This Village was the first part of this Museum complex. Since the Museum started, the Pioneer Village has immersed visitors and schoolkids in the historic frontier days.
The Bertillon card of a prisoner brought to Walla Walla Penitentiary in 1917.
Bertillon cards recorded identifying measurements and a mugshot.
Prisoners in a “bucket cell like those on display at the Museum.
The Prison once included a typewriter repair workshop. Prisoners were active in many different crafts.
Penitentiary jute mill in 1914.
Carl Penner, one of the Museum’s founders, donated this building and these mules to give a more accurate sense of what farming was once like.
It took many men, many mules or horses, and good cooks to have a smooth harvest.
Dorsey Baker built the Territory’s first railroad. Baker’s Blue Mountain Locomotive is the oldest surviving railroad in Washington.
A panel from True Comics No. 22 (1943)
Going counter-clockwise, this exhibit takes you through different eras of the final Fort Walla Walla.
The 14th Cavalry band had a bear as a mascot. Military bands often participated in parades and events in town, and soldiers’ baseball teams helped popularize the sport here. As Walla Walla was peaceful for much of the fort’s history, there was opportunity for fun and games.
Four videos featuring our partners at Tamástslikt Cultural Institute on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition meet the Walla Walla People.
Illustration of the meeting with Yellept by local artist Norman Adams.
This gallery covers the history of the military fort and the Indian People of this region.
Fort Walla Walla troops at Target Meadows in the Blue Mountains for target practice. After smokeless powder came to be used by the military, target practice was moved off of Fort Walla Walla grounds for the safety of the town.
Beautiful beadwork and a story of generations of positive interaction.
Walla Walla’s location near large major rivers and trails and the construction of the Mullan Road helped make an important stopping point for miners and settlers going inland from the coast.
Walla Walla 2020’s historic marker for the Mullan Road can be seen on 13th Avenue.
Welcome to Fort Walla Walla Museum! Please listen to the audio below for a quick orientation of the Grand Hall. Look for similar signs throughout the museum for more audio and video stops. Enjoy the tour!
Remember that you can apply today’s admission toward your membership — free and unlimited entry with membership, plus a discount in the store and quarterly newsletter. Fort Walla Walla Museum is proud to discover, preserve, and share Walla Walla regional heritage.
