Children of the Trail

Children of the Trail. . This was the Oregon Trail. Travelers who made it this far usually drove on to settling places farther west, after stopping for food, medicine, and a brief rest... , ...But for seven children who arrived here in October 1844, it was a tearful homecoming. Their parents, Henry and Naomi Sager, had died on the 2,000 mile (3,200 km) journey from Missouri. The six oldest children, shepherded by a kindly doctor from their wagon train, pulled up here with the dilapidated remains of their wagon after seven arduous months on the trail. When Mrs. Whitman greeted them with a smile, the children thought she was "the prettiest woman we had ever seen." , The Sager baby arrived several days later with another family, and the Whitmans, who had lost their only child five years earlier, adopted all seven. , The 1847 Indian attack three years later made the Sager girls orphans again. Among the killed were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the two Sager boys; John and Francis. The victims are buried together at the Great Grave. , The Sager Children , 1844 , John - Age 13 yrs. , Francis - Age 12 yrs. , Catherine - Age 10 yrs. , Elizabeth - Age 7 yrs. , Matiida (sic) - Age 5 yrs. , Louise - Age 3 yrs. , Henrietia - Age 5 months . . This historical marker was erected by National Park Service. It is Near Walla Walla in Walla Walla County Washington