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Show Whitman's Ride fo "Save Oregon" Becomes Another Exploded Myth New Biography of the Martyred Missionary of the Pacific Northwest Sums Up the Evidence in a Famous Controversy and Shows That He Undertook His Heroic Journey of 1842-43 in the Interests of His Church Rather Than for Political Reasons. P Western Newspaper Union. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON FOR half a century Americans Amer-icans accepted among their "popular beliefs" the story of "Marcus Whitman's Whit-man's ride to save Oregon for the United States." It was a graphic recital that told how the pioneer missionary mission-ary sped on horseback across the continent in midwinter to see President John Tyler and "prevent his trading the Oregon country to Great Britain for some cod fisheries" fisher-ies" until Whitman could prove that American colonists colo-nists were able to drive their wagons all the way from the East across the plains and over the Rockies to Oregon. Whitman, so the story goes, convinced the President Presi-dent and his secretary of state, Daniel Webster, that this could be done. Then he promoted the great migration migra-tion which started over the historic Oregon Trail in 1843 and this migration poured so many American settlers into the Pacific Northwest that it gave the United States a better bet-ter claim than Great Britain to the region when the final show-down came a few years later. The only trouble with this story is that, like so many such patriotic patri-otic yarns, it had little foundation in fact. It was started back in 1865, nearly 20 years after Whitman's Whit-man's death. For the next two decades it was widely accepted and even included in some of our school books. However, in the eighties historians began to challenge chal-lenge its accuracy and a bitter controversy, that continued for another 15 years, was started. By 1900 scholars had pretty well established the fact that the Whitman-Saved-Oregon legend was without historical foundation. So authors of school histories began be-gan leaving the story out of their textbooks. Unfortunately, however, how-ever, they omitted much that was true as well as much that was false. Recently there has appeared ap-peared a biography of Whitman which sums up and evaluates all the evidence available on the many disputed points of the story and it confirms the belief that Whitman's ride to "save Oregon" properly belongs among the "exploded "ex-ploded myths of history." This book is "Marcus Whitman, Whit-man, M. D. Pioneer and Martyr," Mar-tyr," written by Dr. Clifford Merrill Mer-rill Drury and published by the Caxton Printers, Inc., of Caldwell, Cald-well, Idaho. In it the author shows clearly that Whitman undertook un-dertook his famous journey, not because of any pressing need for "saving Oregon to the American flag" at that time, but because of a crisis in the affairs of the missions mis-sions which he had helped estab-lish estab-lish in the Northwest; that, although al-though he did go to Washington, his visit there had little or no effect on legislation concerning the Oregon country; and that, while he played some part in the 1843 migration, it was not nearly so important as Whitman partisans parti-sans would have us believe. A Curious Paradox It is a curious paradox that the man who was mainly responsible for propagating the "Whitman legend" was the man who was chiefly to blame for bringing about the crisis that sent Whitman Whit-man on his transcontinental journey. jour-ney. He was Reverend Henry Harmon Spalding. Spalding and his wife had accompanied ac-companied Whitman and his bride, Narcissa Prentiss Whit man, when the American board of commissioners for foreign missions mis-sions sent them to carry Christianity Christi-anity to the Indians of the Northwest North-west in 1836. Several years previously pre-viously Spalding had been a suitor, for the hand of Narcissa Prentiss back in New York state and when she rejected him he consoled himself by marrying Eliza Hart in 1833. However, he seems to have brooded over his disappointment until he had something akin to hatred for the wife of his fellow-missionary. The journey of the Whitmans and the Spaldings across the continent con-tinent took 6V2 months and in itself it-self is historically important because be-cause it was the first time that white women had ever crossed the continent. During the trip Spalding's animosity toward Mrs. Whitman cropped out and resulted re-sulted in several unpleasant incidents. in-cidents. Arriving in the Northwest, the two families separated. The Spaldings established their mission mis-sion on the Clearwater river in what is now Idaho and the Whit- 1 tojaj.8- 1. -Minimum 1 JiKm-i lnnnT Marcus Whitman swimming his horse across the Grand river. mans went 125 miles farther on and settled at Waiilatpu on the Walla Walla river in eastern Washington. During the next two years the missions flourished. Then the American board began sending out other missionaries and this soon resulted in trouble. There were clashes of personality personal-ity over minor matters, rivalries and jealousies in which Spalding became the chief troublemaker. Letters sent back to the mission mis-sion board in Boston were filled with complaints against him by the other missionaries. It took months for communications to reach their destination and this delay contributed to the disorganization disor-ganization of the missionary work. However, Whitman and : - V: ' 3 ' 1 ? 1 - l - - - A Statue of Whitman on, the With-erspoon With-erspoon building in Philadelphia. his associates made a determined deter-mined effort to solve their problems prob-lems themselves and by 1842 they were apparently successful. Then, to their dismay, they received re-ceived an order from the board instructing Whitman and Spalding Spald-ing to abandon their missions, recalling re-calling Spalding from the field and dividing the remaining missionaries mis-sionaries among the other posts that had been established. It was this fact, according to Dr. Drury, that influenced Whitman Whit-man to attempt the long journey to Boston, where he could go over the whole situation thoroughly with the board and try to convince con-vince its members that their order or-der should be revoked. Moreover, More-over, since the influence of the Catholic missionaries in the Oregon Ore-gon country was increasing and these missionaries were receiving receiv-ing the co-operation of the Hudson's Hud-son's Bay company, the strongest factor in Great Britain's claim to the territory he would bring back with him "pious settlers" (of the Protestant faith) to settle set-tle in the-vicinity of the mission stations. It was this secondary motive, enlarged out of all proportion pro-portion to its importance by adherents ad-herents to the Whitman-Saved-Oregon legend, which has been emphasized in ascribing to Whitman's Whit-man's journey great political significance. sig-nificance. Even without any such important impor-tant motive, his "ride" was heroic he-roic enough to deserve remembrance. remem-brance. He left Waiilatpu on October Oc-tober 3, 1842, accompanied by Asa Lawrence Lovejoy, who had come to Oregon that summer with a party of 114 emigrants led by Dr. Elijah White, newly appointed Indian agent for Oregon Ore-gon Territory. Arriving at Fort Hall two weeks later, they met a Hudson's Bay trader who warned them against taking the usual route east through South pass because be-cause of hostile Indians. So they turned south to go by a roundabout route, via Fort Uin tah in Utah, thence away down into New Mexico to Taos and Santa Fe and then follow the Santa Fe trail to Bent's Fort on the Arkansas and from there go to Westport and across Missouri to St. Louis. Even though they avoided the peril of hostile Indians, In-dians, their journey turned out to be a hazardous one. They met with deep snows and extremely cold weather while crossing the mountains. Several times they lost their way and barely escaped freezing to death. Whitman was nearly drowned while swimming his horse across the Colorado river near the present pres-ent site of Grand Junction, Colo. Later their supply of food ran out so they were reduced to killing kill-ing their pack mules and even a dog, that accompanied them, to avoid starvation. Fortunately they met a party of hunters just in time and were guided to Taos, which they reached the middle of December. After resting there for a short time they pushed on to Bent's Fort, where Lovejoy remained while Whitman joined a party of mountain men who were going to St. Louis. He arrived there on March 9 and pushed on to Washington. Whitman in Washington In the heat of the old controversy contro-versy over the "Whitman legend," leg-end," there were some who doubted doubt-ed that the missionary ever went to Washington. But Dr. Drury believes there is enough evidence to prove that he did and that he had interviews with President Tyler, Ty-ler, with his friend, John C. Spencer, Spen-cer, who was secretary of the treasury in Tyler's cabinet, with James M. Porter, secretary of war, and with Daniel Webster, secretary of state. As for the significance of that visit, Dr. Drury Dru-ry sums it up as follows: Although Marcus Whitman rode East on mission business, his deep interest in the political destinies of Oregon caused him to turn aside while en route to Boston. Bos-ton. There was a political purpose in Whitman's visit to Washington, for how else is it possible to explain his presence pres-ence in that city? However, it does not appear that his visit there was effective in shaping any government policy in-volving in-volving Oregon. No treaty affecting the Pacific Northwest was then under consideration. con-sideration. The Oregon emigration movement move-ment had already started without Whitman's Whit-man's influence, and there were many in the East who were just as concerned con-cerned about Oregon's future as Whitman Whit-man was himself. Whitman's visit to Washington was that of an enthusiastic friend of Oregon eager to pass on information in-formation .which he considered of value to those occupying positions of high authority. au-thority. The final bond which made Oregon a part of the Union was the presence of thousands of emigrants in that territory. Whitman was destined to play an important part In the emigrant emi-grant movement, and in this respect he did more than any other single individual to save Oregon . . . When Whitman reported to the board of missions in Boston, his welcome was not a very cordial one. One of the members received re-ceived him "quite roughly," saying, say-ing, "Wfiat are you here for, leaving your posts?" Later, however, how-ever, he was treated more kindly and the members listened with interest to his report. The upshot of the matter was that Whitman prevailed upon the board to rescind its order and as one of the members wrote in the annual report: "In view of the subject, the importance of sustaining sus-taining the mission becomes much more obvious and great. It is seen to have new, wider and more permanent bearings . . . They anticipate the wave of white population which is rolling westward." west-ward." This "wave" did roll westward indeed, and Marcus Whitman, returning re-turning to Waiilatpu, saw it increasing in-creasing each year until there was no longer any doubt whether England or America should own Oregon. This emigration also brought disaster to the man who had helped start it. For the settlers of 1847 brought with them in virulent form two "white men's diseases" which began decimating the Indian tribes. Out of their resentment over this came the chain of events which led directly to the "Whitman Massacre" which began on November No-vember 29, 1847, and in which Dr. Whitman, his wife and 14 others lost their lives. The story of Marcus Whitman's ride affords an interesting study in how a legend develops. Dr. Drury's book contains two appendices ap-pendices which discuss "The Cause of Whitman's Ride" and "The Whitman Controversy." In the latter he says: rhe first known published version of the Whitman-Saved-Oregon story was written by S. A. Clark and appeared In the Sacramento Union November 16, 1864. This account was short and ratter vague, but it gives the supposed irnn-versatlon irnn-versatlon between Whitman and Webster. Web-ster. This account was reprinted in the Dansville (N. Y.) Advertiser May 4, 1065. Beginning with the May 23, 1865. issue of the San Francisco Pacific, a series of lectures by H. H. Spalding appeared. The tenth and eleventh of the series, which were published on October Oc-tober 19 and November 9 of that year, gave fuller development to the theory that Whitman rode to save Oregon. The Astoria Marine Gazette for July and August, 1866. carried a similar account of Whitman's ride by W. H. Gray (one of the missionaries associated with Whitman). Whit-man). However, as previously indicated indicat-ed in this article, it was H. H. Spalding who did most to propagate propa-gate the idea that a political motive mo-tive sent Whitman on his journey. jour-ney. Spalding did this with his lecture which was printed in the Sacramento Union, October 19, 1865, and reprinted as a Senate document. Spalding's story told in great detail how Whitman visited the British post of Fort Walla Walla in September, 1842, and attendr. a dinner party at which there were a number of Hudson's Bay men and some Catholic priests. Then, according to Spalding: While this great company were at dinner, din-ner, an express arrived from Fort Col-vllle, Col-vllle, announcing the (to them) glad news that the colony from Red River had passed the Rocky mountains and were near Colville. An exclamation of t - REV. H. H. SPALDING Joy burst from the whole table, at first unaccountable to Doctor Whitman, till a young priest, perhaps not so discreet as the older, and not thinking that there was an American at the table, sprang to his feet, and, swinging his hand, exclaimed: ex-claimed: "Hurrah for Columbia! (Oregon) (Ore-gon) America is too late; we have got the country." In an instant, as by instinct, in-stinct, Dr. Whitman saw through the whole plan, clear to Washington, Fort Hall and all. The American missionary immediately im-mediately excused himself from the table, sprang upon his horse and rode hastily to Waiilatpu. When he arrived there his horse was "white with foam." He sprang down and declared dramatically dra-matically "I am going to cross the Rocky mountains and reach Washington this winter, God carrying car-rying me through, and bring ou,' an emigration over the mountains moun-tains next season, or this country coun-try is lost." It made a pretty story, but there are several weak points in it. For, as Dr. Drury points out, Spalding's account was written in the heat of controversy and bears more evidence evi-dence of an eloquent imagination than it does of historical accuracy. To begin ' -Oav t'J ' ' iC - I j fy- ff?-' 1 J m w'r-..ii I v w 5 Whitman lost in the Rockies. with, the Red River emigration came in 1841 and not In 1842, as Spalding's diary di-ary Itself bears testimony. Archibald McKinlay indignantly denied that any such dinner party was ever held or any such taunt ever given. Drury then goes on to analyze the evidence in regard to the motives mo-tives which influenced Whitman to go East and concludes thus: Since Whitman intended visiting Washington, Wash-ington, it must have been for a political politi-cal motive. Mission business would not have called him there. Granting that there was this motive in Whitman's mind, we then can ask ourselves this question: "Would Whitman have made the perilous ride when he did if the fate-" ful order of the board had never been issued?" The documentary evidence indicates that he would NOT have done so. The primary cause for his departure on October Oc-tober 3, 1842, was mission business, but as a patriotic American citizen. Whitman Whit-man planned before he left Waiilatpu to visit Washington to lay before the authorities au-thorities there some information he possessed pos-sessed and to speak in behalf of a cause dear to his heart. In the light of all the evidence offered in Dr. Drury's book it is not difficult to accept his verdict that "Whitman was one link in a chain which bound Oregon to the United States. He was an impoT-s--tant link, but not the whole chain." |
