Pioneering is Risky Business

So, the idea of pioneering may seem exciting to you. If you've been a box-dweller who has just begun to explore your perimeter the land beyond may be starting to take on a glamorous glow. Not to take the wind out of your sails, but be prepared for the unexpected. You just don’t know what you’ll face, and although you may reach your planned destination, you may find some disappointments along the way. In addition, the reason why you choose to make the journey may not be the legacy you leave behind.  I've learned some of this from the story of an American pioneer woman named Narcissa Whitman.

I had never heard of Narcissa Whitman and her husband, Marcus, before I began delving deeper into my study of pioneers. She and her husband left Western New York State with another couple in 1836 to head for Oregon Territory as missionaries to the Cayuse tribe of Native Americans. They started a mission near what is now Walla Walla, Washington. Here are a few things I've learned from her story.

The most important reason to make the journey is in answer to the call. Both Marcus and Narcissa had committed their lives to following Christ and had individually volunteered for missionary service among the Native Americans of the western frontier. Though willing and able, Narcissa was not accepted as a missionary at first because she was a single woman. Marcus received his appointment as a missionary doctor and could have made the journey as a single man, but it was expected that missionaries be married. (Jeffrey 1999) The Whitman’s marriage was very likely a result of their individual callings and mutual commitment to following the missionary call rather than a romantic attachment. They started for the Pacific Northwest the day after their marriage. (Narcissa Whitman biography 2013)

We each have a calling. Part of discovering that calling is a willingness to do whatever it takes to fulfill that calling. How committed are you and I to answering the call?

Someone has got to be first. The Whitman’s successful arrival in Oregon Country proved to a skeptical society that women could actually make such a difficult journey. Narcissa and her companion, Eliza Spalding, were the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains. As a result of her willingness to pursue a pioneer missionary calling, Narcissa had opportunities and experiences that would never have been open to her if she had remained in New York State. She taught, led worship services, studied the Nez Perce language, and ran the mission while her husband was away.

Because Narcissa Whitman made the journey, countless women after her traveled across the continent and settled in the Northwest and on the west coast. Are you and I willing to make the difficult journey into new territory so that others can benefit from our experiences?

The journey may cost more than you bargained for, but there is no going back. A cost for Narcissa Whitman was that from the moment she left home after her marriage she never saw her family again. Although she was able to correspond, the time in between receiving letters from home was long. Many of her letters were published after her death, leaving behind a very personal description of her experiences. She was often lonely, but found comfort in caring for her daughter, Alice. Tragically, another cost of her pioneer life was the loss of Alice, at the age of 2 to an accidental drowning.  

Although the Cayuse were initially friendly and curious in listening to the Whitman’s message, after eleven years not one converted to Christianity. (Jeffrey, Narcissa Prentiss Whitman 1999) Many Cayuse began to feel threatened and angry at the increasing presence of whites in their territory. The final cost for the Whitman’s was their death, with eleven others, on November 29, 1847 at the hands of several Cayuse who, in addition to feeling  threatened,  were angry that Dr. Whitman had not been able to prevent many Cayuse from dying after an outbreak of measles. (Biography of Marcus Whitman 2013)

Although some costs can be foreseen, others cannot. Are we willing to risk the unforeseen in order to venture beyond the comfortable into the unknown?

Making the journey is really more important than the success of the journey.  Although the Whitman Mission was not successful in converting the Cayuse to Christianity, the Mission became a welcome stop along the Oregon Trail for many a weary traveler. The Mission was often a wintering place for other pioneers before they headed to their ultimate destinations. The Whitman Mission is now a National Historic site and the Whitman’s legacy continues to be discussed. The Whitman’s are not remembered so much because of their missionary work, but because they made the journey across the continent and helped others to do the same.

When we begin our journey as pioneers we are not guaranteed success, but if are we willing to make the journey anyway, we just might open the way up for someone else. Wouldn't you consider that success?

Visit the National Parks Service website for more information on the Whitmans and the Whitman Mission National Historic Site.

Works Cited

Biography of Marcus Whitman. February 20, 2013. http://www.nps.gov/whmi/historyculture/marcus-biography.htm (accessed March 13, 2013).

Jeffrey, Julie Roy. "Marcus Whitman." In American National Biography.Vol.23, by John A., and Mark C. Carnes. Garraty, 278-281. New York: Oxford UP, 1999.

Jeffrey, Julie Roy. "Narcissa Prentiss Whitman." In American National Biography, Vol. 23, by John A., and Mark C. Carnes. Garraty, 279-281. New York: Oxford UP, 1999.

Narcissa Whitman biography. March 10, 2013. http://www.nps.gov/whmi/historyculture/narcissa-biography.htm (accessed March 13, 2013).