|
|
| 1840 |
| Winter: |
The Whitmans
are pleased with the attitude of the Indians. Gray is living with
Spalding at Lapwai, there is much discord between the two.
|
|
| Feb.
6: |
First
of a series of letters is sent to the American Board about Spalding
(sent by Smith, Gray, Rodgers, Hall, and Whitman) over a period
of time.
Discord revolves around:
- Spalding
is the center of the turbulent eddy that includes personal jealousies,
suspicions, and fears.
There is old antagonism between Henry Spalding
and Narcissa.
Spalding is blamed for wanting Whitman in
a more central location.
- Some of
the members of 1838 reinforcement are hypersensitive.
- No one
wants to live with Gray because of his overbearing attitude.
- Smith,
afflicted by ill health, is grouchy.
- Rodgers
found it easy to criticize.
- All but
Walkers and Eells want separate stations.
- Smith refuses
to live with Whitman.
- Spalding
is against Smith moving to Kamiah.
- Gray and
Spalding are together during winter of 1839-'40.
- Whitman
shifts all the blame to Spalding for the extravagant demands
made upon the Board which were inspired by the visit of Jason
Lee.
Letters written against Spalding:
Smith ------4 letters
Gray ------2 letters
Rodgers and Hall -1 each
Whitman -------3 (?)
These letters
encouraged Greene to take action before the Prudential Committee
of the American Board.
Greene's response was:
- Spalding
should be dismissed.
- Gray and
Smith were advised to return to the states.
- Whitman
and Rodgers should move to Tshimakain to live with Walker and
Eells.
- Both Lapwai
and Waiilatpu would be closed.
|
|
|
| May
24: |
Mrs.
Walker gives birth to a daughter, Abigail Boutevell at Tshimakain
Mission. |
|
|
| June: |
Whitmans
move into their new house (Mission House). |
|
|
| June
1: |
"Great
Reinforcement" for the Methodists arrives at Fort Vancouver. |
|
|
| July
4-10: |
Annual mission
meeting.
- Smith writes
a letter to Greene about extreme discord and conveys serious
charges.
- Gray's
case comes up for discussion again. Permission is given to Gray
to establish mission at mouth of Yakima River (called Shimnap).
- The missionaries
discuss their personal differences. After talks, better feelings
exist between Whitman and Spalding.
|
|
|
| June
25: |
Mrs.
Munger gives birth to a daughter at Waiilatpu. |
|
|
| |
Gray
moves to Waiilatpu |
|
|
| Early
Sept.: |
Newell
(1807-1869) brings wagons to Waiilatpu. These are the first wagons
brought west of Fort Boise and across Blue Mountains to Columbia
River.
In 1840 a party of independent missionaries started for Oregon.
They left their two wagons at Fort Hall and continued the journey
on horseback. The wagons became the property of a mountain man,
Dr. Robert Newell, who accepted them in payment for services rendered
to the party as guide. The third wagon had been abandoned at Fort
Hall by Joel P. Walker, who with his wife and five children constituted
the first emigrant family bound for Oregon. This wagon passed into
the possession of Caleb Wilkins. Newell sold one of his wagons to
Ermatinger, who was then in charge of Fort Hall, and Ermatinger
employed William Craig, another mountain men, to be the driver for
that wagon. These men, realizing that their trapping days in the
mountains were over, resolved to go to the Willamette. Newell induced
Joe Meek to join the party. Meek's wife had deserted him leaving
him with a daughter of two or three years old. The party left Fort
Hall on August 5 and reached Waiilatpu the first part of September.
|
|
|
| Early
Sept: |
Joe
Meek, a mountain man travelling with Newell's Party, leaves his
daughter with the Whitmans (Helen Mar Meek). |
|
|
| 1841 |
| |
Construction
of the gristmill is completed. It could grind about 1.5 bushels
of wheat per hour. |
|
|
| Winter: |
Whitmans
take ill. Grays and independent missionaries carry on the work.
Whitman perhaps over-exerted himself working on the millrace. |
|
|
| Spring: |
Asahel
Munger has become hopelessly insane. |
|
|
| |
Robert
Newell returns to Fort Walla Walla for wagons he left in 1840. He
takes the wagons down the Columbia to the Willamette Valley. |
|
|
| |
Second
grist mill is built. It is an improvement over the first but still
grinds 1.5 bushels per hour. The second mill came in on the Lausanne,
which arrived at Vancouver June 1, 1840. It was in operation by
March, 1841. |
|
|
| Spring: |
Indians
show great interest in agriculture. |
|
|
| April
19: |
Smiths
depart Kamiah heading for the Hawaiian / Sandwich Islands. They
arrive in Hawaii on January 25, 1842. |
|
|
| May
15: |
Pierre
Chrepologue Pambrun dies after being thrown by a horse. Archibald
McKinlay takes Pambrun's place as Chief Factor at Fort Walla Walla. |
|
|
| May: |
Cornelius
Rodgers leaves Lapwai and the missionary field. He goes to Vancouver. |
|
|
| June
9-14: |
Annual meeting
at Waiilatpu.
- Spalding
learns about letters against him.
- Gray's
request for a mission is denied.
- Spalding
and Whitman again have trouble (old tensions).
|
|
|
| July
27: |
Eells
have baby boy named Edwin. |
|
|
| August
or Sept.: |
Mary
Ann Bridger, daughter of mountain man Jim Bridger, arrives at Waiilatpu.
She is six years old and is the second child accepted by the Whitmans. |
|
|
| Sept.
and Oct.: |
Whitmans have
trouble with the Indians.
- Some Indians
become insolent to Whitman when he seeks to remove their horses
from his corn.
- Gray has
trouble with Indians - he forcibly ejects an Indian from the
kitchen; he also catches an Indian trying to steal a horse.
- Indians
force their way into the mission house and threaten Whitman's
life with a gun.
|
|
|
| Fall:
|
First
party of emigrants (24) bound for the Willamette pass through Waillatpu. |
|
|
| Dec.: |
Asahel
Munger commits suicide in Salem. He had secured a job with the Methodist
Mission in Salem. |
|
|
