Mary Walker Speaking Tour

Most of my work lately on Mary has been research and some work on the book. This week I am going to be doing a speaking tour for home school students and parents. We will start at the site of Mary Walker's home at Tshimikan near Spokane, WA. We will folow the route she rode, still sidesaddle as she had ridden across the United States, to visit the nearest neighbors. It was 70 miles and involved an overnight camp stop. She will meet Jane Klyne McDonald, a fur traders wife and her family. Mary and the other missionary woman who will live at Tshimikan, Myra Eells, will stay with the McDonalds for six weeks while the rough huts will be made more livable. (They never did have wood floors, windows or stoves in their ten year residence).

Mary Walker Prologue

Letter to my grand daughter

Dear Amelia Mary,
On your ninth birthday I want to tell you the story of
another Mary who made a big decision about her life and
her future when she was nine years old.
Mary Walker was born April 1, 1811 in what was
then the province, not yet a state, of Maine.
As a young girl she attended church services every
Sunday with her family.
In the 1820's when Mary was nine, a great religious
revival began in the United States. Men who had been or
were planning to go to Africa and India to tell people about
God, traveled around America to speak about their missions
and to raise money for them.
The missionaries would inspire local congregations
to form “mite societies” in which everyone agreed to give a
penny or “mite” every week for the mission work.
During this time nine year old Mary decided she too
would become a missionary. She determined to do this
when she was nineteen. Although it took her longer than
she first thought Mary fulfilled her dream and ambition but
not where and how she had planned
Mary kept a journal which we can read today to learn about
her life. I hope you enjoy and learn from this story of Mary Walker.

Love from Grandma Kitty