hill · Jason Lee · John McLoughlin · Joseph Meek · Ezra Meeker · Marcus Whitman · Narcissa Whitman |
| Oregon History |
Native Peoples History · History to 1806 · Pioneer History · Modern History |
