Dr. Whitman was a missionary who wanted to take wagons over the mountains from Missouri to Oregon. People had been to Oregon on horseback, but no one had ever taken a wagon because the road was nothing more than a rough, narrow trail. Many people helped Dr. Whitman and his small group of travelers along the way, and they all pleaded with him to leave the wagons and use pack mules instead. Dr. Whitman refused to give up on his dream, but it didn’t turn out the way he expected.