Clarkston, WA to Walla Walla, WA (US 12)
US 12 emerges from the foothills of the Blue Mountains and heads west, entering the valley of the Walla Walla River. The Walla Walla rises in the mountains of southeast Washington/northeast Oregon and flows west to join the Columbia River. Due to its position at the western base of the mountains a micro-climate exists the produces an agricultural paradise with a wetter and more temperate climate than the plateau of the Palouse to the north. Native Americans had long inhabited the valley before the first Europeans entered the area. The Lewis and Clark Expedition entered the valley in 1805 on their way to the Pacific and Fort Nez Perce (later known as Fort Walla Walla) was established near the juncture of the Walla Walla and Columbia Rivers in 1811 and was in operation until 1857. In 1836 Marcus and Narcissa Whitman established a mission about 30 miles west of the fort on the banks of the Walla Walla River in an unsuccessful attempt to convert the local natives to Christianity.
Walla Walla Mission
The Whitmans and another missionary family, the Spaldings, were the first families to traverse what was to become the Oregon Trail in 1836. The Whitmans established their mission on the banks of the Walla Walla, the Spaldings traveled another 120 miles east and founded their mission near present day Lapwai, Idaho. The Whitmans introduced farming to the natives, who previously had followed the seasons foraging across a wide area in search of food. The mission was never very large but served as a stop on the early route of the Oregon Trail. After 1844 the Oregon Trail moved south but frequently those in need of help made the detour thirty miles north to seek help from the Whitmans. The eleven years that the mission lasted were difficult. The natives were resistant as the increasing numbers of settlers traveling on the Oregon Trail precipitated pressure on the tribes throughout the area. In 1841 only 50 settlers traveled the Oregon Trail but by 1847 the number had grown to 5000. In 1847 a measles epidemic spread through the area, killing nearly half of the Cayuse Tribe. When Whitman’s medicines were effective with the white children but not the native children, the natives began to believe that they were being poisoned in an effort to clear the way for the new settlers. On November 29, 1847, the Cayuse attacked the mission and killed the Whitmans.
The Whitman Mission is now a national historic site supervised by the federal government. None of the original structures remain. What is perhaps most striking about the monument is that there has been no attempt to recreate the buildings. Instead the foundations of the buildings are outlined in concrete on the grassy lawns and the rest is left to your imagination. The Walla Walla River has meandered farther south than it was in 1847 and a marsh now borders the edge of the compound. Visitors enter the compound through a modest visitor’s center with displays explaining the history of the area. The center of the small “museum” is a large diorama recreating the moment when the Whitman’s met the local Cayuse leaders. I include this because the detail of the ceremonial clothing is historically accurate.
Exiting the center spacious lawns cover fields where crops were raised and in the distance is a small hill, crowned with a monument honoring the Whitman’s.
The Whitman’s first lived in a small four room house, probably about 20’ by 20’. Buildings in the compound were built of timber with roofs of grass and mud.
The pond that stored water used to run the grist mill perches at the western border of the small compound. The Blue Mountains edge the sky to the east.
As one walks around the site of the compound interpretive signs help explain the structures and events of the mission. By 1847 the Whitmans were living in a much larger “multi-purpose” building. This summarizes the site and events of that fateful last day.
A gentle breeze is blowing across the quiet grounds of the mission where a lone wagon sits on a recreation of the Oregon Trail. With little effort one can imagine the sights and sounds of that long ago time.
The climate and rich agricultural possibilities continued to draw settlers to the area and in 1856 Fort Walla Walla was relocated from the banks of the Columbia River to a site about 7 miles east of the original site of the Whitman Mission. The fort became the western terminus of the Mullan Road, a road constructed in 1859-1869 that connected the Columbia River in the west to the Missouri River on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. The Mullan Road headed north from Walla Walla, crosses the mountains east of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, and ended at Fort Benton on the banks of the Missouri in present day Montana.
Fort Walla Walla
Fort Walla Walla was established on a low bluff above the river valley. Today a museum occupies the site, none of the original structures are present. The museum consists of a number of buildings surrounding a central plaza that essentially are “warehouses” of historical vehicles and farm implements.
I have been here before and didn’t linger long. Here’s an example of the contents of one of the buildings.
Down the hill is a collection of historical structures collected from around the area.
Again, not particularly complete or historically significant, but one of the structures did catch my attention. Henry Baker was the son of a very successful banker and railroad magnate in Walla Walla and in 1900 he built a small Victorian play house for his daughter, Henrietta. Henrietta donated the play house to the museum in 1987 and a local service club restored it to approximate the original condition. Two rooms are contained in the structure.
The city of Walla Walla was formally established in 1862 just northeast of the fort.
Walla Walla
Walla Walla grew rapidly due to its’ proximity to the Idaho gold fields to the west and at one time was under consideration to become the capital of the new state of Washington. After the demise of the gold rush, agriculture rose to primacy as the driver of the local economy and it remains so today. During the last 25 years or so there has been an explosion in the spread of vineyards across the hills surrounding the valley and now Walla Walla is a prime tourist destination for wine lovers. There are nearly 50 wine related businesses in the small central core and over a 100 wineries in the valley. This is a happening place, with a healthy central city full of shops, restaurants, etc., serving nearly 30,000 people in the vicinity. Looming over all is the signature building of southeast Washington, the Marcus Whitman Hotel.
The Marcus Whitman was built in 1928 at the height of the Roaring Twenties. Times were good and no expense was spared in building the crown jewel of the valley.
The sumptuous lobby sets the stage for what was billed as the finest hotel for hundreds of miles around.
The downtown area is a compact, easily walkable core of about six blocks south of the Marcus Whitman. The prosperity of the area and emphasis on wine tourists is clear early on a Sunday morning.
The only large department store in the downtown area is Macy’s, which is located in the historic Liberty Theater, built in 1917.
Just east of the downtown area is a residential street of stunning historic homes. South Palouse Street was the place to live around the turn of the 20th century. The wealthy of the valley displayed their success in beautiful homes that today are an interesting combination of restored private homes and converted apartment buildings, many housing students from nearby Whitman College. Longtime readers of the Lunch Box Journal know of my love for architecture so indulge me on a fascinating walk down the South Palouse neighborhood.
Before leaving Walla Walla I venture out to the airport area where an interesting transformation is taking place. Early in World War II the Department of the Army constructed an Air Force base that housed over 6,000 servicemen. In 1947 the airfield was declared surplus and turned over to the city and county. Today an amazing evolution of the site is occurring. A small modern airport has been built on the western edge of the airfield and the 1940’s era buildings elsewhere are being repurposed as homes to small businesses, tasting rooms and wineries. Just an interesting juxtaposition of the old and new.
Walla Walla is definitely a great place to visit, even for those who are not particularly wine lovers!
Next up: The Southern Border of the Basin
Post a Comment