A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic InformationGray, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information
Gray, W. H. (William Henry)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Oregon Territory -- History
In the fall of 1839, the Rev. J. S. Griffin and wife arrived at Dr.
Whitman's station. Mr. Griffin had undertaken an independent mission, in
company with a Mr. Munger and wife. They had received an outfit from
some warm-hearted Christians of the Litchfield North Association, of
Connecticut. Mr. Griffin reached St. Louis a single man, fell in love
and married on sight, I do not know whether it was first or second. At
all events, Rev. Mr. Griffin and Mr. Munger and their wives consented to
travel together till they reached Fort Hall, at which place Mr. Griffin,
being the getter-up of the mission and claiming ecclesiastical
jurisdiction, took it upon himself to leave Mr. Munger and his wife at
Fort Hall, to take care of themselves as best they could. Frank
Ermatinger, of the Hudson's Bay Company, at once furnished Mr. Munger
and his wife the means of transportation, and brought them to Dr.
Whitman's station, where he knew Mr. Munger could find a place for
himself and wife. This transaction of Mr. Griffin injured his usefulness
as a minister, and left him in the country but little inspected by any
who knew of his conduct to a fellow-traveler and an intelligent
Christian woman. The fact that Mr. Munger afterward became deranged, or
even that he was partially deranged at Fort Hall, or before they reached
that place, is no excuse for his treating a man in that condition and
his wife as he did. Mr. Griffin claims that Mr. Ermatinger stole three
of his horses, or had them hid, when at Fort Hall, to get Mr. Munger and
wife to travel with him, and, by so doing, give the impression that he
had abandoned them. From a careful review of Mr. Griffin's lengthy
defense in this case, we can not conceive that any further change or
correction is required, as the facts stated are by him admitted. From
Mr. Griffin's statement we are satisfied that improper and undue
influences were used to break up and defeat his Indian missionary plans
and settlement by Mr. Ermatinger and the Hudson's Bay Company, and also
to destroy his clerical influence in the country. Unfortunately, Mr.
Griffin gave too much cause for his enemies to do as they did.
In the winter of 1850, Mr. Griffin made an attempt to pass the Salmon
River Mountains to Payette River, to establish a mission among the Snake
Indians in which he failed and found his way into the Wallamet as a
settler, where he still remains.
There were with Mr. Griffin's party some four men, one by the name of
Ben Wright, who hail been a Methodist preacher in the States, but whose
religion failed him on his way over the mountains. He reached the
Dalles, where he renewed his religion under Rev. Mr. Perkins and D. Lee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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