Pioneer Village

Pioneer Village

Union Schoolhouse

Museum docent Sherilyn Jacobson tours the museum’s Pioneer Village with a stop in the Union Schoolhouse. This one-room schoolhouse was built in 1867 and would have taught students of varying ages in one class.

Questions for students: For what events were students excused from school, and why would that have been important? How was school back then different than school as you know it today? What other responsibilities did teachers have besides teaching students?

Pioneer Doctor’s Office

Museum docent Sherilyn Jacobson continues the tour of the museum’s Pioneer Village with a stop in the Doctor’s Office. While state-of-the-art for the 1870s, this one-room cabin is very different from a modern doctor’s office.

Questions for students: Name the three doctors who practiced in early Walla Walla. What other contributions did they make to their community? Think about some differences between a modern doctor’s office and the one you see here in the Pioneer Village. Which would you rather visit for your health and why?

Pioneers

Pioneers

The Fur Trade Forts

Richard Monacelli of Frenchtown Historical Society talks about the fur trade forts at Wallula that preceded the American permanent presence in the Walla Walla Valley.

Questions for students: Why was this location chosen for a trading post? What are the four rivers mentioned in this video? Who owned the fort? Where did the people come from who worked at the fort? What caused this fort to be abandoned?

The Story of the Whitman Mission

Ranger Mike Anderson of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site tells the story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman’s Mission and its role in the settlement of the region.

Questions for students: What was Marcus Whitman’s goal? How did the Indian People first respond to Marcus Whitman? How did Whitman help change the landscape of the Walla Walla Valley? What were some events that helped sour relations between the tribes and the Whitmans? How many people were killed during the attack on the Mission? What were some consequences of the killings at the Mission?

The Ox Shoeing Stock

During the westward expansion of the 19th century, oxen were the preferred animal to pull loaded wagons across the Great Plains and over the mountains. This type of stock was used to hold and position the animal so it could be safely shod with two iron shoes per hoof. Oxen were important work animals and were later used by farmers and loggers to pull equipment and heavy loads.

Questions for students: What is an ox? Why were they preferred to horses and mules on the Oregon Trail? Why do farriers need a special chute to shoe an ox?

Lettice Reynolds: A Pioneer Woman

This is the story of Lettice Millican Clark Reynolds, the pioneer woman associated with the museum’s Clark Cabin. Lettice was the first white woman to reside in the Walla Walla Valley after the Whitman tragedy. She journeyed to the area to prove up the land claim and complete the cabin on her own after her husband’s unexpected early death.

Questions for students: What challenges facing Lettice Reynolds made it such an accomplishment to finish off the land claim? What different ways of making money (in this region and time period) do Nellie and Lettice discuss during the interview?

Hen Lee’s Story: Chinese Residents in the Walla Walla Valley

Myron Huie portrays Hen Lee, a prominent Chinese businessman who lived in Walla Walla.

Questions for students: Why did Chinese people come to Walla Walla? What were some challenges Chinese people faced? Why were Chinese called sojourners? What were some of the jobs that many Chinese people had here?

Military History

Military History

The Many Forts Walla Walla

In all, there were six Forts Walla Walla. The earliest three forts were fur-trading posts. After the Treaty of 1855, there was increased violence between incoming settlers looking for land and the Indian people already living here. The next three forts were military posts, the last of which converted to a veteran’s hospital.

Questions for students: What are two reasons the fur trade fort was abandoned and transformed into a military post? How did the fort support the local economy? How does this old fort continue to benefit Walla Walla?

Colt Dragoon Pistol from Steptoe’s Battlefield

Executive director James Payne talks about the history of this pistol and tells the story of Steptoe's Battle.

Questions for students: What was one disadvantage of this Colt Dragoon revolver? What made the Indians see Steptoe’s troops as a threat? How was Steptoe able to retreat with his men?

World War II Photographs

Technical Sergeant Bill Mach was stationed at the Walla Walla Army Air Base during World War II. He was assigned to the photo lab as a base photographer and documented the people and planes at the base. Luckily, he sent copies of his best photos home to his family, where they were preserved for many years.

Questions for students: Why is this collection important, and what information can we learn about Walla Walla from these photographs? What are some of the ways the city was different in the 1940s? What are some differences between the city in the 1940s and today? Which was your favorite photograph and why?

 The Indian People of the Walla Walla Valley

 The Indian People of the Walla Walla Valley

Homeland and Place Names

Bobbie Conner of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute talks about the native languages of this region and the names given to landmarks and areas in these languages.

Questions for students: What are the three tribes making up the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation? What are the three languages traditionally spoken by these tribes? What kind of information could be learned about a place from its name? What is one native word or name you would like to remember?

First Foods

Bobbie Conner and Randal Melton of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute talks about traditional foods, how they were hunted or gathered, and their importance in tribal life in the past as well as today.

Questions for students: What are some foods you learned about in this video? Why would the tribes move around from place to place? What did Salmon say, according to the creation story? What are some tools or weapons used for getting food? How could foods be preserved, and why do you need to preserve them? How would men and women contribute differently to getting the tribes ready for winter?

Welcoming Lewis & Clark

Bobbie Conner of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute describes the Walla Walla People meeting Lewis and Clark.

Questions for students: Who was the chief that greeted and spoke with Lewis and Clark? What was the ceremony and dancing about? How and why did Lewis and Clark view it differently than the Indians? What were the Expedition’s goals? What was the significance of the Nez Perce delegation?

The 1855 Walla Walla Council and Treaty

Bobbie Conner and Randall Melton of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute discuss the 1855 Treaty Council and the Treaty’s effects on the life of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Questions for students: About how much land did the tribes consider their homeland? How much land was promised in the Treaty as a reservation? What was an argument the government made to the Indians for why a reservation was necessary? How is the treaty still relevant today?

The Lloyd Family and their Indian Neighbors

Fort Walla Walla Museum's Lloyd Collection features many Plateau Indian items like woven bags, beadwork, and baskets. The collection documents decades of positive relations between the Lloyd family and their Indian neighbors. Artifacts from this collection are on display in rotation at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

Questions for students: Why did Palouse Chief Big Thunder and settler Albert Lloyd get along? What are some of the ways in which the Lloyd family fostered positive relationships with their Indian neighbors? Why do you think the Lloyd family kept these gifts for so many years?

 Transportation & the Growth of Walla Walla

 Transportation & the Growth of Walla Walla

The Prairie Schooner on the Oregon Trail

Museum docent Sherilyn Jacobson continues the tour at the prairie schooner in the museum’s Grand Hall. Smaller than a Conestoga wagon, pioneers also used the schooner while heading west to claim territorial land.

Questions for students: What was the main reason pioneers wanted to move west? What kinds of things did the pioneers have to pack for the journey along the Oregon Trail? What would be your top three items to take on a long road trip? How do those differ from what the pioneers would have taken?

The Abbot-Downing & Company Passenger Wagon

The museum’s iconic red and yellow stagecoach was built around 1903 and used for races at the fairgrounds and in parades during Frontier Days in 1913. Stagecoaches were an important means of transportation that would eventually be replaced by steam-powered boats and trains.

Questions for students: What are some differences between a Concord coach and the museum’s passenger wagon? What are some advantages of traveling by steamship or train over stagecoach? Which rule of stage travel do you think would be most important for passengers to know and why?

Dorsey Baker’s Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad

Museum docent Gary Lentz heads over to the Blue Mountain, the oldest surviving locomotive to run in Washington State. Learn about how Dr. Baker built his narrow-gauge railroad at this stop on your virtual school tour.

Questions for students: What was at Wallula that the railroad provided easier access to? How did the addition of a railroad change life in Walla Walla? The town of Walla Walla didn't want to help support the railroad at first. What could have happened if they decided not to?

For more information visit our Blue Mountain Locomotive Exhibit online!

The Horse-Drawn Fire Engine

Fort Walla Walla Museum meets up with retired Walla Walla Fire Department Captain Russell Kroum, who talks about the history of the city’s fire department and the story of the museum’s horse-drawn fire engine.

Questions for students: Why would the city of Walla Walla burned down so easily, and what is different about the city today? Why would it have been important to have a system in place to get the horses hitched to the wagon so quickly? What are some of the reasons fire helmets look the way they do? What are the benefits of the leather helmet’s design?

Agricultural History

Agricultural History

Memories of the Tompkins Centennial Farm

We interviewed Ron Tompkins about his family’s farm, founded in 1889 by his grandfather, Richard Tompkins. This dryland wheat farm north of Walla Walla saw many changes in farming methods and was home to the first privately owned grain elevator in the region, which is still in use today by the McGregor Company.

Questions for students: How did Richard get his start farming in Walla Walla County? What is the bulk system, and how does it relate to the elevator and sack sewers? What was done by Ron’s dad instead of plowing, and what is often done today? What was Ron’s favorite part of farming?

The Cook Wagon

This kitchen on wheels served an essential function during the wheat harvest. The cooks and their helpers were up and prepping food to feed crews of fifteen to forty workers. This sustenance gave the laborers enough energy to work long days during the summer harvest.

Questions for students: Why was the cook such an important part of the crew during the wheat harvest? What are some of the factors that made the cook’s job difficult? What are the differences between working in a cookhouse and cooking in a home kitchen?

Sheep Ranching in Eastern Washington

From the late 19th to the early 20th century, sheep ranching was big business in eastern Washington. Sheepherders moved their large flocks to higher elevations in the spring and summer. When they were far away from the ranch, many lived out of sheepherder wagons, like the one on display at the museum.

Questions for students: Why were the sheep moved to different locations each season? What are some of the reasons sheep ranching eventually declined in this region? Why was a sheepherder wagon important for a sheep operation?

Stationary Threshing Operation

This video demonstrates the process of harvesting wheat around the early 1900s. All the machinery on display in building 2 of the museum functioned together to make a wheat harvest possible.

Questions for students: Describe the journey of the wheat from being cut to the thresher and the different machines involved. What was water needed for? How big ere the crews needed for a harvest like this?

Harvesting Wheat with a 33-Mule Team

This video demonstrates the process of harvesting wheat with a horse- or mule-drawn combined harvester. Our Museum’s combine is a 1919 Harris model.

Questions for students: What are the advantages of harvesting with a combine over a stationary threshing operation as in the previous video? How many men were needed to operate the combine an what were their roles? How many acres could a combine harvest in a day?

Early Agriculture: Scythe and Binder

In this video, Museum docent Charles Saranto explains the development of agriculture in the region in the mid-1850s, demonstrates the use of a scythe, and explains how a mechanized binder eventually replaced it.

Questions for students: Why was the development of agriculture important in this region? Why did people harvest grain? Would you rather use a scythe or a binder? What were the benefits of using a binder over a scythe to harvest green grain?

Parada 22: La Alqueria Saturno

Parada 22: La Alqueria Saturno

La granja Saturno, que incluye casa, jardín y viñedo, representa parte de la historia de la comunidad italiana de Walla Walla.

La comunidad de inmigrantes italianos financió y erigió la estatua de Cristóbal Colón frente al palacio de justicia del condado de Walla Walla. Los italianos experimentaron a menudo prejuicios étnicos. Como Colón era italiano, era una forma de hacer que la identidad italiana fuera aceptada como estadounidense y de demostrar tanto orgullo por su identidad étnica como su patriotismo.