The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-07-23

lNTROOOCX1ON. 1ulS Is uc
@fth Of q series Of eight articles
covering the lives Of Narcissa Prem
tAss Whitman and her husband. Dr..
Marcus Whitman. The Centennial
celebration of the 1886 overland
tourney Of the Misunderstanding
band Of missionaries is being held
in Walla Walla August 1916. 1896.
CHAPTER v
When little Alice Clarissa was
only about seven months old, the
Whitmans rode horseback to Lap
wal, over 125 miles away. It rained
and showed but they reached the
Spaldings in time for DR.. Whitman
to assist on November z, 1887, at
the birth of Eliza, first white child
born within what is now the state
Of Idaho and first white child born
west of the Rocky mountains to
live to maturity.
All petty differences were forgot
ten in the Joy Of being reunited
With Christian friends. Mrs. Spald-
ing had not seen another white
person besides her husband since
Gray had left the December be-
fore. On Sunday, November rs.
both Alice and Eliza were bap-
sized. The Whitmans partook Of the
communion service for the first
time since their wedding night.
February ID. 1886, in Angelica. N.
Y. On December 2, 1887, DR.. and
Mrs. Whitman and little Alice start
ed back to Waiilatpu in a log canoe.
That spring was a busy one.
Some Nez. Perces came over 800
miles to get potatoes to plant. At
Waiilatpu, there were a few wood
en- blows, tipped with iron, though
Lapwai still had only hoes. The
1887 crop had been disappointing,
but the missionaries were deter
mined to be more self-supporting.
Jason Lee, head of the VILLAIN
cite Valley Methodist mission. Wis
tied in April, while on his way east
to ask reinforcements for his work.
About that time. a mountain man
named Compo settled near the
Whitmans. He had been Mr.. Par
ker's guide to Walla Walla in 1885
and had served two years with the
Hudson's Bay company. In June,
two valuable workers arrived from
Hawaii, Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Maxi,
from the church in Honolulu, Oahu.
Everything went so well that
summer that during August DR..
Whitman sent for Spalding to come
to Waiilatpu to hold some pro-
tracted meetings with the Indians.
These meetings led to the organ
ization Of the first Protestant
church west Of the Rocky noun
tains. on Saturday, August Is, 1888
It was a Presbyterian church gov
erned on the Congregational plan
This was, as it were the calm
before the Storm" Three days later
on August 81, Mr.. and Mrs. Will
liam II. Gray rode into Waiilatpu
ahead of the main party OF rein
(orcements they had brought with
chem from the East. The Grays
vent on to Fort Walla Walla before
The arrival Of Mr.. and Mrs. Cushing
tells. Mr.. and Mrs. Ekanah Walk.
q. Mr.. and Mrs. A. B. Smith and
Cornelius Rogers.
In hopes for their work, they
~ere as one. It was the little thing:
Shat caused dissension. Gray hac
proved domineering and hac
claimed the title Of doctor" aftel
bearing a few lectures on medicine
Smith was a chronic fault-finder
Walker and Eells were easy-golnE
and kindly men, but Mrs. Whitman
did not like their use Of tobacco
and her feelings were hurt because
they refused to let women pray IL
public meetings.
On Saturday, September. the SD
men Of the mission organized Il
decide policies to be followed. The,
accepted an offer Of used print.
ing press from the American Boare
Mission in the Sandwich island!
(now HawaiO. Where each OF thu
families was to 60 constituted quite
a problem, particularly as Smith
Eeils and Walker refused to be as
sociated with Gray. The grouY
voted to build q flour mill at Lap
wal and to build blacksmith shoy
there.
That Sunday a temperance 50
ciety was formed. More organiza
tons took place Monday. this time
among the women. Their 'Materna
association" was the forerunner O
present-day Mothers clubs or Par
ent-Teacher associations. Through
all the years of the Whitman mis-
sion. these pioneer mothers met to
gether every other week "for con