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| 1838 |
| |
The three
(3) main activities at Waiilatpu during 1838 are:
- Medicine
- Agriculture
- Education
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| Feb.
27: |
William
Gray (born Champlain, New York - Jan. 2, 1810 - died Klaskani Farm,
Clatsop County Oregon - Dec. 8, 1881) marries Mary Augusta Dix (born
Fairfax; Herkimer County, New York - Sept. 10, 1810 - died Portland,
Oregon - Nov. 14, 1889). |
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| Spring: |
High
water endangers Whitman's first house. |
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| Mar.
5: |
Elkanah Walker marries Mary Richardson (1811-1897). |
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| Mar.
5: |
Cushing
Eells marries Myra Fairbanks (1805 - 1878). |
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| Mar.
15: |
Asa
Bowen Smith (1809-1886) marries Sarah Gilbert White (1813-1855).
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Whitmans
and other workers start construction of new T-shaped house. |
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Sheep
arrive from the Hawaiian Islands. |
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Rev. Jason
Lee (who had reached, Fort Walla Walla April 13) returns to the
East to persuade the Methodist Mission Society to send 50 additional
persons. "Great Reinforcement" is sent on the Lausanna
(32 adults, 18 children). They arrive Fort Vancouver on June 1,
1840. Lee was impressed with farming activities of the Indians
at Waiilatpu.
From Lee's
glowing recount of the Methodist Missionary activity, Spalding
wrote for 220 additional Presbyterian/Congregational workers.
(Whitman signed letter) Also, Whitman requested:
-
Several tons of iron and steel.
- 2000
gun flints.
- 50
gross Indian awls.
- 100
dozen scalping knives.
- 2
best cook stoves.
- Six
box stoves.
- Mill
machinery.
- Crockery.
- Books
-- 1
Websters octavo Dictionary; 1
dozen Watts Hymns; 2
dozen Village Hymns; 2
dozen Parlays Geography.
Full
text of letter
Whitman had
regrets later and blamed Spalding for these requests.
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|
|
| March: |
Methodist
Mission society starts Mission at the Dalles. "Great Reinforcement"
permits the establishment of this mission. |
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| July
11: |
First
mail from the Whitman's relations arrives. |
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| Aug.
4: |
(Tuesday)
Spalding begins a series of religious meetings which climaxes Saturday,
August 18. The meetings consist of the organization of the Church
of Oregon - first Presbyterian and first Protestant church west
of the Rockies. The first members are Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Maki,
Rev. (Pastor) and Mrs. Spalding , Dr. (Ruling Elder) and Mrs. Whitman,
and Charles Campo. |
|
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| Aug.
21: |
William Gray
arrives back at Waiilatpu. Other members of the missionary reinforcement
all arrive by Aug. 29. Group consists of 4 newly married couples.
The missionary
reinforcement group's trip west was very difficult due to Gray's
domineering personality. No member of the party would consent
to live with him. Also, Greene was displeased with Gray's trip
to the East. An unmarried 23 year old, Cornelius Rodgers (1815-1843),
joined party at Cincinnati. Elkanah Walker and Cushing Eells settled
at Tshimakian, near Spokane, A. B. Smith and C. Rodgers stayed
with Whitman, Grays went with Spalding.
|
|
|
| Sept.
3: |
Mrs.
Whitman, Mrs. Spalding, Mrs. Gray, Mrs. Eells, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs.
Walker organize the Columbia Maternal Association. It is the first
woman's club to be organized in the Pacific Northwest. |
|
|
| Sept.
10: |
Walker
and Eells depart to find a mission site. They locate a site on the
trail from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Colville-called Tshimakain -
"place of springs." |
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| |
The
gardens at both Lapwai and Waiilatpu are producing in abundance.
Whitman harvests: 300 bushels corns, 75 bushels wheat, 1000 bushels
potatoes, and vegetable products. |
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| Nov.
15: |
Spaldings
have a baby girl. |
|
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| Dec.
7: |
(Friday)
Mrs. Walker gives birth to a baby boy named Cyrus Hamlin. He is
the second boy born to white American parents west of the Rockies
to live to maturity. He was born at Waiilatpu and died at Albany,
Oregon May 5, 1921. |
|
|
| |
Severe
winter. Differences erupt at Waiilatpu due in part to very crowded
conditions. Four families are living there during the winter of
1838-39 - Walkers, Eells, Whitmans, and Smiths.
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|
|
| 1839 |
| Feb.
11: |
Smiths
and Walkers leave for Lapwai. |
|
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| Feb.
22-26: |
Annual Meeting
Decisions
- Decided
Smith would take over Waiilatpu
- Decided
Whitman would move to Tucannon or Palouse Rivers. Spalding thought
Whitman should be more centrally located.
- Decided
the printing press would be located at Lapwai.
|
|
|
| Mar. |
Smith
moves to Kamiah. |
|
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| Mar. |
First
grist mill built. |
|
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| Mar.
2 |
Gray's
have son at Lapwai named John Henry Dix. |
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| Mar.
5 |
Walkers
and son (Cyrus) and Eells depart Waiilatpu for new station. |
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| April: |
Whitman
decides to remain at Waiilatpu. |
|
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| April
29: |
Mr.
and Mrs. E.O. Hall arrive at Walla Walla (bring printing press and
equipment from Sandwich Islands). |
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| May
10: |
Whitman
writes Greene requesting grain and seeds of the locust, chestnut
and walnut trees.
|
|
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| May
13: |
The
Spalding party and the printing press reach Lapwai. It remained
there until 1846 when it was taken to The Dalles. The first printing
done in the Oregon Country was booklets of Indian language. Mr.
Hall was the printer. |
|
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| June
23: |
The
Whitmans' only child, Alice Clarissa, drowns. She was 2 years, 3
months, 9 days old. Alice had taken two cups and gone to the river
to get water. Mungo went out to look for the child and saw cups
in the water. The Whitmans and a number of Indians began searching
for the child. An old Indian entered the river and rode down the
current, finding Alice's body being held under water by some tree
roots. She was buried in the Plain, a little to the north of the
Mission house. |
|
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| June
26: |
Funeral
services are held for Alice Clarissa Whitman. |
|
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| Sept.
2-5: |
Annual meeting
(Walker and Eells absent).
Decisions:
- Whitman
to remain at Waiilatpu.
- Gray given
permission to explore for site of mission. Gray located a suitable
site and was preparing to move. Spalding told him that he did
not get permission to establish a mission. Gray departed, hoping
to find employment with the Hudson's Bay Company. He had no
luck. In Dec. he returned to Lapwai, remaining through the winter
of 1839-40.
|
|
|
| Sept.
10: |
Asa
Munger was hired to help build new house. With the Mungers came
Rev. and Mrs. J.S. Griffin. Spalding hired Griffin for the winter
of 1839-40. In the spring of '40 Rev. Griffin tried to establish
a mission at Fort Boise but was unsuccessful. They moved to the
Willamette Valley. |
|
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| Sept.
23: |
Farnham
Party (Peoria party) arrives at Waiilatpu. |
|
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| Nov.
24: |
Spalding's
have son named Henry Hart. |
|
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| Nov.
26: |
Henry
Spalding's thirty-sixth birthday. |
|
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| Fall:
|
Gray
almost demands a mission site of his own, his demands are refused
by the others. American Board now has four (4) stations -- Waiilatpu,
Lapwai, Tshimakain, and Kamiah. |
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