Elijah White facts for kids

Dr. Elijah White (1806–1879) was an important person in the history of the Oregon Country during the mid-1800s. He was a doctor and a missionary. He also worked for the United States government.

Elijah White first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission. This mission was in the Willamette Valley. Later, he returned to Oregon as the leader of one of the first big wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. He also served as a special agent for the government, working with Native American tribes.

In Oregon, White helped manage relationships between Native Americans and settlers. He even helped settle arguments between the settlers themselves. He left Oregon in 1845 to deliver a message from the Provisional Government of Oregon to the United States Congress. He came back to Oregon in 1850. Then, in the early 1860s, he moved to California.

Early Life and Journey to Oregon

Elijah White was born in New York in 1806. He went to medical school in Syracuse, New York to become a doctor. Before 1836, he got married. He and his wife had a son named Jason and adopted another son named George.

In 1836, White decided to join Jason Lee at the Methodist Church’s mission in Oregon Country. White and his family sailed to the Sandwich Islands. They arrived there in July 1836. Other people on the ship who were also going to the mission included William H. Wilson, Alanson Beers, and Anna Maria Pittman. Anna Maria later became Jason Lee's first wife. While in the Hawaiian Islands, White and his wife taught the Native Islanders. In May 1837, they continued their journey to Oregon.

Life and Work in Oregon

Seal of the Provisional Government of Oregon

After arriving in Oregon, the White family lived at the Methodist Mission. This mission was located along the Willamette River. Sadly, in 1838, White's infant son Jason drowned in the Columbia River. His other son also drowned that year while trying to cross the Willamette River.

Elijah White and Jason Lee, the mission leader, started to disagree. They had different ideas about how the mission should be run. Because of these disagreements, White left the mission in 1841 and went back East.

Leading the Oregon Trail Wagon Train

In 1842, Elijah White led the first large wagon train over the Oregon Trail. This group had more than 100 people. A trapper named Osborne Russell helped guide them. The group started their journey on May 16, 1842, from Elm Grove, Missouri. They had 112 people, 18 wagons, and many animals.

During the long trip, some people in the group became unsure about White's leadership. For a short time, another person, L. B. Hastings, was chosen as leader. The group even split into two parts for a while. François X. Matthieu and other Canadians joined the group along the way to Oregon. White arrived at Fort Vancouver on September 20, 1842, ahead of the main group.

Government Agent and Settler Relations

When White returned to Oregon, he was also an official agent for the United States Government. He was appointed as a sub-Indian agent in 1842. In this role, he helped create a set of rules for the Nez Perce tribe. He also helped calm tensions with the Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes. These tribes lived near the Whitman Mission in the eastern part of the region.

In Oregon, White also taught William J. Bailey to be a doctor. On September 22, 1842, White held a meeting at Champoeg. He told the settlers that the War Department had made him a sub-Indian Agent. He suggested that the pioneers could choose him as their leader. He appointed judges to help solve problems between Native Americans and American citizens, and even between citizens themselves.

Forming a Government

In 1843, White was chosen as one of twelve members for the second Wolf Meeting. The goal of this meeting was to decide if the settlers wanted to form their own government. They were waiting for the Oregon Question to be settled, which would decide who owned the land. White was not part of the final meetings. However, in May 1843, the settlers voted to create the Provisional Government of Oregon.

The next year, White was involved in the Cockstock Incident. During this event, a Native American named Cockstock killed the provisional government’s recorder, George LeBreton. White had tried to capture Cockstock before the violence happened. After Cockstock and two settlers were killed, White worked to ease the tensions between the settlers and Native Americans.

In 1845, White found a new pass through the Oregon Coast Range to what is now Newport, Oregon. Later that same year, he left the region. He carried a request from the Provisional Government to the United States Congress.

Later Life

Elijah White returned to what was then the Oregon Territory in 1850. He came back to help promote a community called Pacific City, Washington. This town was along the Columbia River, near where Ilwaco is today. He worked with James Duval Holman to sell land to new settlers.

In 1861, Doctor White received a second appointment as an Indian agent. This time, his work was for the region west of the Rocky Mountains. He then moved to California. Elijah White passed away on April 3, 1879, when he was 73 years old.