Catherine Sager Pringle: Whitman Massacre Orphan
- Apr 25, 2019
- 1 min read
Catherine Sager Pringle
1835-1910
Oldest of the Sager Girls to travel over the Oregon Trail, broke her leg on the Oregon trail lost her parents, on the trail. The seven orphans came to live with DR.Marcus Whitman, and his wife Narcissa, for 3 years, till the Whitman massacre of 1847, which also took the lives of her two brothers John(1831-1847), and Frank(1833-1847)and a younger sister Louise(1841-1847)who died during captivity from the measels.
She was in attendance at the 50th anniversary of the Whitman massacre, where she and her two sisters Elizabeth and Matilda, had to identify the remains of DR. and Mrs Whitman and the bones of her two brothers.
I understand the immense hardships the Sager children faced during their journey along the Oregon Trail and the tragic losses they suffered at such a young age. Their story is a reminder of how different childhood was in that era, shaped by survival rather than play and leisure. In contrast, today’s world allows children to grow up with experiences like playing games such as geometry dash, reflecting how much conditions of life have changed over time.