Early American Missionaries to Oregon (1830s–1840s)

Key Protestant missionaries who established missions in the Oregon Country:

• Jason Lee (Methodist): Arrived 1834; founded Willamette Valley mission.
• Marcus Whitman (Presbyterian) & Narcissa Whitman: Arrived 1836; Walla Walla Valley mission (Oregon Trail waystation). Killed 1847.
• Henry H. Spalding (Presbyterian): With Whitmans; Lapwai Mission among Nez Perce (Idaho).
• Elkanah Walker (Methodist): Arrived 1838; Umpqua Valley mission; later Army chaplain.
• William H. Gray (Methodist): Arrived 1837; Tualatin Plains mission; became territorial politician.

They brought Christianity, education, medicine, and paved the way for U.S. settlement and eventual territorial acquisition.