The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-06-18
CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER l
rxactly one century ago, DR.. Mar
.,s whitman and his bride, Narclssa
prentiss Whitman were travelling
through a foreign land, toward a
country no white woman ever nao
seen. Somewhere beyond the Rockies
IN a country inhabitated only by IN
Hans hunters and trappers, the
Whitmans were to build the first
American white home in the North
west. .,,+
II is for their lives of service that
Dr. and Mrs. Whitman are being
honored this year. True, their
tragic deaths have not been forgot
ten. The massacre of November ~,
1847. crowned with martyrdom their
eleven years of unselfish labor in
Old Oregon. But the Overland
Journey and the founding Of the
Whitman mission in 1886 are the
events which make this Centen-
ial year.
In a four-day celebration from
August 10 to 16, national organlza-
tions will join with Walla Walla
citizens to memorabilia the Whit
mans. not only because they were
martyrs to missionary cause, but
more because they were the earliest
of the Oregon country's pioneer
settlers. sar..r.t .-s,
Mrs. Whitman was the mother OF
Alice Clarissa, the first American
white child born in the Northwest.
When her own child was drowned,
two years later, Mrs. Whitman
mothered a strangely assorted brood
of eleven children: some half-breed
children of mountain men, waits OF
the Oregon Trail, and her hus-
bands nephew, Perrin. It is appro-
pirate that, in her honor, a "Pion-
eer Mother should reign over the
forth coming Whitman Centennial.
DR.. Whitman was the first Ameri-
can physician to practice west OF
the Rocky mountains. He had to be
farmer, miller, blacksmith, lumber
man, teacher and minister Of the
gospel, but he was always ready to
ride in the widest weather to aid
q sick man, whatever his color or
creed.
It Is necessary now to outline
briefly the backgrounds Of Marcus
Whitman and Uarcissa Prentiss, re-
vealing how they were fitted to
make the Whitman Mission at
Waiilatpu a typical American home,
and more: church, school, hospital,
orphanage and relief station, not
only for the Indian tribes and the
mountain men, but for Oregon's
earliest settlers.
Both were born in the Finger
Lakes" region Of New York state,
Marcus at Nashville on September
4, 1902 and Narcissa in Prattsburg,
March IA, 1903. It will be noted that
DR.. Whitman was not quite "a and
his bride just q when they made
the overland journey to Oregon.
Both belonged to families which had
come to America early in the seven
tenth century, and the part Of
New York in which they lived was
still in its pioneering stage during
their childhood.
DR.. Whitman's father died when
Marcus was but eight years old,
and he lived until he was eighteen
with his paternal grandfather, Dea-
con Samuel Whitman, at Plains
field, Mass. When he, returned to
his home in Rushville, he wanted to
study for the ministry, but found
1t necessary to learn the practice
Of medicine instead. Theology he
was able to study only for short
time in 1880. Some newly discov-
cred material about this phase Of
Whitman's career appears in a re-
cent book by DR.. Clifford M. Drury
OF Moscow, Idaho, Henry Harmon
Spalding, Pioneer of Old Oregon -
Spalding was Whitman,s colleague
IN establishing the Oregon Missions.
Dr. Drury now is preparing book
on Whitman.
About 1921, Whitman began the
study Of medicine under DR.. Ira
Bryant in Rushville. In 1925 and
1876 he was student at the Col
lege OF Physicians and Surgeons at
FAIRFIELD, Harkimer County, New
York. For four years he practiced
medicine at Gainsboro, Canada,
now st. Ann. In the fall of 1881 he
again attended medical college and
was graduated in the spring, DIR.
Drury discovered though biographies
nave given the date as 1924.
AS soon as he had graduated,
whitman moved to the town of
wheeler, near the Prentiss home at
rrattsburg. In Wheeler he began
practlcing as a physician and soon
became trustee, an elder and a
sunday school superintendent in
the church. During this time is ap-
pears that he met members of Mar
cissa's family, but she was away
most OF the time teaching school.
In June, 1884, the Prentiss fam
ny moved from Prattsburg to
mity. During that same month,
whitman wrote to the American
5oard, in his application for mis-
aonary work, that he was not mar
lleo and had mo present engage
Ment upon that subject" But eight
months later, by February %, 1885,
he was engaged-and on that day
JUS nance, Narcissa Prentiss. sent
~ her application to the American