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Primarily Me 3: Spending Time Outside
The Primarily Me Challenge
How do we know about the past? Most of what we know comes from what people left behind. Everything from what they wrote to what they created is a record of life lived. Each record, or primary source, tells a story about people, how they lived, and the environment they lived in. What will people in the future know about how we live today? That depends on what we leave behind!
You can also find each challenge and responses by following along on social media using #WMNHSPrimarilyMe!
Spending Time Outside
The panoramic image above shows the trees, fields, and pond at Whitman Mission as well as the fields and mountains surrounding the park. We know some of the ways people used these places in the past because they recorded it through primary sources like oral histories and journals. How do you think people might have used these places in the 1800's?
The mountains that surround the park are called the Blue Mountains. Many Cayuse people would go to the Blue Mountains to gather berries and hunt large animals for food. The missionaries used the trees from the mountains to build things. There were not as many trees around the mission site then as there are now.
Today, people still use the mountains for all of these things and more!
Today, people still use the mountains for all of these things and more!
The pond in the picture is a mill pond. It was not always here. The missionaries built it so they could use the water to power a grist mill. A grist mill is something that is used to grind wheat to make flour for baking.
The open fields in the picture are inbetween two rivers and are much lower than the tall mountains in the background. Places that are lower are also warmer. Some Cayuse families chose to spend the winter in this area because they would be warmer and could get water from the rivers.
The Whitmans settled here because there was a Cayuse village, but they used the rivers and fields, too. The missionaries used some of the fields to plant food like wheat and an apple orchard. The picture shows that some of the fields around where the mission stood are still used as farmland today.
The Whitmans settled here because there was a Cayuse village, but they used the rivers and fields, too. The missionaries used some of the fields to plant food like wheat and an apple orchard. The picture shows that some of the fields around where the mission stood are still used as farmland today.
Activity 3: How Do You Spend Time Outdoors?
Where is your favorite place to be outside? What do you do when you are there?
Primarily Me challenge number three is to record your favorite outdoor spot. It could be your backyard, somewhere you visited on a trip, or a nearby park! Think about why that spot is your favorite. Maybe it’s the best place to play your favorite game or to spot your favorite animal. Maybe it makes you feel happy, adventurous, or calm. When you record your favorite spot, try to show why it is important to you and what you do there.
Since you may not be able to go to your favorite spot right now, you could create an album of photos from your last visit, draw what you remember, or write a story about the last time you went there.
Ready for the next challenge? Go to Primarily Me 4: Journals.
Last updated: February 13, 2021