October 7th
Last week we reported that Narcissa could “scarcely find as much time” as she wanted for writing. Now we find that there are no more entries until October 18, so while she and Eliza wait for Marcus and Henry to return and take their wives to the missions, we’ll take a little break from the journey to Walla Walla. We’ve listed some of the books we are using for these posts below in case you’d like to read one yourself.
The Narcissa Prentiss House had a very successful summer. The number of visitors was up significantly. Two classes of students came in June, then we had over 50 visitors during July and August. We’re hoping that these Facebook posts have piqued interest. Our other annual publicity is our Knit for Narcissa campaign and craft show attendance. Next week we’ll let you know at which craft shows we will have a table. We have lots of small stuff in addition to our scarves, and this year we have a limited number of hat and scarf sets.
Bibliography:
“Where Wagons Could Go, Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding”, Clifford Merrill Drury, editor, 1963
“Converting the West, a Biography of Narcissa Whitman”, Julie Roy Jeffrey, 1991
“On Sidesaddles to Heaven, The Women of the Rocky Mountain Mission”, Laurie Winn Carlson, 1998
“Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the Opening of Old Oregon, Volume I”, Clifford M. Drury, 1986 (paperback)
“South Pass: Gateway to a Continent”, Will Bagley, 2014 (Not particularly about the Whitman Spalding journey, but an interesting book about the discovery of and subsequent travel through South Pass. Bagley quotes several naysayers about females making the trip.)