How a national mythology was made from massacre episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 12, 2026 · 15 MIN

How a national mythology was made from massacre

from Offbeat Oregon History podcast · host Finn J.D. John

After the missionaries at Waiilatpu were wiped out by a military expedition of the Cayuse tribe, a crafty missionary named Spalding fabricated a wild, patriotic whopper of a phony story about them, and sold it to the nation. It was believed for more than a century afterward. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2403b-1010a.marcus-whitman-2of2-091.639.html)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 12, 2026

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How a national mythology was made from massacre

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