Fort Walla Walla, one of the longest-occupied military posts in the Northwest, was home to dragoon, infantry, artillery, and cavalry units from 1856 to 1910. There were six forts named Walla Walla: the first three were fur trade forts, the last of which was destroyed during the violence that followed the region’s 1855 treaty council. In 1856 the first temporary military fort was erected up Mill Creek after Governor Issac Stevens told local Indian people to give up their land to settlers or prepare to go to war. A few months later, Colonel Edward J. Steptoe built a larger, temporary fort on the old treaty grounds in what is now downtown Walla Walla. The final U.S. military Fort Walla Walla was completed in 1858. Situated on a one-square-mile military reserve, which includes the museum grounds, the fort was used primarily as a cavalry outpost. The fort's presence helped keep the peace between settlers and the Homeland tribal peoples during much of this period. Soldiers from the fort were only involved in a handful of military engagements, including Steptoe and his men in 1858 and several battles during the Nez Perce and Bannock-Paiute Wars two decades later. After closing in 1910, the fort briefly reopened during World War I as a training base for artillery units.

 
The Museum’s collection of military artifacts, archival photos, paintings, and drawings bring this history to vivid life. Look back on the times and the people involved through stories, documents, and outstanding artifacts, including a 1902 14th Cavalry dress uniform, rare insignia and accouterments from belt buckles to cartridge boxes, and weapons ranging from an 1860 Light Cavalry Saber to a Colt dragoon revolver lost by one of Steptoe’s men. Also on display is the 38-star Garrison Flag, the official flag of the United States in 1877, and a furnished 1910 military officer’s parlor.