In 1836 Narcissa and Marcus Whitman were among the first Protestant missionaries to go west on the Oregon Trail. Land of the Rye Grass tells their story through the fictionalized characters of Emma and Matthew Fredericks.
The reader is presented with a story of clashing cultures, as the Cayuse Indians, the great horsemen of the Northwest, struggle to adjust to a rapidly changing world. Author C. E. Whitehouse paints an intriguing picture of these proud warriors, creating well-developed characters whose lives add complexity to the narrative and become the driving force of action within the novel.
At the center of this richly textured story are three sisters from Saratoga, New York. The oldest of the three is the headstrong Emma Whittington. She is determined to establish her own mission in Oregon Territory but is forbidden by the Federation of Missionaries to travel alone. Emma calculates a marriage to her younger sister's love interest in order to travel west.
It also includes the poignant tale of the Sullivan family, who leave their successful Georgia plantation to escape the cruelty of the slave trade and an impending Civil War. The story of their travel west along the Oregon Trail is a heartbreaking but accurate depiction of tragedy along the trail.
Land of the Rye Grass is a story of the sacrifice, resolve, passion, and romance of a largely neglected and fascinating chapter of the nation's history. It captures the imagination and indelibly leaves its impression on the heart.
About the Author: C. E. Whitehouse holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and a PhD in literature from Arizona State University. Whitehouse currently works as an RN in intensive care in the Phoenix, Arizona, area.
Land of the Rye Grass was inspired by a love of historically substantial fiction that stimulates interest in the lives and struggles of Americans of various cultures during the nineteenth century. Whitehouse plans to create a sequel, linking the character's lives during the crisis of the Civil War and the Nez Perce conflict.
