We Who Survived

The children of the Indian Massacre and the Whitman Mission of the mid 19th century in Oregon Territory, USA, get together 20 years after the event to discuss their various points of view.

We Who Survived - 1- John Young's Request

1880 John Quincy Adams Young Recently I have been thinking a lot about how important it is to write down the story of my life. I am still a...

We Who Survived - 2 - Catherine Sager Pringle

Catherine Sager Pringle March 25, 1880 I have just received this letter from Catherine Sager Pringle, which is quite encouraging. She was the eldest...

We Who Survived - 3 - Note from Catherine - part 1

Notes from Catherine Pringle about her first experiences at Whitman Mission part 1. We reached Umatilla on October 15th, 1844, and lay by while...
Cherry

We Who Survived - 4 - Note from Catherine - part 2

Part 2. Owing to the location and the evaporation in the spring of alkali ponds near by, Waiilatpu was not healthy. The mill pond was near by, and we...

We Who Survived - 5 Oscar Canfield and Matilda Sager Fultz

Oscar Canfield April 17 One of the families that survived the massacre almost completely were the Canfields. Mr. Canfield, believing that his wife...
Cherry

We Who Survived - 6 Susan Kimball and Elizabeth Sager

Having received Susan Wirt's address from Catherine Pringle, I wrote to her, telling of my book writing project and also of the possibility of...
1 likes
Cherry

We Who Survived - 7 Meeting in Astoria

July 24, 1880 I have delayed writing any more of my story as I wanted to include all the memories of those we would be meeting at the reunion. Oscar...

We Who Survived - 8 Meeting in Astoria - continued

“We had to work for the Indians. Dr. Whitman had two or three hundred bushels of onions and potatoes, and so on, in his cellar, and we youngsters had...

We Who Survived - 8 Catherine and the Indians

September 15 Having met Susan Kimball Wirt, who obviously had not been badly scarred by her experience with the Indians, I was looking forward to...

We Who Survived -8 - Note from Catherine - part 2

We were now captives of a horde of savages. The house we were held captive in was a large, square adobe building, containing five rooms, one being a...
Cherry

We Who Survived -9 Lorinda Bewley

September 28 Mrs. Pringle provided me with an address for Lorinda Bewley Chapman, (pictured above) and I wrote to her. She has now replied and sent a...

We Who Survived -10 Eliza Spalding and Nancy Osborne

October 5 It took several letters before I got in contact with Eliza Spalding Warren. When my father and brother and I were working the mill, after...
Cherry

We Who Survived -11 Gertrude Hall and more from Catherine

October 17th, 1880 I have received a surprise letter from far away. August 5, 1880 Consul General's Office Shanghai China Dear Mr Young, Your letter...

We Who Survived -12 Mary Cason and Rev Henry Spalding.

I have finally had a reply from Mary Marsh Cason. November 10, 1880 Spray, Wheeler County Dear Mr. Young, I am sorry for the delay in writing to you...

We Who Survived -13 Poison Theory and Mrs. Saunders

December 5 I know I am rather going all around the houses with these notes, but I need to put things down, and the order is often not clear, as so...

We Who Survived -14 - Trip to Sheridan - part 1

April 15, 1881 In the spring, I started making arrangements for my visits to see Lorissa Bewley and Eliza Warren. I planned to go by train, so I was...

We Who Survived -14 - Trip to Sheridan - part 2

“I understand that it was your father who wrote to Mrs. Whitman's relatives, telling them about the massacre. Do you have a copy of that letter?” I...
Cherry

We Who Survived -14 - Perrin Whitman and the Indians -part 1

May 5 I have one more trip to make to research my book. I took a train down to Walla Walla, and then will be taking another one south from there...
Cherry

We Who Survived -15 - Perrin Whitman and the Indians -part 2

“And Narcissa criticized too, did she?” I asked Perriin. “Aunt Narcissa valued polish, mental culture, and tasteful domestic arrangements. She saw...

We Who Survived -16 - Perrin Whitman and the Indians -part 3

The Indian started, “When the white men arrived at Waiilatpu, Dr. Whitman built a mill, and the Indians who lived there took their grain to it, and...

We Who Survived -17 - Visit to the Sager Sisters part 1

May 15, 1881 My last leg of my journey is to go to see the Sager sisters at Prineville. I took a train from Walla Walla to Richmond and rented a...

We Who Survived -18 - Visit to the Sager Sisters part 2, Epilogue

Wanting to bring Mary back into the conversation again, I asked them about our shared trip after the ransom had been paid. “How did you deal with the...