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WALLA WALLA |
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WALLA WALLA , about 120 miles east of Yakima along I-82 and US-12,
is an uneventful college and agricultural town, known best for its sweet
onions, eaten raw like apples. There's little to see now, but this was
the place where the missionary Dr Marcus Whitman arrived from the East
Coast in 1836. Unsuccessful in his bid to convert the local Cayuse into
crop-growing Christians, he turned his attention to white settlers. In
1843, Whitman helped guide the first wagon-train across the Oregon Trail,
and his mission became a refuge for sick and orphaned travelers. The
Cayuse eyed the ever-increasing emigrants warily, and when measles
spread among the tribe, suspicions grew that they were being poisoned,
particularly as Dr Whitman could help (some) whites but few of the
natives - who had no natural immunity to the disease, which led to the
death of half the tribe. Despite the native tradition that medi-cine men
were liable for the deaths of their patients, Whitman continued to take
on even hopeless cases. In November 1847, a band of Cayuse murdered
Whitman, his wife and eleven others. Fifty more, mostly children, were
taken captive, and although they were later released, angry settlers
raised vigilante bands against the Cayuse. When the story hit the
newspapers back East, it generated such a tide of fear about Native
American uprisings that the government finally declared the Oregon land
(then including Washington) a US territory, which meant the army could
be sent in to protect the settlers - with drastic implications for all
of the area's tribes.
The site where the Whitman Mission was burned down (daily 8am-4.30pm,
summer closes at 6pm; tel 509/522-6360, ; $2), in a lovely little dell
seven miles west of town off US-12, has simple marks on the ground to
illustrate its layout; a visitor center shows a film on Whitman and
exhibits the weapon thought to have polished him off. Of more
quasi-historical interest, the Fort Walla Walla Museum , 755 Myra Rd
(Apr-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; ; $4), is a curious mock-up of a pioneer
village, with sixteen old shacks loaded with antiques and Old West
dioramas.
Greyhound stops at 315 N Second St, a couple of blocks from the visitors
center , 29 E Sumach (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 509/525-0850 or
1-800/743-9562, ). The Walla Walla Suites , 7 E Oak (tel 509/525-4700;
$75-100), provides good basic accommodation , while the Green Gables Inn
, 922 Bonsella St (tel 1-888/525-5501, ; $100-130), is a comfortable B&B
in an old mansion on the east side of town, with private baths in all
rooms. There are a few good eateries, mostly downtown: Merchants Ltd
French Bakery , 21 E Main St (tel 509/525-0900), is a decent spot for
espresso and pastries.
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Vacation Rentals in Walla Walla |
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Walla Walla
 from $120.00
USD |
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