Show PEOPLE fc AND My By 81 FRED BAGRY BAGBY E 4 Establishes Establish s Mission fission If tA Aft After t r journeying by boat for lies down the Columbia and presenting pre pre- lenting his credentials to the Hud Hud- ban n Ii Bay company at Vancouver now flOW the state of Washington Dr Marus Mar Mar- feus us Whitman who had been refused to establish his mission a at atthe atthe the DaUes Dalles on the Columbia returned to Walla Walla and obtained acres of land from the Cay Cayuse use In In- di i rth lying between the two branches ia of the Walla Walla river river Here fere ere he established his mission anc and andon loon on had the Indians tilling the soil ad d' d going to church if The doctor missionary was soon yielding ling a strong influence upon th the bed ed cd men which was displeasing to the medicine men and to the company compan which wanted Bho h he e Indians to remain in their wild wile plate Late te so th that t they could hunt and brine Ingin in loads of furs instead of farm farm- gand and l English H Jad f-Jad d Possession fg A Although the mouth of the he Co Co- h had bid d been discovered In 1792 by Captain Robert Gray r f J an n Amer American c trader had hid been kr na named ed for his rood food Dad ship and he e et t had bad planted the United States I liar flap and claimed the country for jj the Union and although the t Louisiana purchase made by 1 President Thomas Jefferson was wasI I presumed to Include the Oregon t country countr- the official ld boundary line of the United States and 1 Canada ran rm up a against the Rock flock les lea and was permitted d t to lie there unfixed from that point on to the Pacific t Although the boundary quest ques- ques t tion had been before congress cong OJ many times nothing was done S r about it the wise vise lawmakers of those days declaring declaring- that the Oret Ore Ore- re t F ton ran co country try was a wilderness in in- t i b by savages and the Union didn't need It So by treaty the English were permitted to control control control con con- and exploit it in their fur trade t Indifference and even open opposition lion tion of oC the part of oC congressmen plus activities on the part of oC Ih the British gave rise to a situation 1 which there came to be a sort If tacit understanding that the countrY coun coun- try to fir first t settle the lands should li have ve them The The titled tilled nobility of or England which controlled oI tr the H Hudson HOdsOn ds n Bay company company com corn pany was waxing aing Tich Tichon on the wealth of furs that the land produced and the English press did its part to discourage discourage discourage dis dis- dis- dis courage emigration to the savage Wilderness i Thorn in His Side As situation soon became a thorn in the side of the patriotic Whitman who after some six years of work among the ans ass had learned a great creat deal more more Bore about the resources and possibilities of Oregon than the wise vise congressmen who had bad never seen the let alone crossed them and seen what wasp was Wal wason p r on the other side The Rev Jason Ja Ion son Lee who bad had preceded Whitman Whit man to Oregon via the ocean route made a a. trip overland to lo lothe the east cast and brought back a few Americans but although other missions had been been- established Whitman's Whitman the Can Canadians and Hudson Bay adherents outnumbered outnumbered out out- numbered the Americans in the district by three to one The mis mis- knew that under the understanding En England l was about to establish claim to Ore Ore- gon can This was the situation when In 1842 Elijah White former U. U S. S Indian agent arrived at the Whitman mission in the month of September bringing with him American Immigrants among whom was Amos L. L Lovejoy an attorney who later became known as Gen General Lovejoy and who accompanied Whitman on his memorable ride to Washing ton I i i. i Boundary Question Up The arrivals brought word that t the e Ashbur on on treaty fixing the boundary line between the tile United States and Canada was wa due to come before congress for action at the 42 ci 43 3 sessIon cession r Whitman sid said little but acted quickly He realized that the crucial time had arrived when Oregon was vas to be he either gained or lost ost by his country He Be decided that he must do something about it He determined to ride rido to Washington and plead the cause of Oregon WIth Whitman to reach a decision was as al to set about putting it into execution ex ex- He laid the proposal before h his s wife and she despite the dangers B and d hardships which it promised ap ap- ap proved A conference of ionar s was called and contrary to their bet ter Judgment a vote of oC sanction for the trip was vas given Promptly Dr Whitman began prep preparations for tor the most spectacular and dangerous ride Inthe annals of the nation fl I |