On November 29 , 1847 , Cayuse Indians massacred the members of the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla . Cushing Eells and Elkanah Walker were supposed to be at the Whitman Mission during the time of the massacre , but Elkanah Walker took ill , and Cushing Eells did not want to leave the families without support . As members of the Oregon Volunteers chased the Indians , it brought them closer to the Tshimakain Mission . One of the Indians involved in the massacre had family at Fool 's Prairie , now Chewelah , to the north of the Tshimakain Mission . The Chief Factor John Lee Lewes of Hudson Bay Company Fort Colvile offered to house the missionaries up at the fort for their safety . At first they delayed going to the fort as the Spokane People wanted them there and would provide support . As the chase of the Cayuse Indians involved in the massacre stretched out , they finally sought the safety of the fort
Whitman Mission
Whitman massacre
Tshimakain Mission