Wheat has been harvested in the Walla Walla Valley since the mid-1800s, first grown on the Hudson’s Bay Company farm. Hear from Tom Williams about farming and preserving this historic site.

Join the festivities happening at Fort Walla Walla Museum!

Meet Pioneer Santa for pictures and holiday stories in the Grand Hall. Kids can enjoy a creative crafts table, and refreshments will be served with a side of holiday cheer. The event is admission-free for visitors looking to shop the Museum Store and participate in the holiday festivities without touring the museum.

Staff and volunteers are pleased to offer complimentary gift wrapping for all holiday purchases made in the Museum Store on this day, and all store purchases help support the museum.

The perfect family activity for when it gets too cold outside!

Technological innovations have always paralleled how quickly we can communicate with each other, from carrier pigeons to phone calls and text messages.

Presenter John Jamison will share how the invention of the telegraph became interwoven with the history of railroad expansion.

The “What If” radio is airing again!

For those of you who remember the fun (and frights) of last year’s “The War of the Worlds” performance, you are in for a treat! The What-If radio will be brought back to broadcasting life once again.

History is populated with 'ghosts'. Ghosts who created the past but are no longer physically among us. On the "Haunted Halls of History" we will resurrect a few of our local 'ghosts' and share them with our listening audience.

Tune in to KFWW, 1859 on your radio dial, and listen in.

Enjoy light refreshments, included with admission. Tickets start at $10 for Fort Walla Walla Museum guests and $5 for Museum members.

How did the Columbia Basin desert become a breadbasket to the world?

William Tye is an assistant conductor working for Dorsey Baker's Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad. Tye will be discussing his job working on the locomotives, including how these narrow-gauge steam engines operated and how they were configured (have you ever heard of a platform of dogs being used in place of a cowcatcher?). He will also give some history on the local railroad, how it was brilliantly financed by Dr. Baker, and what it took to bring the railroad to Walla Walla. He'll also describe how the track itself was constructed and explain exactly what "Rawhide Railroad" refers to, clearing up some myths and legends surrounding Dr. Baker's famous enterprise.

During their visit, guests can see one of the locomotives William Tye would have operated. The Blue Mountain is the last existing narrow-gauge engine from Dorsey Baker's WW&CRR. If the weather permits, William Tye will show visitors the train's components and describe the missing pieces that would have allowed the train to operate.

The marvelous Gary Lentz will be portraying William Tye.

Fort Walla Walla Museum and Baker Boyer Bank invite you to mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad with an admission-free, fun-packed day at the museum.

Join us for a day of fun, food, and community spirit!

The museum will open at 10:00 a.m., with La Monarca food trucks arriving at 11:00 a.m. There will be a Living History walking tour of the grounds, where historical characters will share their insight on the railroad and its creator, Dr. D.S. Baker.

The anniversary ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. The first 1,000 guests will receive free food vouchers up to $10 per person, commemorative coins, and tote bags.

Selected student project entries will be displayed and honored at the celebration, and children can ride a mini train around the museum’s grounds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., courtesy of Costume Creation’s “Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” train.

Community organization partners will also be present, offering information and activity booths that will excite everyone in the family. These include Northwest Grain Growers, Dayton Historical Depot, Children’s Museum of Walla Walla, Kirkman House, and Columbia Rail. Learn more about Dr. D.S. Baker and his “Rawhide Railroad,” which connected the agricultural powerhouse of Walla Walla to the world.

Columbia Rail will be bringing several pieces of locomotive history to share, including two cabooses, the historic Abraham Lincoln business car, and the SW1 #104 (manufactured in 1939 and one of the oldest in-service diesel locomotives).

Please check our Facebook page for the most up-to-date information. To learn more about the Blue Mountain, check our blog. If you would like to support our preservation efforts, you may make a donation through our website.

Schedule of Events

All Day Free admission, kids activities, community partner tables

10 a.m.–12 p.m. Columbia Rail train tours

10 a.m.–2 p.m. Living History Walking Tour

11 a.m.–2 p.m. Chugga Chugga Choo Choo mini-train rides

11 a.m.–2 p.m. La Monarca food trucks

Noon Railroad Songs with Glenn Morrison & Jimmye Turner

1 p.m. Anniversary Ceremony

3 p.m.–5 p.m. Columbia Rail train tours

Thank you to Baker Boyer Bank for sponsoring this event.

Born in New York City on December 29, 1831, Badeau later became a clerk in New York City's Street Department.

In 1862, Badeau joined the Union Army during the American Civil War and was commissioned as a captain. Badeau joined the staff of Ulysses S. Grant as a brevet lieutenant colonel and military secretary in 1864.

During this time, Badeau and Grant became close friends. Badeau took part in the Wilderness and Appomattox campaigns and received promotion to brevet colonel. He remained on Grant's staff until 1869 and left the Army for disability; he held the permanent rank of captain and the brevet rank of brigadier general.

Among Badeau’s talents, he studied law and attained admission to the bar in 1855. He was a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, as well as authoring newspaper columns and magazine articles. Later in life, Badeau assisted Grant with the research, fact-checking, and editing of his autobiography.

Stan Southern will portray A. Badeau.

William McBean was born in Canada about 1806 and came to the Walla Walla region in 1846. He became the chief trader in charge of the Hudson’s Bay Company fort at the time of the Whitman killing in 1847. He left Fort Walla Walla in 1855 during the Indian Wars and later returned to the region with his Indian wife and children. McBean continued to reside in Walla Walla and was active in assisting various Catholic institutions until his death in 1892.

McBean will be bringing his display of trade goods to share with visitors. Questions are always appreciated.

Herbert Niccolls, Jr. was the youngest inmate ever incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary. He was born into a troubled family, witnessed his father kill a neighbor lady, caused problems in foster homes, and was sentenced to the Idaho State Industrial School. When his grandmother gained custody, she often beat him and deprived him of food "because of his sins.”

At age 12, the boy ran away from her home wearing ragged overalls and a stolen gun. Cold and hungry that night, he broke into a local store to steal cigarettes, gum, and cash. When the local sheriff discovered his hiding place behind a cabinet and called him out, his blindly-aimed shot killed the beloved lawman almost instantly.

What followed was a drama that would gain national attention, including a campaign supported by Father Flanagan of Boys Town, who declared, “There’s no such thing as a bad boy.” His story included years in the penitentiary, a diploma from Walla Walla High School, and an eventual career as an accounting executive for Twentieth Century Fox.

The aging Mr. Niccolls will be portrayed by Chuck Hindman.

Richard Bogle was born in Jamaica in 1835 where his parents were slaves. When he was 12 years old, he stowed away on a ship to New York during an anti-slavery campaign, and traveled to Oregon with a wagon train at age 16. When he was 22, he opened a restaurant and barbershop in Deadwood, California, where he also did some gold mining. On January 1, 1863, the day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln, Bogle married America Waldo. The couple moved to Walla Walla, where he started a barbershop on Main Street, making him the first black businessman in Walla Walla on “proprietor of the tonsorial parlors at No.3 Second Street.” They had eight children and owned a 200-acre farm near Dixie.

Walla Walla was a segregated city when the Bogles arrived. African Americans could not get rooms at a hotel or eat in public dining rooms. Mr. Bogle often allowed African Americans who were temporarily in town to live in the rear of his shop, where they could keep warm and cook an occasional meal. Mrs. Bogle was said to be “a lady of estimable character, noted for her deeds of charity to the poor and suffering.”

He was a co-founder of the Walla Walla Savings and Loan Association.

Richard Bogle is portrayed by Earl Gooding Jr. 

From a single acre planted in 1932 on a dryland farm outside Athena, Oregon, the green pea industry in the Blue Mountain District grew through the throes of the Great Depression to eventually encompass over 100,000 acres.

A Walla Walla Sweet Onion may have many layers, but a smartly dressed Victorian-era genteel lady may have more. Some of you have heard described the many layers of clothing a woman of the 1880s had to wear to be considered properly dressed. Good clothing cannot be too revealing. Fashion and function both feature an appearance in this ensemble. Come watch as the layers are thoroughly explained as they are removed down to intimate garments. Of course, the disrobing will be done in the most modest and ladylike manner and is guaranteed to be a family-friendly performance.  Join us for an hour of entertainment and education about the delicate nature of Victorian-era modesty and style.

Historical re-enactor, Living History performer, and historical fashion maven Diane Somerville will lead this educational Living History event. She is known for her past performances portraying Walla Walla’s Madame, Josephine Wolfe, locally known as Dutch Jo.

Not too long ago, horses were replaced by “speed wagons”, motorized vehicles. Fort Walla Walla Museum is excited to recognize that history with the American Truck Historical Society, which will host its annual truck show.

Come out for the day and see locally owned, vintage trucks, pickup trucks, vintage cars, and “old iron” on display. Meet the owners and enjoy stories about their vehicles and equipment. The Annual Truck Show includes the Blue Mountain Chapter members’ vehicles and equipment, which reflects the road transportation history, and the connection with the region.

This is the perfect event for families. There will be live music, food, fun, and all manner of fine vehicles.

Mary Anne Walla Walla will make her debut at Fort Walla Walla Museum on Sunday, September 7th. The daughter of Peo Peo Mox Mox, the head chief of the Walla Walla tribe, Mary Anne will speak of her family.

Mary Anne Walla Walla is portrayed by Judith Fortney

Come with us on a steam-powered living history performance at our museum. The reenactment embodies the legendary Henri Villard “The Comet,” a pioneering railroad financier. Prepare to be mesmerized as Villard brings to life the incredible tale of immense accomplishment - the building of investments required for the construction of the Northwest, known as The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Listen in when Villard recounts the moment when his dream became a reality, linking East to West with steel tracks and steamboats. Don't miss the chance to experience the thrill of Henri Villard's vision and immerse yourself in the captivating railroad history that shaped the Northwest.

After the performance, visitors can explore our museum's historic locomotive exhibit about The Blue Mountain, locomotive #4. This exhibit will leave you in awe as you bear witness to the magnificence of historic locomotives that powered the growth of our nation, transporting goods and people across vast distances.

Villard is portrayed by retired Whitman College faculty member Clark Colahan.

Dan Clark, one of the originators of the Living History’s successful presentations, breathes life into Walla Walla’s first Mayor, E.B. Whitman. He’s played this favorite character for many a season. You won’t want to miss his polished delivery to get a sense of Walla Walla’s interesting history as the oldest city in Washington state.

When Mother Joseph and Sister Catherine arrived in Walla Walla in late 1863, they found a small town of only 50 families. These Sisters of Providence had great vision, though. “That place promises to become important,” wrote Mother Joseph.

Edmund Barron, a local banker, donated two blocks of land for a hospital, academy, and institutions. A year later, St. Vincent Academy opened. There, the sisters taught school and took in women boarders, while visiting the sick and homebound. It was to be a great undertaking, the Walla Walla Statesman noted the sisters had “hardly a dollar of their own to purchase the first brick.” But the townspeople rallied.

Portrayed by Susan Matley.

French-Canadian priest John Baptiste Abraham Brouillet, a Québéçoise, came to the Walla Walla Valley in September 1847, just a few weeks before the incident at Whitman Mission. He established his own mission about 25 miles south of the Whitmans shortly after he arrived. Although Father Brouillet and Marcus Whitman had some disagreements when Catholic priests first came to the valley, they nevertheless developed a friendship.

Brouillet was on his way to Whitman Mission to verify a rumor of a terrible occurrence and found the Whitmans’ bodies, along with eleven others, killed on the scene. A handful of Indian warriors responsible for the slayings were still present. When he arrived, Joseph Stanfield, a Métis, was preparing the bodies for burial, and Brouillet helped inter them. Brouillet also helped arrange the release of 60 captives taken at the Mission.

Father Brouillet went on to become a pioneer figure in Walla Walla’s Catholic institutions, purchasing the land for St. Vincent’s Academy in 1863 and founding Saint Patrick’s School for boys in 1865. He also founded Des La Salles school for boys, which later became Desales High School.

Father Brouillet is portrayed by ski instructor, woodworker, and retired teacher, Jeannot Poirot.

Whitman Professor Matthew Reynolds’ book about Maya Lin and the Confluence Project came out last spring. The first scholarly monograph devoted exclusively to this vital work of contemporary public art, this book examines Maya Lin’s Confluence Project through the lens of environmental humanities and Indigenous studies.

Pioneer missionaries Cushing and Myra Eells arrived in the Valley in 1838. They settled among the Spokane Indians until the tragedy at the Whitman's mission in 1847, when they moved to the Willamette Valley.

They returned to the Walla Walla Valley at the close of the Indian wars in 1859 to reclaim the mission grounds at Waiilatpu, the Whitman Mission site. There, Cushing decided to found an educational institution, the Whitman Seminary. In 1883, the institution became Whitman College as a result of the Eells' efforts, which continued throughout their lives.

Reverend Eells is portrayed by Whitman College professor Rogers Miles.

Lettice Millican was born in 1830, the oldest of 12 children. In 1843 her family headed west with a wagon train carrying 1,000 settlers. After her family settled in the Willamette Valley, she married Ransom Clark, who in 1855 obtained a 640-acre donation claim along Yellowhawk Creek.

Lettice and her husband came to Walla Walla to prove up their claim in 1855 but were driven out by the Indian War of that year.  Ransom Clark died in Portland in 1859, and Lettice returned to Walla Walla the same year to complete their cabin, which is now located in the Museum’s Pioneer Village.  She was the first white woman to reside in the Walla Walla Valley after the Whitman tragedy, later marrying mill owner Almos Reynolds and becoming a public benefactor who made substantial gifts to Whitman College.

Lettice Millican Clark Reynolds is portrayed by Pam Myers.