Whitman Mission National Historic Site — Attraction in Walla Walla

In 1847 the Methodist missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and 11 others were murdered by the local Cayuse tribe in what became known as the Whitman Massacre.

The Whitmans had established a mission in Cayuse territory in 1837 near the Walla Walla River in Waiilatpu. Later established as a major stop along the Oregon Trail and with increasing numbers of immigrants passing through on their journey to the Oregon Territory, tensions flared with the Cayuse. After a devastating measles outbreak in 1847 killed half of their local tribe (including most of their children), the Cayuse blamed the Whitmans and killed them in an attack.

In 1848, as a response, Congress established Oregon as a US Territory. The Cayuse War followed.

In 1936, the mission site was established as the Whitman National Monument. In 1963 it was rededicated as a National Historic Site.

The Whitman Mission NHS commemorates the Whitmans and the major role that Marcus Whitman played in establishing the Oregon Trail. Besides the visitor center (with theater and small educational bookstore), there is a Whitman Memorial, several mission building sites, and blacksmith shop and...

We went on a Sunday, over Labor Day weekend. It wasn't busy, plenty of parking. Very clean. The Rangers were very friendly and helpful! The building has AC, it was over 90° out, this really mattered! The loop to walk around the Whitman Home site is flat and well maintained. All that's left of the buildings is what looks like stone pavers marking where walls once stood. It would have been interesting to see what things the Whitmans would have brought with them along the Oregon Trail, what they had to make along the way, and how the local Cayuse people influenced their lives. This site also offers an area for kids to touch animal furs, and see the types of food the Cayuse would have eaten through out the year, and a couple different tipis they built. There is also a room with clothes and tools that both the Whitmans and Cayuse would have used and information about the goal of the Whitmans and...

I brought of group of 36 students from Washington State university to the site to learn about the event that took place at the Whitman mission and to understand the context in which it happened. The video was extremely helpful to provide an account of the event from the perspective of the Whitmans and that of the native tribes involved with testimonies from historians and members of the Cayuse tribe. The guided tour took us around the grounds and the ranger provided additional details that were very helpful to help our group better understand what happened. Most of the students in our group had not heard about the Whitman mission incident and were very engaged and many reacted very emotionally to what they learned. So it was a very educational and enriching visit that I would recommend to anyone living in Washington/Oregon or visiting the area! A big thank you to the...