Isn’t it sad how this is the case on Patreon but not on any other social media platform that features a messaging system? Why would it be so hard to jump to a patron’s messaging history? We’ve been asking for this basic feature time and time again, but no improvements have been made.
And I fully agree with @patdelavega that it’s fine to rely on email for more advanced features rather than trying to copy the full functionality. A simple messaging system would suffice, but that should include the ability to see previous messages between you and a patron.