Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 22/Document: Whitman Letter

by Marcus Whitman

ARCHIVES OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS

Volume 248—Letter 78

Submitted to the Prudential Committee April 4, 1843

Doct. Marcus Whitman

Left the Oregon country 3d October 1842, & arrived at Westfort Mo. 15 February & in Boston 30 March, 1843. Left unexpectedly & brought few letters. Letters of March 1842—Making changes, had been received & acted on.

The difficulties between Mr. Spalding & the others was apparently healed, Mr. S. promises to pursue a different course. The mission wish to make another trial, with Mr. Smith & Mr. Gray out of the mission. Mr. Gray requests a dismission—Has left the mission & gone to the Methodist settlement—Mr. Rogers also.

Prospects among the Indians more favorable half the year from 30 to 100 & the other half from 100 to 300 attend worship at Waiiletpu & Clear Water,—each attention & advancing somewhat in knowledge—their temporal condition much improved & improving—the traders at Walla Walla decidedly friendly and accommodating.

There is, however, an influx of Papists, & many emigrants from the U. S. are expected. The religious influence needs to be strengthened. The mission therefore purpose request thus:

1. One preacher be sent to join them to labor at Waiiletpu—and
2. A company of some five or ten men may be found, of piety & intelligence, not to be appointed by the Board or to be immediately connected with it, who will go to the Oregon country as Christian men, and who, on some terms to be agreed upon, shall take most of the land which the mission have under cultivation with the mills & shops at the several stations with most of the stock & utensils, paying the mission in produce, from year to year, in seed to the Indians, & assistance rendered to them—or in some similar manner, the particulars to be decided upon in consultation with the men.

The results of this would be

1. Introducing a band of religious men into the country to exert a good religious influence on the Indians & the white population which may come in—especially near the mission stations.
2. Counteracting papal efforts & influences.
3. Releasing the missionaries from the great amount of manual labor, which is now necessary for their subsistance, & permitting them to devote themselves to appropriate missionary work among the Indians, whose language they now speak.
4. Doing more for the civilization and social improvement of the Indians than the mission can do unaided.
5. It would afford facilities for religious families to go into the country & make immediately a comfortable settlement, with the enjoyment of Christian privileges.—Both those who might be introduced upon the lands now occupied by the mission & others who might be induced to go & settle in the vicinity of the stations.
6. It would save the mission from the necessity of trading with immigrants. Those now enter the country expect to purchase or beg their supplies from the mission for a year or two, & it would be thought cruel to refuse provide such supplies.

Fine country for sheep—on the hills. Hudson Bay Co. have now 15,000 or 20,000 & have $800,000 or more to be invested by a collateral company for sheep, stock, lumber, agriculture &c 1000 sheep would not cost much over $100 annually—Mr. Spalding has about 100 sheep.

Shall Doct. Whitman adopt any measures to recover from the Sioux, through the U. S. govt. the value of the property taken from Mr. Gray by them in 1838.

Mr. W. H. Gray asks a dismission to engage in a seminary in the Methodist settlement on the Wilammette.

Rev. H. H. Spalding requests that he may be allowed to remain in the mission, in which request the other brethren unite.

This document has been copied from the archives of the American Board of commissioners for Foreign Missions in the Library at the Congregational House, No. 14 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. Volume No. 248 is labelled ABENAQUIS AND OREGON INDIANS, 1844-1859. In that volume document No. 78 is indexed as "Information given personally by Dr. Whitman in Boston, 1843." The volume contains various letters and reports from missionaries and others, including many pertaining to the murder of Dr. Whitman and subsequent events. Document No. 78 is not in the hand-writing of Dr. Whitman and is not signed. If not written on April 4th, 1843, by a secretary of the Prudential Committee, it obviously was prepared from the records of that committee and bound in among other papers relating to the Oregon Mission, one of which bears date as early as 1828. This document has not been heretofore printed, as far as known, and is now presented, without comment, for the use of those interested in one of the mooted questions in Oregon history.—T. C. Elliott.