Join us as we explore how Protestant, American missionary Marcus Whitman, shifted his purpose while working with Cayuse and Walla Walla peoples within the Cayuse nation.

Whitman was funded as a Presbyterian missionary and began this work in 1836. After a few years, and the introduction of the new “Oregon Trail,” Whitman made a distinct pivot in his work: away from doing missionary work with Cayuse and Walla Walla people, focusing his time and energy instead on aiding and supplying Oregon Trail immigrants. Americans today, especially those in the West, know of Whitman as a martyred missionary; this talk aims to expand the knowledge of what Marcus Whitman was doing in Cayuse Country and encourage reevaluation of his life and legacy.

Kate Kunkel-Patterson is an interpretive Park Ranger for the National Park Service at Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Walla Walla, Washington. She has been at Whitman Mission NHS since 2020 and has worked for the NPS full-time since she graduated from our own Whitman College in 2013. Holding a degree in history, it is no surprise that Kate enjoys a variety of historical topics. Her passions include working with the public to explore complex histories that challenge assumptions.