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Walker, Mary Richardson; Coleman, Rufus A. (Editor); Phillips, Paul. C (General Editor) : Historical Reprints. The Diary of Mary Richardson Walker, June 10-December 21, 1838. Sources of Northwest History No. 15

State University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers with staple binding. Black lettering printed on front cover. No date, circa 1931. 6 3/4" x 9 1/2." Nineteen pages, complete. Pages and covers are very clean and intact except for light age toning throughout and slightly bumped corners. A Near Fine copy. "Sources of Northwest History No. 15." "Reprinted from the Historical Section of The Frontier, a magazine of the Northwest, published at the State University of Montana, Missoula. Vol. XI, No. 3, March, 1931." This issue contains reprinted diary entries kept by Mary Richardson Walker (1811-1897), an Oregon missionary who married fellow missionary Elkanah (also, Elkaneh) Walker (1805-1877), between June 10 and December 21, 1838. The entries contained herein were transcribed by William S. Lewis of Spokane around 1917 who had viewed the original manuscripts in the ownership of the Walkers' son, Cyrus Walker. Most of the pages have printed footnotes, some of which comprise diary entries by missionary Myra Eells (nee Fairbanks; 1805-1878), the wife of missionary Cushing Eells (1810-1893), that were written on the same day as Mary's entries. Mary writes about the her journey west to Waiilatpu, the location of the mission established by Marcus Whitman (1802-1847) and his wife, Narcissa Whitman (nee Prentiss; 1808-1847). In addition to the Eellses and Whitmans, Mary writes of other missionaries including Mr. and Mrs. William H. Gray and Henry H. Spalding (also, Spaulding; 1803-1874) and his wife, Eliza Spalding (nee Hart; 1807-1851). Mary writes about many different subjects including weather, daily routines, various state of her health, riding her horse (she rode most of the journey side-saddle), meeting Indigenous people, geologic formations, soda springs, local towns, arriving at Waiilatpu, lodging arrangements, evangelism, and the birth of Cyrus and taking care of him in his early days. Waiilatpu was the location of the Whitman Massacre, also known as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu, in which the Whitmans and eleven other settlers were killed when a group of Cayuse men attacked the settlement. The Walkers and Eellses were not at Waiilatpu when the massacre happened, and they later moved to Oregon City. Tensions between the Waiilatpu missionaries and Cayuse and Nez Perce tribes had been brewing for years. The tipping point for the Whitman Massacre was a measles outbreak which disproportionately affected Cayuse populations while white settlers remained relatively unscathed (measles and other diseases were introduced by European explorers and settlers to North America which decimated many Indigenous populations on account of the latter not having acclimated immune systems). Upon the outbreak, a group of Cayuse men were convinced that the reason for so many Cayuse succumbing to the disease was that Marcus Whitman, also a physician, was sabotaging them in some manner. The ensuing massacre leveled all of the mission buildings at Waiilatpu. Settlers then demanded that five Cayuse be punished in retribution. A group of five Cayuse men, the Cayuse Five, surrendered themselves in the hopes that it would placate the settlers. The Cayuse Five were tried and hanged for the massacre even though their guilt and court jurisdiction were not established. The Whitman Massacre was a key factor that prompted the Cayuse War.. Book. Book Condition: Collectible-Near Fine (Near Fine). Binding: Soft cover

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