launched towards placing a statue of Marcus Whitman in the rotunda of the National Capitol at Washington.[1]
Nor has there been greater unanimity of opinion in the country at large. In New England the name of Whitman has been ranked with that of Lincoln.[2] A student from the Middle West held that he was not above the stature of a third or a fourth rate man.[3] Barrows, in the East, made him the central figure in his history of "Oregon,"[4] while Garrison from the South in an intensive study of the ten year's of "Westward Extension" covering the period of his greatest influence, had room for but two sentences relating to Marcus Whitman.[5]
What are the sources of information in regard to the life and work of this variously estimated man? The greatest single collection of source material is to be found in the correspondence between Whitman and his associates and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. This correspondence is now on file in the Archives of the American Board in the Congregational House, 14 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., where "Persons who come with clear certification as to their character and motives are allowed to examine these manuscript letters and documents in the rooms during office hours, from 9 A. M. to 5 P. M., excepting Saturday afternoons."[6] Unfortunately this correspondence is quite out of the reach of the average student. It ought to be published at the earliest moment for the benefit of all who are interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest.
Another important set of Whitman manuscripts is also located outside of the State. This is the collection of letters written from Oregon by Doctor and Mrs. Whitman to friends and relatives in the East, and contained in the Library of the Oregon State Historical Society, Portland, Oregon. Fortunately these letters have been published, and are easily accessible in public and private libraries.[7]
The most important Whitman collection in the State of Washington is owned by Mr. C. B. Bagley, of Seattle. In addi-
- ↑ Seattle Daily Times, June 21, 1908, Magazine Section, p. 3.
- ↑ J. Wilder Fairbank, in New Haven Evening Register, February 19, 1901.
- ↑ William I. Marshall, in American Historical Association, Annual Report for 1900, v. 1, p. 232.
- ↑ Barrows, William. Oregon, the Struggle for Possession. Boston. Houghton, 1884. (American Statesmen Series.)
- ↑ Garrison, George Pierce. Westward Extension, 1841-1850. N. Y. Harper, 1906. (Hart, A. B., Ed. The American Nation), v. 17, p. 38-39.
- ↑ Letter to the compiler from Dr. E. E. Strong, Corresponding Secretary, A. B. C. F. M., under date of October 26, 1908.
- ↑ Transactions of the Oregon Pioneer Association for the years 1891 and 1893 contain copies of most of the Whitman letters owned by the Oregon State Historical Society.
