The first set of people who spurred American settlement of Oregon were American missionaries to Indians. November 29, 1847, thirteen of these missionaries, including Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa were massacred by a party of Cayuse Native Americans (Whitman Massacre) for allegedly poisoning 200 natives in his medical care. This accusation is now understood to be as a result of Whitman’s inability to end the measles outbreak among the Native Americans, and as a result was held responsible for succeeding deaths.