Prattsburgh in Steuben County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Narcissa Prentiss

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2022

1. Narcissa Prentiss Marker

Inscription. A memorial to
Narcissa Prentiss
Student of Franklin Academy
Wife of Dr. Marcus Whitman
First white woman to cross the
Rocky Mountains
Dr. and Mrs. Whitman gave their all
to save Oregon for the United States
Massacred 1847 by Indians

Erected 1928 by Franklin Academy Alumni Association; and the State of New York.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1847.

Location. 42° 31.454′ N, 77° 17.361′ W. Marker is in Prattsburgh, New York, in Steuben County. It is on Naples Hill Road (New York State Route 53) just north of Chapel Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located on the south lawn of the Prattsburgh Central School grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Academy Street, Prattsburgh NY 14873, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

and in the Southern Tier.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

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in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Rev Henry Harmon Spalding (within shouting distance of this marker); Prattsburgh Honor Roll (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pioneer Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Chateau Frank (approx. 6½ miles away); a different marker also named Chateau Frank (approx. 6½ miles away); Site of the Office of Marcus Whitman M.D. (approx. 6.9 miles away); Henry Harmon Spalding (approx. 8.4 miles away); Red Jacket (approx. 8.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Prattsburgh.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . Narcissa Prentiss Whitman (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was an
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2022

2. Narcissa Prentiss Marker
Looking north. Prattsburgh Central School in background.
American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington. On their way to found the Protestant Whitman Mission in 1836 with her husband, Marcus, near modern-day Walla Walla, Washington, she and Eliza Hart Spalding (wife of Henry Spalding) became the first documented European-American women to cross the Rocky Mountains. In 1847, a measles epidemic broke out among the native population, which lacked immunity to the disease, and it spread quickly. The American population had some limited immunity to measles which meant a lower mortality rate than the natives. This discrepancy stirred discontent among the natives who felt Marcus was only curing the white people while letting Indian children die. The resentment boiled over on November 29, 1847, when natives attacked the mission, killing both Whitmans.

(Submitted on November 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.