Empire of Innocence

            In Patricia Nelson Limerick's Empire of Innocence, the author describes how the pioneers and explorers of the old American West felt about their objectives, and how they viewed the reactions by nature and humanity to their "innocent" journey into the western reaches of the United States. She believed that both the people invading the new lands with their sense of entitlement and the people who were trying to keep their sacred grounds from being overrun by strange new invaders from the east were both somewhat justified in their actions, and at the same time could not be excused for some of the acts they had committed. Because of this mutual misunderstanding, both sides had a different story, and as a result, different views on the matter. What Limerick attempts to do is inform the reader that since both parties involved in the incidents have their own stories that have evolved over time, one must take into account all the information available to come to the most objective conclusion possible.
             One example that Limerick uses to describe this particular case of conflict is the situation of Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, a white female missionary from the east, and the other missionaries she brought with her. Whitman's goal was to convert the "heathen" Indians of the American northwest to what she saw as the one true faith, Christianity. When she left her home with hopes of transforming the hunter/gatherer society of the Cayuse Indians into a peaceful, worshipful society of farmers, she had no idea of the hardships and events that awaited her along and at the end of her journey. Once she reached Oregon country, she set up a lodge/kitchen/mission/church near the famous Oregon Trail. The location she chose doomed here immediately to a restless and hectic existence. She was constantly attending to the needs of hungry and tired travelers, and trying to maintain her original objective of converting the Cayuse.