The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-01-05
UNIQUE TRIP is DESCRIBED.
Narcissa Whitman's Letters Give VI
vid Picture OF Life in the Early
settlements Of Washington.

Narcissa Whitman. who with Mrs.
II. IL. Spalding. was the first white
woman to cross the Rocky noun
tains was good observer and her let
tiers written to her friends and rela-
t1ves back in New York about her
novel trip across the continent
makes interesting reading. The late
Rev. Myron Eels, himself a pioneer
in the Oregon country, in his book
on Marcus Whitman, recently pub
lished by the Alice Hartman COM
pany of Seattle, gives a chapter to
extracts from the letters of Mrs
Whitman at this time which are Of
especial interest here, since the local
chapter of the Daughters of the
Revolution has chosen for its name
sake the pioneer woman of Eastern
Washington, the wife of DR.. Marcus
Whitman.
Deeply Religious.
Mrs. Whitman was deeply re-
ligious woman. She was prominent
as Narcissa Prentiss, daughter of
Judge Prentiss, Of Rushville, N. Y,
in the work Of the church and in the
choir She had long wanted to be
a missionary and when the story If
the four Nez Perces who came from
the far Northwest with the request
that the white mans Book be brought
to them, reached her, she was among
the first to volunteer. DR.. Whitman,
too, had for many years longed to
serve as missionary in foreign fields
and when the call came for volun-
teers he answered at once. 1t was
suggested, perhaps by the board of
missions, that it would be more con-
venient if Miss Prentiss were married
before starting out on the long trip,
and both she and the doctor seemed
to take to the idea at onces Their
cou;tship was of the briefest, there
fore, and it is matter of interest
20 note from her journal how in
rreasngly pleased she is with hus-
band.' In point of education the
doctor was her in.erior, the refine
ment and culture of the women be-
ing commented upon by the trappers
and members of the fur company
which she met all along the route.
Join Fur Caravan.
The party, which Joined the cara
van of a fur company setting out
rom St. Louis for the annual rem
devious of the trappers, carried with
hem as far as FIT. Boise a wagon. 1t
was the first vehicle to make the
lou, ney over this country which was
absolutely roadless.
The wagon, after awhile trans
formed into a cart, and finally left
altogether, seems to have served no
special purpose, except that it dem
onstrated the feasibility of driving
the OK teams which brought the en-
grants a few years later. To the
rendezvous that year came Messrs.
Mcleod Mckay. one of them factor
of the Hudsons Bay Fur Company
at Ft. Walla Walla. This happy fact
made the Journey of the missionary
party across the mountains much
easier matter than exepcted. Every
where they were treated in the kind
est manner. Indian women, on first
sight of them, clasped the hands of
the two white women, the first they
had ever seen, and kissed them
Good Food at Forts.
Crossing the plains the food had
consisted almost exclusively of Buff
falo meat. At. Ft. Walla Walla the
travellers were treated to fresh sal
mon and bread and butter, also a
fine lot of muskmelons, one of them
eighteen inches in length, fifteen
around the small end and nineteen
around the large end, the largest Mrs
Whitman had ever seen. Here they
also had pork, turnips and cabbages
the garden at the fort being produc-
tive. There was a yard full of hens