Although
not within Whitman Mission National Historic Site, the route
followed by the Whitmans' and the Spaldings' across the
Blue Mountains in 1836 is significant to the story of Waiilatpu.
The text below is from a brochure produced by the National
Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service
Imagine traveling 3000 miles and finding the most difficult part of
your journey still ahead of you. This challenge faced Marcus and Narcissa
Whitman when they came west in 1836 to establish a Protestant mission
among the Cayuse Indians near present day Walla Walla, Washington. Their
journey from upper New York state to the Oregon Country was the first
made by an anglo family. It proved that women and families could make
the journey, pioneering the way for others to follow. When the Whitman's
traveled over the Blue Mountains their guide, John McLeod, a fur trader
for the Hudson's Bay Company, selected the most direct route possible,
suitable for horse and foot travel only. On this route the Whitmans
encountered both joy and hardships. The rivers and greenery of the Grand
Ronde Valley and the Blue Mountains gave joy, while the terrain provided
the challenge and hardships.
Narcissa's
diary for August 29, 1836, contains this entry,
"I
frequently met old acquaintances, in the trees and flowers, and was
not a little delighted. Indeed I do not know as I was ever so much affected
with any scenery in my life... But this scene was of short duration...
Before noon we began to descend one of the most terrible mountains for
steepness and length I have yet seen. It was like winding stairs in
its descent and in some places almost perpendicular... We had no sooner
gained the foot of this mountain, when another more steep and dreadful
was before us."
Tough
Terrain
The Whitman Route was obviously too steep and difficult for wagons.
The most frequently used trail over the Blue Mountains eventually became
the Old Oregon Trail. In 1843, Marcus Whitman led the first emigrant
wagon train of 1,000 people from Fort Hall (near present day Pocatello,
Idaho) as far as the Blue Mountains. He then rode ahead to assist a
fellow missionary at Lapwai (near present day Lewiston, Idaho). He entrusted
the emigrants' safety to Chief Stickus of the Cayuse Tribe, who led
them to a trail that wagons could negotiate. It was certainly not the
way Marcus and Narcissa and their party had come in 1836. The wagon
train of 1843 could not have survived the steep trail the Whitmans used.
As the years passed, the Whitmans' route was less used, until finally
it was lost.
Rediscovering
the Route
By the early 1960s, U.S. Forest Service Ranger Gerald Tucker was convinced
he had located the Whitmans' 1836 crossing of the Blue Mountains. Tucker
relied heavily upon Narcissa's journal of the two-day crossing during
his on-the-ground research. Although the exact location is not known,
the Whitman Route has been marked at the most probable location based
on Tucker's research. If you travel these roads you may experience both
the joys and some of the challenges that faced the Whitmans.
Whitman
Overlook
On graveled Forest Service Road #3109, the Whitman Route Overlook provides
a sweeping vista of the slopes and valleys that make up the Blue Mountains.
From the parking area a half-mile trail, suitable for wheel chairs,
leads to an overlook. The overlook's vista will convince the modern
traveler that the Blue Mountains, while not high, were so terribly difficult
to cross. It then becomes obvious why covered wagons could never have
survived the Whitman Route. The Whitmans contribution to the opening
of the Northwest can not be over stated. Although their initial route
that crossed the Blue Mountains did not become the Oregon Trail, they
proved that women and families could make the trip to the Oregon Country.
American settlement changed the Oregon Country from an open land to
a land of farms and pastures. This had a profound impact on both the
United States as a nation and on the Indian people that lived there.
As emigrants began moving westward in the 1840s, Whitman Mission became
an important station on the Oregon Trail. For 11 years the mission served
both the local indians and the new emigrants. The Whitmans, eleven others
and the mission met a violent end in 1847. You can visit the original
site selected by Marcus Whitman for his mission. The National Park Service
administers this National Historic Site seven miles west of Walla Walla,
Washington. Although the original buildings did not survive the years,
their locations are outlined on the grounds and outdoor exhibits provide
an idea of how the mission must have looked. The museum and interpretive
programs at the visitor center will help you understand the events and
cultures during Whitmans time.
If you plan on retracing
the route of the Whitmans' discussed on this page, take Interstate 84,
exit 243 (Mt. Emily and Summit Road) north of La Grande, Oregon. Road
3109 is 9 miles east on Road 31. If you would like to continue exploring
the Blue Mountains on your journey, Road 31/Summit Road leads to Highway
204 and comes out between Spout Springs and Elgin, Oregon and provides
spectacular views along the way. Take the road slowly as it is gravel
and there are many curves. Enjoy exploring the Whitman Route and the beauty
of the Blue Mountains.
