Rev. Marcus Whitman

Thirty years after the Lewis and Clark expedition Rev. Marcus Whitman packed all his earthly possessions in a wagon and, with his bride, trekked across the plains and mountains, over what became known as the Oregon Trail, to the Walla Walla country as a missionary to the Indians. Impressed with the beauty and richness of the country, he seemed to have lost sight of his special mission, as seven years later he took the trail back to civilization, there to urge his countrymen to follow him in the possession of this new land. Western emigration. - Acting as guide for this band of emigrants, recruited largely in New England, he led them ever westward in the all but impossible journey of nearly 4,000 miles. The story of the hardships and perils, the labor, sickness, and starvation, the fight with Indians and nature, serves again to prove the sturdiness, self-reliance, and courage of the pioneers of America. Sterling qualities of racial stock. - Every advancing step in the progress of our Nation emphasizes the sterling qualities of the racial stock that, handed down to succeeding generations, has given the urge and the will to do, the fruits of which are today enjoyed by a prosperous and happy posterity. Boundary adjustment. - These men and women, who so bravely followed Whitman over the Oregon Trail, saved that great country to the United States. The cry in 1846 was "The British must go - The whole of Oregon or none - 54-40 or fight." In the spirit of fair play and justice, the differences with Great Britain were adjusted, the boundaries were fixed, and another great step in the expansion and settlement of our Nation was accomplished.