{"product_id":"murder-at-the-mission-a-frontier-killing-its-legacy-of-lies-and-the-taking-of-the-american-west-paperback","title":"Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBlaine Harden\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinalist for the 2022 \u003cb\u003eWill Rogers Medallion Award\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Terrific.\" -Timothy Egan, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003eA riveting investigation of both American myth-making and the real history that lies beneath.\u003cb\u003e\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e-\u003c\/i\u003eClaudio Saunt, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eauthor of \u003ci\u003eUnworthy Republic\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eEscape From Camp 14, \u003c\/i\u003e a \"terrifically readable\" (\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e) account of one of the most persistent \u003cb\u003e\"a\u003c\/b\u003elternative facts\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e in American history: the story of a missionary, a tribe, a massacre, and a myth that shaped the American West \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1836, two missionaries and their wives were among the first Americans to cross the Rockies by covered wagon on what would become the Oregon Trail. Dr. Marcus Whitman and Reverend Henry Spalding were headed to present-day Washington state and Idaho, where they aimed to convert members of the Cayuse and Nez Perce tribes. Both would fail spectacularly as missionaries. But Spalding would succeed as a propagandist, inventing a story that recast his friend as a hero, and helped to fuel the massive westward migration that would eventually lead to the devastation of those they had purportedly set out to save. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs Spalding told it, after uncovering a British and Catholic plot to steal the Oregon Territory from the United States, Whitman undertook a heroic solo ride across the country to alert the President. In fact, he had traveled to Washington to save his own job. Soon after his return, Whitman, his wife, and eleven others were massacred by a group of Cayuse. Though they had ample reason - Whitman supported the explosion of white migration that was encroaching on their territory, and seemed to blame for a deadly measles outbreak - the Cayuse were portrayed as murderous savages. Five were executed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis fascinating, impeccably researched narrative traces the ripple effect of these events across the century that followed. While the Cayuse eventually lost the vast majority of their territory, thanks to the efforts of Spalding and others who turned the story to their own purposes, Whitman was celebrated well into the middle of the 20th century for having \"saved Oregon.\" Accounts of his heroic exploits appeared in congressional documents, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLife\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, and became a central founding myth of the Pacific Northwest. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Exposing the hucksterism and self-interest at the root of American myth-making, \u003ci\u003eMurder at the Mission\u003c\/i\u003e reminds us of the cost of American expansion, and of the problems that can arise when history is told only by the victors.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlaine Harden is a contributor to \u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e, PBS\u003ci\u003e Frontline\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eForeign Policy\u003c\/i\u003e, and has formerly served as\u003ci\u003e The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e's bureau chief in East Asia and Africa. He is the author of\u003ci\u003e The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eEscape from Camp 14\u003c\/i\u003e, an international bestseller published in 27 languages; \u003ci\u003eA River Lost\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eAfrica: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent\u003c\/i\u003e, which won a Pen American Center citation for a first book of non-fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 480\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.3 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 26, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978440638765,"sku":"9780525561682","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/bm1ZUnRCR3lTSFU1RjVIMXN5Y3BOZz09.webp?v=1775805173","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/murder-at-the-mission-a-frontier-killing-its-legacy-of-lies-and-the-taking-of-the-american-west-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}