Across the Plains in 1844

"Across the Plains in 1844" is a memoir written by Catherine Sager Pringle, who chronicled her family's harrowing journey on the Oregon Trail in 1844. The Sager family included seven children, and their trip was fraught with danger due to accidents and disease. Unfortunately, both parents died along the way, leaving the orphans to fend for themselves. The children eventually made it to the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla, Washington, but their safety was still uncertain. In 1847, the mission was attacked by members of the Cayuse tribe, resulting in the deaths of the Whitmans and others. Catherine was among those taken as hostages, but miraculously survived the massacre. Through her writing, Catherine provides a firsthand account of the struggles and tragedies faced by pioneers on the Oregon Trail.