Student Report Resources

The Whitman Mission web site contains a great variety of information, there are links to related sites, and new articles are constantly being added. This page is designed to help you find the information you need. Use the topics below to start your search.

The People: Missionaries, Native Peoples, Fur Traders, and Emigrants

Photographs

Whitman Mission National Historic Site

The National Park Service

Activities

Search Ideas

Books for Sale

The People: Missionaries, Native Peoples, Fur Traders, and Emigrants

The Whitmans came to "Oregon Country" to save the souls of the Indians. In addition, their lives were entwined with those of Hudson Bay Company personnel and other fur trappers. When the emigrants finally started coming, the Whitmans helped the early travelers on the Oregon Trail. Information about these groups is available at the "History and Culture" section of this web site. These pages also provide links to other relevant sites.

Human History - Overview

Cayuse & Other First Peoples

Fur Traders & Explorers

Whitmans & Missionaries

Oregon Trail

After 1847

A book about the Whitmans is available on line:

Whitman Mission National Historic Site by Erwin Thompson.
Published in 1962, this book was part of the National Park Service's Historical Handbook series. It gives a concise summary of the Whitmans and the events at Waiilatpu.

Photographs

There are no known photographs of the Whitmans or their mission. Photographic technology was still relatively new at that time and had not reached this area by the 1840s. The website does contain photos taken after the time of the Whitmans including photos of the Cayuse people, photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and modern photos. These can be located on the Park's Orientation Page:

Park Information and Orientation

Whitman Mission National Historic Site and the National Park Service

Information about the history of Whitman Mission National Historic Site and links to sites about the National Park Service System can be found on the Whitman Mission History page:

Whitman Mission NHS History

Activities

Whitman Mission's Kid's page has crafts and other activities that may be useful for a report or presentation.

Kid's Page

Search Ideas

In addition to looking for information about the Whitmans, looking for information about the other American Board missionaries in Oregon, early travelers and Oregon Trail emigrants could be helpful. Also try using significant events of their lives and times.

The other American Board missionaries who worked with the Whitmans were: Rev. Henry Harmon Spalding and his wife Eliza, Rev. Elkanah and Mrs. Mary Walker, Rev. Cushing and Mrs. Myra Eells, Rev. Asa and Mrs. Sarah Smith, and Mr. William and Mrs. Mary Gray. Historian Rev. Clifford M. Drury played a vital role in gathering information about these people. He wrote several books about this group.

Dr. Whitman returned from the east in 1843 with the "Great Migration."

In 1844 the Whitmans took in the seven Sager children who were orphaned on the Oregon Trail.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Whitman were from western New York. Because of all the religious revials held in that area in the early 1800s, this area became known as the "Burned-Over District." Searchs using this pharse could help locate information relevant to the early lives of Marcus and Narcissa.

Books for Sale

Books about the Whitmans, Columbia Plateau tribes, and related issues are available from the Park's bookstore. Stop in or order off the web:

Park Bookstore

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Webmaster: Renee Rusler
Last modified on: March 6, 2004