July 2012 - Walla Walla Lifestyles

history

lifestyles in the Walla Walla Valley

T H E VA L L E Y ’ S P E O PL E , W I N E & F O O D

July 2012

21

$3.95

Walla Walla Celebrates 150 years

Supplement of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

Stylish

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Summer

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Earthie

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Rents, starting at $925, afford you beautiful, spacious apartments, full-size kitchens, big roomy baths, and washers and dryers in every apartment—no dragging the laundry down the hall! Plus twice-monthly housekeeping service. Even a moneyback guarantee—and no long-term commitments. Compare it with other senior-style communities, and you’ll see there’s no place like Affinity!

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(509) 337-4041 www.AffinityatWW.com 1706 Fairway Drive • Walla Walla, WA 99362

2 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

We Care About Your Comfort 613 N. Main Street Milton-Freewater 541-938-5162

Open 8am to 6pm Monday-Saturday

saagershoeshop.com

194891

Schedule a visit and receive a FREE frozen yogurt* at the Blue Palm.

AFW-056 194521

Call (509) 337-4041 or visit www.AffinityatWW.com for more information.

Taos

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GilbertAutoHonda.com | Gilbert Auto Honda 1240 Commercial Dr, College Place | 888.785.5970 Prices do not include taxes & fees including $150 negotiable documentary service fee. No tax to Oregon buyers. All offers expire 6/17/2012. This is a combination offer not to exceed $1,000. Actual items subject to change depending on availability. *0.9% APR for 24-36 months or 1.9% APR for 37-60 months. For well qualified buyers and buyers that qualify for the Honda Graduate Program criteria. Special APR offer valid on new and unregistered 2012 Pilot Models from May 1, 2012 through July 9, 2012, to well qualified buyers on approved credit by Honda Financial Services through participating dealers. Must take new retail delivery on vehicle from dealer stock by July 9, 2012. Not all buyers may qualify. Higher rates apply for buyers with lower credit ratings. Example for 2012 Pilot: 0.9% for 36 months financing at $28.16 a month for every $1,000.00 financed.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 3

“Bes ted o V

t of the B est ”

Locally Owned and Operated

By Kerry Lees & Family • Chapel • Church • Graveside • Serving All Faiths • Serving All Cemeteries • Courtesy Hospitality Room (Seats 85 at Tables)

• Crematory on Site • Pre-Arrangement Plans • Flexible Prices & Services • Competitive Price Guarantee • Convenient Location • Large Parking Lot • Catering Available • Horse Drawn Carriage Available

Get Cultured.

Summer Hours

(Casket or Urn)

President Licensed Funeral Director

Shelley Anthony, BMS

Sun-Fri 10 am-10 Pm Sat 7 pm-11 pm

Licensed Funeral Director

Caring Professionals Serving the Walla Walla Valley & Milton-Freewater Since 1940 1551 Dalles Military Rd. • Walla Walla • 525-3397 • mountainview-colonialdewitt.com

1417 Plaza Way, Walla Walla (509) 876-2389 www.bluepalmyo.com 193747

Licensed Funeral Director

Kerry Lees

197270

Elizabeth Brandt

Blue Palm Frozen Yogurt

Sueno hecho en realidad “A dream made into reality”

Join us for the third annual

DUNHAM DAYS!

Celebrating harvest and the best in life: Wine, Art, Food and Music.

Save the Date

FRIDAY . AUGUST 24

DAYS

6 - 10 p.m.

Live Music, Food by Andrae’s Kitchen, Wine by the glass. No Cover.

24-26, 2012

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Library Tastings with the Winemakers.

Additional fee for special tasting.

WINE . ART . FOOD . MUSIC

SATURDAY . AUGUST 25

SUNDAY . AUGUST 26

{

HANGAR LOUNGE REVIVAL ONE NIGHT ONLY - AUG. 24

DUNHAMCELLARS.COM/DDAYS

We invite you to sample our hand crafted Spanish wines, enjoy our patio, and sit by our fire pit.

Tasting Room Open Friday thru Sunday 11am to 5pm or by appointment.

Now Serving Sangria!

Complementary Wine Tasting with this Ad 194888 CL

10 a.m. - Join us for Brunch. $20/person, RSVP required.

4 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Sept 8 • 6-10 pm

Salsa Music, Dancing, Food & Wine

201163

AUGUST

Salsa Under the Stars

}

WALLA WALLA VALLEY 85728 Telephone Pole Road Milton-Freewater, OR 97862 (541) 558-3656 or (509) 220-2514 castillodefeliciana.com

July 2012 PU BLISH ER

E DITOR ’ S C OMMENTS

/ by Rick Doyle

Rob C. Blethen E DI TOR

Rick Doyle

You can’t talk about the Walla Walla Valley without talking about roots. Whether they be the roots of plants or the roots of the people who populate this area, agriculture and history go hand in hand here.

One of the things that makes the Walla Walla area’s history so inviting is that it is recent enough for you to find people whose families participated in the major developments of the region. This year we celebrate Walla Walla’s 150th anniversary.

In recognition of this significant event, Lifestyles, with a contribution from the city of Walla Walla’s Sesquicentennial Fund, has put together a special historical section. Take a trip down memory lane and see how this city began its journey.

Sticking with the history theme, tour the 1909 home at 145 Thorne St. Current owners Susan Monahan and Mark Brucks are only the fifth owners of the home, which has stayed true

to its turn-of-the-century look.

While it is always fun and instructional to look back, there are a lot of things going on today that are just as exciting and which may eventually become part of the lore of Walla Walla.

History is written one day at a time. With that in mind, photographer Kimberly Miner spent the day with the Rev. Patrick Kerst to document a day in the life of a priest.

Walla Walla Community College has already inscribed many accomplishments in the local history books. The Wine Culinary Institute may soon fill another page. The idea was to create a world-class and affordable culinary program with a hospitality emphasis. That’s a perfect fit that blends the past with the present.

Walla Walla’s future may hinge on such businesses as Walla Walla Wine Barrels and the Chocolate Shop. You can find out more about them in this month’s issue.

Enjoy!

A DV E RT I SI NG DI R EC TOR

Jay Brodt M A NAGI NG E DI TOR

Robin Hamilton PRODUCT ION M A NAGER

Vera Hammill A RT IS T IC DIR ECTOR / DE SIGN ER

Steve Lenz CON TR IBU T ING W R IT ER S

Paul Gregutt, Robin Hamilton, Kimberly Miner, Karlene Ponti, Diane Reed.

PHOTOGR A PH ER S

Colby Kuschatka, Greg Lehman, Kimberly Miner, Diane Reed.

SOCI A L MEDI A A ND W EBSIT E

Jennifer Henry PRODUCT ION STA F F

Ralph Hendrix, Chris Lee, Steve Lenz, Sherry Burrows SA L E S STA F F

Masood Gorashi, Jeff Sasser, Donna Schenk, Colleen Streeter, Mike Waltman COPY E DI TOR

Chetna Chopra E DI TOR I A L A SSIS TA N T

Karlene Ponti A DM I N IS T R AT I V E A S SIS TA N T

Kandi Suckow COVER: Lois Hahn, Rod Hahn and Ron Klicker portray Josephine “Dutch Jo” Wolfe, John Abbott and Capt. John Mullan. Wolfe was the owner of a popular brothel, Abbott established the first stage line in the Walla Walla Valley and Mullan built the Mullan Road, which linked Walla Walla to Fort Benton, Mont. Photo by Colby Kuschatka FOR E DI TOR I A L I N FOR M AT ION

Rick Doyle rickdoyle@wwub.com Robin Hamilton robinhamilton@wwub.com FOR A DV E RT I SI NG I N FOR M AT ION

Jay Brodt jaybrodt@wwub.com PLEASE LIKE US

197894

Union-Bulletin.com

PLEASE FOLLOW US

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 5

table of contents

JULY 2012

ThE WinE AdVisER Paul Gregutt rambles through some refreshing and surprisingly complicated rosés.

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WhAT’s nEW in W2?

What’s New in W2? Ryan Konen turns wine barrels into cabinets, benches and planters, among other useful and attractive items. What goes together better than wine and chocolate? Nothing, say the makers of a new chocolate-infused wine, Chocolate Shop.

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FOOd Walla Walla Community College’s Wine Country Culinary Institute cooks up courses for students and cooking aficionados.

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A dAy in ThE liFE OF A PARish PRiEsT Photographer Kimberly Miner has always wondered what a day in the life of a priest might look like. She tagged along with the Rev. Patrick Kerst (Father Pat) for a day and recorded what she saw.

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suMMER dAnCE The Walla Walla Summer Dance Festival is leaping ahead, bringing classical ballet, hiphop and modern dance to local stages. Informal lectures, demonstrations and a hip-hop class are all on tap for July 21-27.

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hisTORiC hOMEs An American bungalow gets a loving revival.

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sECRET gARdEn With careful planning and a lot of work, Kevin Patterson and Mark Sluga have managed to keep their damp-climate plants from withering in Walla Walla’s hot summers, creating a cool, green retreat.

history

10

21

MORE LIFEST YLES PLEASE LIKE US

PLEASE FOLLOW US

6 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

sPECiAl sEsQuiCEnTEnniAl issuE The City of Walla Walla celebrates the birth of our fair city with events, commissioned works of art, a commemorative coin — and this publication.

Photo by Kimberly Miner

22

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PARISH PRIEST

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189130

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Clay in POTTERY Motion STUDIO Art in Motion: Watch us create with clay!

Clay in Motion is a full working pottery studio and gallery nestled in the beautiful Blue Mountain Valley. Located between Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater on Hwy 11, just 5 miles from Walla Walla, 1/4 mile south of the Washington and Oregon border, an area surrounded by the valley’s finest wineries.

Studio & Gallery Open 7 Days a Week 541-938-3316

85301 Highway 11, Milton-Freewater • www.clayinmotion.com

188992 CL

Shanna Fliegel

Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in Baker City, Oregon is the only stop in the Pacific Northwest of this traveling exhibit from the Missoula Art Museum of contemporary ceramics celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Archie Bray Foundation.

172805

Adrian Arleo

Sarah Jaeger

Dean Adams

July 6th–August 31st - free admission 2020 Auburn Ave, Baker City, OR 97814 • 541.523.5369 • crossroads-arts.org Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 9

The Wine Adviser

by Paul

Gregutt

A Ramble Through Some Refreshing Rosés 235 E Broadway Milton-Freewater, OR (541)938-5575 watermillwinery.com

Open For Tasting Mon-Sat 11am-4pm

An Apple a Day...

194892

One Glass at a Time

235 E Broadway Milton-Freewater, OR (541)938-5575 drinkcider.com

Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah • Sémillon Bruno’s Blend Red – and now offering –

188997

Bruno’s Blend White Tasting Room open daily 11am - 5pm and by appointment.

1793 J.B. George Rd. Walla Walla 509.529.0900

go to vapianovineyards.com for more information 10 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Rosés are young wines that offer much to admire — especially some from our own backyard. Just as the Beaujolais Nouveau heralds the newest, justcompleted vintage each November, these springtime mushniks (Google it!) showcase the same light and fruity — though definitely dry — flavors.

More and more rosés are being made (and labeled) dry, and these are the wines you want to sip, chilled, from simple tumblers or even paper cups. Avoid the sweet styles; it is the dry rosés that work amazingly well with a wide variety of foods, from cured meats to cold chicken to smoked salmon and lighter cheeses. These are deck wines, boat wines, outdoor wines, picnic wines — however you name them, they’re easy and accessible.

That doesn’t mean they’re dull — quite the contrary. With each new vintage, the sophistication, complexity and elegance of the best rosés are clearly on the upswing. A lot has to do with the types of grapes being used, and the fact that winemakers set out to make rosé, specifically, rather than just bleeding off surplus juice from the fermenting vats.

I am most fond of single-grape or blended rosés from Mediterranean (Italian or Spanish) and southern-Rhône grapes. Barbera, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvèdre and their more obscure companions all seem to be wellsuited to this style of wine. Their rosés are often better than the more “serious” reds made from exactly the same grapes.

Both the 2010 and 2011 vintages were cool and somewhat wet here in the Northwest, but that can actually work in favor of rosé. It wouldn’t surprise me if grapes otherwise destined for pricier, full-bodied reds had ended up as rosés in recent vintages simply because they lacked the ripeness to be anything else. That is not necessarily a detriment in the hands of a good winemaker.

If you are planning a party and need more than one bottle, by all means buy as many different wines as possible. Don’t buy six bottles of the same wine! Far better to put out six different rosés and let your guests explore. A rosé display

is a rainbow of pink and rose and copper and salmon shades, no two alike. There is no right or wrong as far as color is concerned, and with wines so young, there is very little that can go wrong — especially if they are bottled, as many are, under screwcap.

Here are some of the early releases that tickled my tongue while writing this column a few weeks ago. Your favorite wine seller can show you what else is new and interesting today.

These wines often come and go quickly, so now is the time to stock up for summer: Barnard Griffin 2011 Rose of Sangiovese; $12.

A perennial award-winner, rocking with pretty cherry and raspberry fruit.

Dusted Valley 2011 Ramblin’ Rosé; $24.

Sourced from a single Walla Walla vineyard, this is a Grenache-based blend, lively and fresh, with a hint of chocolate in the finish.

Syncline 2011 Rosé; $18.

A five-grape blend, bone dry, a lovely pale salmon shade, with excellent complexity.

Tranche 2011 Pink Pape; $16.

Classy and lively, this lightly spritzy blend has sophisticated scents of melon, citrus and blood orange. Tart, delicious and lingering.

Wind Rose 2011 Rosado; $12.

This Sequim winery blends Barbera, Primitivo and Dolcetto grapes to make this fruity, quaffable, well-balanced summer sipper.

The revised second edition of Paul Gregutt’s “Washington Wines & Wineries” is now in print. His blog is www.paulgregutt.com.

Email: paulgwine@me.com.

Walla Walla

Dining Guide

Blue Palm Frozen yogurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1417 Plaza Way, Walla Walla • 509-876-2389 • bluepalmyo.com Sun.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., 7-11 p.m.

A healthy dessert. Blue Palm features YoCream frozen yogurt with a huge selection of flavors, including non-dairy and nosugar options, most of which are non-fat, as well. Toppings galore. How do they do it?

Clarette’s Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15 S. Touchet St., Walla Walla • 509-529-3430 Open daily, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

Clarette’s offers many locally sourced foods and consistently is voted the valley’s best place for breakfast. Generations of locals have marked important occasions with its classic American-style breakfasts. Located on the Whitman College campus, one block off Main Street near the Travelodge. Lots of parking. Breakfast served all day.

Cookie Tree Bakery and Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . green spoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23 S. Spokane St., Walla Walla • 509-522-4826 • cookietreebakeryandcafe.com 13 E. Main, Walla Walla • 509-876-2583 • greenspoonw2.com Mon.-Sat., 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Cookie Tree Bakery and Café has been a familyA welcome addition to downtown Walla Walla’s owned downtown Walla Walla favorite for over restaurant scene, Green Spoon’s varied and cre22 years. Serving sandwiches, soups, salads and an ative menu offers fresh, local food with something array of tasty treats. Everything is scratch-made for everyone: sandwiches, salads, rice bowls, fish, in-house, and the sandwiches are made on freshly steak, pasta and soups. Many dishes are glutensliced bread that was baked just that morning. Many free or vegetarian, as well as family- and foodievegetarian options are also available, including our friendly. Daily happy hour and nightly dinner spemuch-talked-about house-made veggie burgers. cials. Lunch and dinner daily.

Jacobi’s italian Café & Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Marc Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

416 N. Second, Walla Walla • 509-525-2677 • jacobiscafe.com 6 W. Rose St., Walla Walla • 509-525-2200 • marcuswhitmanhotel.com Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Dinner daily, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Come “Mangia Mangia” in Walla Walla at Using locally sourced produce, poultry and meats, Chef Antonio Campolio has created an Jacobi’s Café! At Jacobi’s Café you can enambitious and creative menu. Try the “Bacon and joy our signature Italian cuisine and experiEggs,” a tempura-fried Red Boar Farms pork belence casual dining with customer service that ly served with a soft-poached, locally produced is second to none. You may dine in our vintage egg. All menu items are thoughtfully paired with train car or sit back and relax on our patio. local wine selections. Vegetarian dishes are as inItalian Café & Catering “Thinking Italian? Think Jacobi’s!” triguing as non-veggie options.

Patit Creek Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mill Creek Brew Pub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

725 E. Dayton Ave., Dayton, WA • 509-382-2625 11 S. Palouse, Walla Walla • 509-522-2440 • millcreek-brewpub.com Lunch: Wed.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; Dinner: Wed. & Thu., 4:30-7:00 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-Midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Named in “Northwest Best Places” as the only For 15 years, Mill Creek has served locally four-star French restaurant east of the Cascades, brewed, handcrafted beers. You’ll find great Patit Creek has been serving great cuisine — withvalues on the kid-friendly lunch and dinner out the attitude — since 1978. While all the entrees menu, served inside or out on the largest paare often exquisite, their meat dishes are truly notio in town. Local wines, daily specials and table, especially the Medallions of Beef Hiebert. An great atmosphere all await you at Mill Creek imaginative wine list and remarkable desserts make Brew Pub. Patit Creek a gem worth traveling for.

Phoumy’s Thai Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sweet Basil Pizzeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1528 E. Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla • 509-529-8889 5 S. First Ave., Walla Walla • 509-529-1950 • sweetbasilpizzeria.com Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., Noon-10 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Thai-food lovers know where to go for auFamily-owned Sweet Basil has proven to be thentic Thai cuisine. Chef Phoumy has 42 such a local favorite that its pizzas — dailyyears of Thai culinary experience — and made, hand-tossed and loaded with fresh, it shows in the classic menu. Serving wine, locally produced ingredients — have earned beer and cocktails. them a loyal, and growing, following. Sweet Basil also offers calzones, salads and Walla Walla wines and beer.

Breakfast

Kid-Friendly

lunch

Outdoor dining

dinner

under $10

Reservations Recommended Food Past 10 p.m.

KEy

Thai Ploy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

311 S. Ninth, Walla Walla • 509-525-0971 Open 7 days a week from 11:00 am Roast Duck Curry, Lemon Grass Barbecued Chicken, Coconut Prawns, Pad Thai and more.

A great menu of Thai dishes, expertly prepared. Enjoy a glass of wine, cold beer or tasty Thai iced tea with your meal. Plenty of room for groups or just the two of you. If you’re looking for a true Thai dining experience, Thai Ploy is the place for you.

$11-$25 Over $26

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 11

Places

story and photos by Diane

Reed

Barrel Redux Three years ago, Ryan Konen built a cabinet out of a wine barrel for a friend.

It garnered so much interest from his friends that he started taking orders. Since Walla Walla Valley wineries are constantly replacing their 59-gallon French oak barrels, Konen has a steady supply for cabinets, chairs, end tables, benches, planters and bar stools. He carefully sands each barrel and cleans all the metal, retaining the wine-stained interiors. He handcrafts and custom-builds each piece, with a choice of over 20 finishes, including natural, cherry, ebony, mahogany and red oak. The metal-barrel bands incorporated into the design can be painted in a number of colors.

Konen’s signature wine-barrel cabinets come in a wide variety of configurations of wine and wineglass display and can be customized with a personalized etched-glass top produced by Etchings Walla Walla (not available if the piece is shipped). LED lighting is also an option.

Walla Walla Wine Barrels has also teamed up with Walter’s Upholstery in W² to offer custom fabric on its bar stools (available in swivel or stationary). Customers can choose from a variety of swatches or provide their own fabric.

Walla Walla Wine Barrel benches and chairs are instant classics, reminiscent of the Adirondack style and suitable for indoor and outdoor use. (Pieces for outdoor use are finished with Varathane.)

Konen is always working on new and innovative designs and products to fashion out of recycled barrels. He’s already shipping his creations all over the United States.

What’s

2 W NeW iN

there’s alWays somethiNg NeW happeNiNg iN Walla Walla, if you kNoW Where to look

Walla Walla Wine Barrels 509-520-9396 Call for an appointment, or visit Konen at the Walla Walla Valley Farmers Market www.wallawallawinebarrels.com Follow it on Facebook

12 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Walla Walla Wine Barrels offers bar stools with custom cushions and wine-barrel cabinets in a variety of configurations.

Pairing Wine and Chocolate In these days of wine pairing, it’s no surprise that it’s been taken a step beyond — infusing wine with chocolate. Two years in the making, Chocolate Shop wines (a Precept Wine brand) debuted in December 2011. The wines found a ready market, and the label is now Precept’s biggest seller. The newest tasting room for Chocolate Shop wines opened downtown in May in the space formerly occupied by Walla Walla Wine Works.

Michelle Monda, a native of Walla Walla, joined Waterbrook Winery in 2009, training under tasting-room manager Ron Williams. She was the manager of Walla Walla Wine Works for Precept and now manages the Chocolate Shop tasting room.

The tasting room offers three selections crafted by winemaker Hal Landvoigt — Chocolate Red Wine, Chocolate Strawberry (Merlotblend wines) and Crème de Cocoa wine. They’re

designed to appeal to a wide variety of consumers, attracting folks who are new to wine and find the chocolate-infused wines surprisingly accessible. But many wine aficionados also find a place for Chocolate Shop wines at their tables.

Pair them with an elegant dessert, drizzle them over ice cream or cheesecake, or serve with a main course. At this time of year, the Chocolate Shop suggests a summer spritzer by adding club soda to its Chocolate Strawberry wine.

The Chocolate Shop tasting room is stylish, with glittery crystal chandeliers and comfy banquettes. It offers a selection of chocolates and elegant gifts along with branded wine glasses and T-shirts. The shop features wine chocolate cordials and truffles made by Bright’s Candies.

On weekends, stop by and try a wine-flavored cupcake made for the tasting room by Frosted, The Cupcake Shop.

You’ll find lots of reasons to come back, including the chocolate fountain on weekends and the revival of Wednesday night music performances on the patio. During Downtown Summer Sounds at Land Title Plaza, it will offer Chocolate Shop wines as well as dry Chardonnay and Merlot by the glass. The tasting room is also available for special events, including bridal and baby showers.

As Charles Schultz said, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” And if it’s in wine, so much the better.

Diane Reed is a freelance writer, photographer and observer of life. If you know about something new in W², email her at ladybookww@gmail.com. Between columns and when the spirit moves her, she blogs about the Walla Walla Valley at www.ponderingsbydianereed.blogspot.com.

Chocolate Shop 31 E. Main, Walla Walla 509-522-1261 Open Wednesday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; call for extended summer hours www.chocolateshopwine.com

The elegant Chocolate Shop tasting room in downtown Walla Walla offers a variety of gifts and gourmet chocolates as well as their signature chocolate-infused wines.

Follow it on Facebook

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 13

A legacy of passion for outstanding red wines. Elegance. Character. Consistency.

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Don’t miss Walla Walla’s pioneer, award-winning winery in the shadow of the picturesque Blue Mountains.

189024

~tastings are always free.~ www.wallawallavintners.com | PHONE: (509) 525-4724

WOODWARD CANYON Est. 1981

Winery of the Year

Tasting Room Open Daily

10 consecutive years

—Wine & Spirits Magazine

Est. 1983

41 Lowden School Road, Lowden, WA 14 miles west of Walla Walla on Hwy 12

Private Tastings

By Appointment

• One of Washington State’s first artisan, family-owned wineries • Estate grown wines certified sustainable & Salmon Safe

Now Serving Lunch In the Reserve House Friday—Sunday

509.525.0940

www.lecole.com

Open Daily 10am – 5pm

Reserve Tasting & Tour

Offering Fresh Local Produce & Specialty Foods in the Lazy S Arrow Market

“The tasting staff walks visitors through L’Ecole’s prize-winning lineup without pretense, a modest approach that’s refreshing.”

—Seattle Magazine 189002

Fridays 3pm • April-November Space limited.

RSVP reservetasting@lecole.com

Named Best Tasting Room

188982

14 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Walla Walla Valley 11920 W. Highway 12, Lowden, WA 509-525-4129 www.woodwardcanyon.com

Food

story by Diane

Reed / photos by Greg Lehman

Students at the Wine Country Culinary Institute learn a variety of culinary skills in the Institute’s kitchens.

Town-and-Gown Gastronomy Walla Walla Community College’s Wine Country Culinary Institute cooks up courses for students and cooking aficionados institute is out of reach for many students.

At less than $15,000 for the 18-month course, WCCI is a veritable bargain.

The program, accredited by the American Culinary Federation, also features an invaluable “pairing” with the college’s prestigious enology and viticulture program, a distinction unrivaled by any other culinary institute.

The Institute’s comprehensive program currently accommodates 45 students. To keep the student-to-instructor ratio optimal, WCCI admits 18 students in the spring and fall semesters. The Institute offers an associate degree in Culinary Arts and a one-year Culinary Arts Certificate.

Students at WCCI range in age from 18 to 65 and include people who are looking for not

only first, but even second or third careers. Students learn and work in groups of 18, beginning Continued on pg. 16 >

189004

Dan Thiessen has lots of plans, and they all involve food and education.

Thiessen, a native of Asotin, Wash., is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an accomplished executive chef with serious cred. As the recently appointed director of the newly branded Wine Country Culinary Institute at Walla Walla Community College, Thiessen has made it his mission to create a world-class and affordable culinary program with a hospitality emphasis.

And he wants members of the community to get in on the experience.

Thiessen is developing a program rivaling culinary schools like the Culinary Institute of America in New York, at a fraction of the cost.

Charging $51,000 for tuition, the New York

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 15

Food

<continued from pg. 15

with the fundamentals of the culinary arts with classes in basic soups and sauces, baking and pastries, grilling, and food and wine pairing.

They become familiar with American regional cuisine, as well as foods of the Americas, Europe and Asia, before incorporating plating and presentation.

The program also stresses ServSafe training and classes in menu development and restaurant management. Students also complete a co-op assignment in the restaurant business, or through Titus Creek Café and Catering or the institute’s Mobile Kitchen.

Taking advantage of sources in the Valley and the college’s greenhouse (soon to be winterized for year-round use), students make use of fresh, local ingredients.

Graduates of the Institute find careers in the food industry, including positions as cooks, kitchen managers, banquet managers, pastry chefs, sous-chefs, executive chefs, food and beverage directors; some open their own restaurants.

The Institue has a popular catering program based out of the Titus Creek Café at the college. This summer has seen the debut of its Mobile Kitchen, branded with the Wine Country Culinary Institute logo and Titus Creek Catering. The colorful trailer is adorned with student-coined phrases like “skool grub, edible education and seasonal sensations.”

The menu includes apple-wood-smoked, cider-braised pork sliders; Lostine Cattle Company burgers; El Burrito de Pato; and a variety of baked goods.

It will also be utilizing the Mobile Kitchen to enhance its custom-catering capabilities, including wine dinners at area wineries.

If you’d like to improve your culinary skills but you’re not an aspiring professional chef, consider the new Community Kitchens program, tailored for locals and tourists alike. Try

the variety of modestly priced, Tuesday-night, one-time classes, with offerings like “Asian Noodles,” “Thai Cooking,” “Ice Cream and Sorbet,” “Sushi,“ “Chocolate 101” and “Knife Skills.”

On Thursday nights over the summer, WCCI will feature “Cuisines of the World” — Italian, Spanish, Cajun/Creole, Argentinian, Peruvian, French and Mediterranean.

The Institute is also offering the Farmers Market Tour and Experience on July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8. Hook up with the tour at the Walla Walla Valley Farmers Market, plan the day’s menu, then meet at the Culinary Institute kitchens at WWCC and create a four-course luncheon and enjoy tasting nature’s bounty.

If you want to immerse yourself in culinary enlightenment, sign up for the four-day, intensive Baking Boot Camp or go all in with the Culinary Boot Camp. The camp provides you your very own chef’s jackets, pants, hats and aprons. For those attending from outside the area, special packages are available at local hotels.

Diane Reed is a freelance writer, photographer and observer of life.

When the spirit moves her, she blogs about the Walla Walla Valley at www.ponderingsbydianereed.blogspot.com.

Email her at ladybookww@gmail.com.

Wine Country Culinary Institute Titus Creek Café and Catering Mobile Kitchen Community Kitchens Walla Walla Community College 500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla 5097-524-4800 www.winecountryculinary.com

16 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Heidi Varney prepares pork loin roast as part of her final practical exam for “American Regional Cuisine” as Dan Thiessen looks on.

Culinary student Valerie Sewart prepares ham-and-cheese breakfast croissants.

The Culinary Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program includes classes and hands-on experience.

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St. AMAVI CELLARS 3796 Peppers Bridge Road 509-525-3541 www.amavicellars.com 2. BASEL CELLARS ESTATE WINERY 2901 Old Milton Highway 509-522-0200 www.baselcellars.com 3. BERGEVIN LANE VINEYARDS 1215 W. Poplar St. 509-526-4300 bergevinlane.com 4. BLUE MOUNTAIN CIDER 235 E. Broadway, Milton-Freewater 541-938-5575 www.drinkcider.com 5. BUNCHGRASS WINERY 151 Bunchgrass Lane 509-540-8963 www.bunchgrasswinery.com 6. CASTILLO DE FELICIANA 85728 Telephone Pole Road Milton-Freewater 541-558-3656 www.castillodefeliciana.com 7. CAVU CELLARS 602 Piper Ave. 509-540-6350 cavucellars.com 8. DON CARLO VINEYARD 6 W. Rose St. 509-540-5784 www.doncarlovineyard.com 9. DUNHAM CELLARS 150 E. Boeing Ave. 509-529-4685 www.dunhamcellars.com 10. FIVE STAR CELLARS 840 C St. 509-527-8400 www.fivestarcellars.com 11. FORGERON CELLARS 33 W. Birch St. 509-522-9463 www.forgeroncellars.com 12. FOUNDRY VINEYARDS 13th Ave. and Abadie St. 509-529-0736 www.wallawallafoundry.com/vineyards 18 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

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13. FORT WALLA WALLA CELLARS 127 E. Main St. 509-520-1095 www.fortwallawallacellars.com 14. GLENCORRIE 8052 Old Highway 12 509-525-2585 www.glencorrie.com 15. GRANTWOOD WINERY 2428 Heritage Road 509-301-0719 509-301-9546 16. JLC WINERY 425 B. St. 509-301-5148 www.jlcwinery.com 17. LE CHATEAU 175 E. Aeronca Ave. 509-956-9311 lechateauwinery.com 18. L’ECOLE NO 41 WINERY 41 Lowden School Road and U.S. Highway 12 509-525-0940 www.lecole.com 19. LODMELL CELLARS 6 W. Rose St. 509-525-1285 www.lodmellcellars.com 20. LONG SHADOWS 1604 Frenchtown Road (Formerly Ireland Road) 509-526-0905 www.longshadows.com By invitation only. Requests accepted on a limited basis. Please call to inquire.

21. MANSION CREEK CELLARS 9 S. First Ave. 253-370-6107 www.mansioncreekcellars.com 22. NORTHSTAR WINERY 1736 J.B. George Road 509-524-4883 www.northstarmerlot.com 23. PEPPER BRIDGE WINERY 1704 J.B. George Road 509-525-6502 www.pepperbridge.com

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24. PLUMB CELLAR 9 S. First Ave. 509-876-4488 www.plumbcellars.com 25. REININGER WINERY 5858 Old Highway 12 509-522-1994 reiningerwinery.com 26. ROBISON RANCH CELLARS 2839 Robison Ranch Road 509-301-3480 robisonranchcellars.com 27. SAPOLIL CELLARS 15 E. Main St. 509-520-5258 www.sapolilcellars.com 28. SAVIAH CELLARS 1979 J.B. George Road 509-520-5166 www.saviahcellars.com 29. SEVEN HILLS WINERY 212 N. Third Ave. 509-529-7198 www.sevenhillswinery.com 30. SINCLAIR ESTATE VINEYARDS 109 E. Main., Ste. 100 509-876-4300 www.sinclairestatevineyards.com

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31. SPRING VALLEY VINEYARD 18 N. Second Ave. 509-525-1506 www.springvalleyvineyard.com 32. SULEI CELLARS 355 S. Second Ave. 503-529-0840 www. suleicellars.com 33. SYZYGY 405 E. Boeing Ave. 509-522-0484 www.syzygywines.com 34. TAMARACK CELLARS 700 C St. (WW Airport) 509-520-4058 www.tamarackcellars.com 35. THREE RIVERS WINERY 5641 Old Highway 12 509-526-9463 info@ThreeRiversWinery.com 36. TERTULIA CELLARS 1564 Whiteley Road 509-525-5700 www.tertuliacellars.com 37. TRUST CELLARS 202 A St. 509-529-4511 www.trustcellars.com

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38. VA PIANO VINEYARDS 1793 J.B. George Road 509-529-0900 www.vapianovineyards.com 39. WALLA FACES 216 E. Main St. 877-301-1181, ext. 2 www.wallafaces.com 40. WALLA WALLA VINTNERS Vineyard Lane off Mill Creek Road 509-525-4724 www.wallawallavintners.com 41. WALLA WALLA WINEWORKS 31 E. Main St. 509-522-1261 www.wallawallawineworks.com 42. WATERMILL WINERY 235 E. Broadway, Milton-Freewater 541-938-5575 watermillwinery.com 43. WOODWARD CANYON WINERY 11920 W. Highway 12, Lowden 509-525-4129 www.woodwardcanyon.com

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Designed With You in Mind

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The First People

The tribes of the Lower Columbia Valley. The stories of the Walla Walla, Cayuse, Umatilla and Palouse tribes, which inhabited this area since ancient times, are tied inextricably to the land.

7

Explorers and Settlers

They came by sea and by land. Capt. Robert Gray’s discovery of the mouth of the Columbia River and the discovery of the lands west of the Mississippi by Lt. William Clark and Capt. Meriwether Lewis began the push of white settlers to find the promised land.

11

Beaded moccasins, Plateau Indians.

Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell.

Photo by Warren Rood.

The Treaty of 1855

After the Whitman massacre, tensions remained high between the native peoples and the white settlers. Gov. Isaac Stevens sought to bring peace to the Valley — though his ultimate goal was to displace the Indians.

13

The Mullan Road and the Rise of Walla Walla

Capt. John Mullan took on the arduous task of engineering a 624-mile wagon road from Walla Walla to Fort Benton, Mont. The completion of the road in 1862 brought a steady stream of settlers and miners.

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The Beginnings of the City of Walla Walla

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How Walla Walla Got its Name

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The Severe Season

The first mayor, E. B. Whitman, had a lot on his hands — right off the bat there was a riot at a local theater and a challenge to his authority.

The First Newspaper in Walla Walla

The Washington Statesman was the only news source for Walla Walla citizens in 1862. Though the Civil War was raging, locals were more focused on the mines of Idaho.

The winter of 1861-1862 was one of the fiercest on record. Rain, snow and freezing temperatures caused havoc with the transportation of supplies, thousands of livestock died, and some miners, who refused to leave their claims, froze to death.

20

The Beginnings of Local and Regional Government

The development of Walla Walla was closely tied to Fort Walla Walla, which reassured settlers that the fledgling town was a safe place for commerce and growth.

22 Clem Bergevin in front of Le Boucher’s saloon in Walla Walla. The saloon was destroyed in the great fire of 1887. Photo courtesy of Claro Bergevin.

The Gold Rush

When gold was discovered along the north fork of the Clearwater River near the present town of Orofino, Idaho, Walla Walla became the closest town to supply the mines and prospered like never before.

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Follow this banner for information about events, keepsakes, historical markers and other information regarding the Sesquicentennial Celebration. left: Pioneer madam Josephine “Dutch Jo” Wolfe is portrayed by Lois Hahn, a member of the Fort Walla Walla Museum Living History Company. Photo by Colby Kuschatka. Cover: Walla Walla in 1859, painted by E. Ankeny in 1959, based on a drawing by A.B. Roberts, who settled in Walla Walla in 1859.

Courtesy of Whitman College and Northwest Archives.

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Sesquicentennial Committee from left to right. Back row: Bonnie Bowton, Banner Bank; James Payne, Fort Walla Walla Museum; Dan Clark, Walla Walla 2020; Shane Laib, Walla Walla City Council; Rick Tuttle, Kirkman House Museum. Middle row: Greer Garske Buchanan, ArtWalla; Rob Blethen, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin; Jennifer Northam, Downtown Walla Walla Foundation; Alex DeMambro, USKH. Front row: Jim Barrow, Mayor; Co-chair Jim Dumont, City of Walla Walla; Co-chair Elio Agostini, Downtown Walla Walla Foundation; Doug Saturno, Historic Preservation Commission

On behalf of the Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee, we are proud to present this special 150th-anniversary commemorative publication. The Committee is made up of representatives from the City, the Historic Preservation Commission, Fort Walla Walla Museum, Walla Walla 2020, Kirkman House Museum, the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, ArtWalla, Banner Bank and the Union-Bulletin.

From the earliest days of hearty settlers and emerging statehood to our current atmosphere of nationally recognized wines and an award-winning downtown, the history of Walla Walla is vibrant and the people, adventurous. We hope this publication does the history – and people – justice.

We invite you to participate in the planned celebration activities throughout the year – from Fourth of July in the Park to the unveiling of the commemorative public art in December.

Our heritage is a significant factor in the unique ambiance of Walla Walla, and it continues to grow as a component of our tourism industry. We are blessed with what many communities would cherish — an authentic sense of place.

Congratulations, Walla Walla.

Elio Agostini and Jim Dumont, co-chairs

Robin Hamilton is the managing editor of Walla Walla Lifestyles magazine.

Steve Lenz is the art director for Walla Walla Lifestyles magazine. He has been a photographer and graphic artist for 20 years. Steve’s work has been published internationally, shown in galleries and privately collected.

Diane Reed is a freelance writer, photographer and trained historian. She blogs about the Walla Walla Valley at www.ponderingsbydianereed. blogspot.com.

Chetna Chopra is the copy editor of Walla Walla Lifestyles magazine. She teaches in the General Studies program at Whitman College.

Margaret Jamison is a visual artist and writer living in Walla Walla. She teaches art at Walla Walla Community College and has shown her work in many local and regional exhibits. She plays flute in the Walla Walla Valley Bands, has written for the Walla Walla Lifestyles magazine, and fosters dogs for SWAT.

Robert C. Blethen Jr. is the publisher of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. He is a member of the fifth generation of Blethens who have stewarded the Seattle Times Company, including its flagship newspaper, the Seattle Times, since 1896. They recently celebrated their 40th year stewarding the Union-Bulletin.

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The Walla Walla Sesquicentennial Committee commissioned local graphic artist Tim Johnson to design and create this commemorative coin to mark the city’s 150th birthday. The coin will be available at Fort Walla Walla Museum and other sites around town.

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191810rh

190533

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5

The First People of the Walla Walla Area

by Margaret Jamison

The story of Walla Walla is almost unimaginably ancient. It does not begin with the explorations of Lewis and Clark or with the establishment of the first fort on the Columbia River; instead, it originates almost 13,000 years ago, with the first appearance of human activity in the Northwest landscape.

Walla Walla’s particular landscape is within the geologic area now known as the Columbia Plateau and Columbia Basin. Spanning areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, it is an extensive area of varied terrain that gave rise to more than 32 kinship and linguistic groups. Walla Walla is near the middle of this region, and its story is inextricably tied to that of these first people, particularly the bands of the Umatilla, Walla Walla, Palouse and Cayuse people. Their stories, in turn, are inextricably tied to the land.

In its pristine abundance, the Columbia Plateau was almost ideal for human habitation. The rivers and streams, the lush hillsides and forested mountains provided not only an endless supply of clean water, but also a huge variety of raw materials for food, medicine, tools, clothing and shelter. Even the barren scrublands were utilized. The variation in habitat gave rise to an active trading economy among the different groups.

The network of rivers and tributaries was a natural highway system, allowing people to travel great distances by canoe to obtain what they needed through barter and exchange.

This economic activity fostered other

A 19th-century copy of a circa 1875 photo thought to be of Nez Perce leader Ollicut (center) and two unidentified Indian men.

Brother of Young Chief Joseph, Ollicut was killed in the Bear Paw Mountains during the 1877 Nez Perce War. Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell.

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interactions – of languages, arts, customs, stories, marriages, political alliances and inevitable conflicts. Warfare, and even slavery, also affected the development of culture in the area.

Although the region may have seemed like an Eden, subsistence was hard work. Winters could be severe, and blazing summers could bring deadly drought. Survival depended upon strict divisions of labor and the maintenance of disciplined social groups. Every member had meaningful work that contributed to the wellbeing of the band as a whole, whether it was fishing and hunting, gathering and preparing provisions for winter, making baskets for carrying water and storing food, tanning leather for clothing, gathering firewood, or tending to the children and the sick. The continuation of the culture further depended upon an oral tradition of storytelling and song, upon ritual and dance, and upon education of the young.

For thousands of years, survival for the Cayuse, Walla Walla, Palouse and Umatilla people also depended upon traveling to seasonal food sources in an annual round of fishing, hunting, gathering and preserving food for winter. Beginning

with a spring celebration of the return of the salmon, the cycle began at bountiful fishing sites along the Columbia River (Celilo Falls was a center of fishing and trade for an estimated 11,000 years).

The men fished with hooks, spears, traps and dip nets from wooden platforms built into the rocky bluffs, and the women cleaned and hung the fish on racks to dry. In early summer they dug for roots in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, traveling higher as summer progressed, to pick berries and hunt for game such as deer and elk.

Venison was also dried for later use. Roots were either dried whole or pounded into small cakes, often mixed with dried meat or fish. Returning to the lower regions for the fall salmon run, the Native Americans would remain there in winter camps until spring and the start of a new cycle.

Their semi-nomadic way of life required portable dwellings, which eventually developed into the hidecovered teepees adopted from the Plains Indians. But for most of their history, Plateau tribes constructed longhouses. These were cleverly designed to allow the permanent placement of an underlying structure of poles at Circa 1860s tintype of Plateau Indian man and woman. Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell. regular campsites. This was then covered with mats made of tule reeds, sewn together

and overlapped to provide sheltering walls, which could be easily moved from camp to camp. Accommodating large family groups, the longhouses sometimes reached lengths of 80 feet.

Although they share basic customs and means of survival, the four tribes also developed some major differences, primarily the Cayuse, who spoke a linguistically independent dialect and were the first to develop a horse culture. They acquired their first steeds around 1730, through trade networks with Spanish New Mexico, and eventually developed huge herds which they used for recreation, trade, travel and warfare. The close association of the Cayuse with the Nez Perce brought them into increasing contact with the Plains Indians to the east and resulted in greater and greater influence of Plains culture, specifically the linking of horses to wealth. With increased mobility over long distances, hunting and trading became more efficient, and tribes were able to form large, powerful alliances.

This blend of the ancient fishing culture with the more recent — and more combative — horse culture is what the non-native explorers, traders and settlers found when they began to arrive in the region in the 19th century.

As part of the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the founding of Walla Walla between 1859 and 1862, historical walking tours of downtown Walla Walla will take place every Saturday from May through August, led by members of the Fort Walla Walla Museum Living History Company playing characters who were here in 1862.

Guides for the weekly tours include hardware man and city council member William Phillips, local madam Josephine Wolfe, blacksmith and businessman Fred Stine, Mayor E.B. Whitman and Maria Whitman, wife of the mayor. All tour participants will receive a special coupon for $1 off the normal admission price at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

An Official Historic Architecture Downtown Walla Walla Walking Tour Map is available at local museums, Tourism Walla Walla Vistitors’ Center and the Chamber of Commerce.

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Narcissa Prentiss Whitman and Dr. Marcus Whitman. Paintings by Drury Haight (1887-1980), based on circa 1847 sketches by Paul Kane believed to be authentic likenesses of Dr. and Mrs. Whitman. Courtesy of National Park Service.

Explorers and Early Settlers

by Margaret Jamison

The advance of European and American interests into the Pacific Northwest was carried out on two fronts: by sea and by land. Although sea explorations of the Pacific coast began in the late 16th century, it took another 200 years before the mouth of the Columbia River was discovered by Capt. Robert Gray. His find received very little publicity, and it wasn’t until Lewis and Clark came at it from the other direction several years later, over land, that its immensity could be appreciated.

In 1805, a party led by Lt. William Clark and Capt. Meriwether Lewis completed the westward leg of their arduous journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, mandated by President Jefferson following the United States’ acquisition of an enormous tract of land from

the French, the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson’s motivation for the expedition was manifold. He needed to map this new territory in the hope of establishing a water system spanning the continent from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The mission of Lewis and Clark’s Corps

Continued on pg. 10 >

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of Discovery was to plot a river route that would link the new territory to eastern commercial river ports, to cross the Rocky Mountains, and to find and follow the Columbia River to its end.

Jefferson also needed information about the current inhabitants of the territory, to inform

July 4, 2012

Drawing by N.A. Osborn Jacobs depicting the Whitman Mission as it appeared at the time of the “massacre” in 1847.

Courtesy of Fort Walla Walla Museum.

Manager of the Hudson’s Bay Company fort at Wallula “When Lewis and Clark came down the Snake River, they reported back to [President Thomas] Jefferson that the most important place to set up trade was at a place called Wallula, where the native peoples had been trading for many generations.

The people that I dealt with on a day to day basis were people of courtesy, civility, dignity, ethics, honesty and integrity. And let me tell you that there was law — there was Cayuse law and Shoshone law and Walla Walla law.

And there was religion and culture.

And what came with ‘civilization’? I would argue that we lost civilization. When the Americans came they imposed their law, their will, their religion, their culture and

their ethics on people who did not want them.

I’ve heard their resistance called an insurrection.

I would call it defending your land and your families against interlopers.”

William McBean, of British and Indian parentage (Métis), was born near the Canadian border about 1807 and came to Wallula in 1846. He was the chief factor (manager) of the Hudson’s Bay Company fort at the mouth of the Walla Walla River at the time of the Whitman Massacre in 1847. He left the area in 1855 at the time of the Indian Wars and later returned with his Indian wife and children, living in Walla Walla until his death in 1872.

William McBean is portrayed by Richard Monacelli at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

Join the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and the Walla Walla Sesquicentennial Committee in celebrating Walla Walla’s 150th birthday. Local, state and federal elected officials will make short commemorative speeches. Special historic events include appearances by Fort Walla Walla Museum Living History Company players who bring some of Walla Walla’s most famous, and infamous, characters to life. Experience the fun of the Pioneer Olympic Games, featuring old-fashioned favorites such as hoop-and-stick races, sack races, three-legged races, marbles and Graces.

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<continued from pg. 8

A branch of the Oregon Trail passed by Whitman Mission, now a National Historic Site. Photo by Diane Reed

the Indian people that it was no longer theirs, and to assess the scope of the project ahead, the westward expansion of the United States.

In all of this, Lewis and Clark succeeded, and their initial crude route soon became a major funnel through which Americans flooded west to grab land, gold, silver, timber and furs, squeezing those indigenous people who survived into reservations.

First out of the gate were the fur traders, led

by John Jacob Astor, whose Pacific Fur Company established a base, called Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia in 1811. This was soon sold to the British-owned North West Company, which vied with the Hudson’s Bay Company for dominance of the market until the two merged in 1821.

A thriving fur trade required an infrastructure — namely, a central supply depot, quarters for personnel and secure storage for the valuable trade goods. In 1818, the North West Company built such a facility on the Columbia River near the mouth of the Walla Walla River. Fort Nez Perce was the first trading post in the area. It was eventually renamed Fort Walla Walla by the Hudson’s Bay Company; it burned down

in 1841. It was quickly replaced but was finally abandoned in 1855 in response to the Indian uprising of that year.

The trading posts employed French Canadian guides and trappers, many of whom married native women and began to settle the Walla Walla River valley in the 1820s. By 1847, more than 50 of these mixed-blood families, or Métis, had established farms near what is now Lowden, in a community called Frenchtown.

Following the fur traders were the missionaries who, in an ironic twist of history, were actually solicited by a small delegation of Indians in an effort to find people who would teach them the power of this invading white man.

Their plea was made in St. Louis in 1831 and was answered in 1835, first by a Congregational pastor, Samuel Parker. He recruited a Calvinist medical missionary, Dr. Marcus Whitman, and the two of them traveled to Wyoming to assess the situation. Deeming missions to be necessary, Parker continued west while Whitman returned east for supplies and additional missionaries.

Five missionaries, including the first white women to cross the continent, took almost seven months to get from New York to Fort Vancouver:

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Whitman and his wife, Narcissa, Henry and Elizabeth Spalding, and a lay member, William H. Gray. The party arrived at the fort on Sept.

12, 1836, and soon separated to establish missions in two locations. The Spaldings chose to work with the Nez Perce at Lapwai (near Lewiston, Idaho) while the Whitmans moved to Waiilatpu, home of the Cayuse, near presentday Walla Walla.

In 1843, Whitman helped establish the viability of the Oregon Trail by guiding the first large group of wagon trains to the area. He hoped that an influx of Christian families would help to convert the Indians, a task at which he had not been overly successful. Instead, the increased number of whites served to further unsettle the jittery Cayuse who were worried about being displaced, and when a measles epidemic decimated the tribe in the fall of 1847, Whitman was blamed for poisoning them. On Nov. 29, the Whitmans and 12 others were killed. The “Whitman Massacre,” as it came to be known, helped to ignite the seven-year Cayuse Indian War, which had tragic consequences for the Indians and was part of what led to the Walla Walla Treaty of 1855.

Sgt. Gustav Sohon’s depiction of the 1855 treaty gathering. Courtesy of the Washington State Historical Society.

The Walla Walla Treaty of 1855

by Margaret Jamison

The 1847 attack on missionaries and others at Waiilatpu happened against a complex backdrop of expansionism and agitation — both internal and external — and was the catalyst for several years of war that culminated in the Walla Walla Treaty of 1855. This treaty was the death knell for Indian culture as it had existed for millennia and paved the way for massive waves of westering American immigrants.

In 1846, Great Britain signed the Oregon Treaty which ceded to the United States all claim to territory south of the 49th parallel.

That same year, the Mexican-American war broke out over territorial disputes in the south,

intensifying clashes between slavery and antislavery factions within the United States. Since Northerners dreaded the expansion of Southern interests in a possible land-grab of former Mexican territory, they desired to extend their

own influence into already-established territories in the north and pressed for westward development.

Further, the Oregon Territory as a single entity had become unwieldy due to its size Continued on pg. 12 >

A Victorian Ball will be held in the Walla Walla Armory on Sept. 22, 2012, sponsored by the Kirkman House Museum and the Walla Walla Sesquicentennial Committee. Attendees are invited to dress in 1800s attire and to take part in period dances, which will be taught in a workshop earlier in the day and during the ball. A formal reception to show off your best Victorian wear in a proper Victorian home will be held in the evening of Sept. 21 at the Kirkman House Museum. Community leaders from 19th-century Walla Walla will be in attendance at both events.

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and geographical divisions. During this time, settlers north of the Columbia River were becoming increasingly dissatisfied, unhappy with the distance between them and the Oregon territorial capital at Salem. Their demands for a territory of their own added to the tensions in the region. (The Territory of Washington was established in 1853.) In the meantime, the U.S. Army was establishing outposts along the Oregon Trail to protect settlers, increasing the military presence in the area.

Although the outbreak of measles among the Cayuse was the immediate cause for the violence against the Whitmans, it was only one factor in the increasingly hostile climate. The Indians were aware of what had been happening to the east, where the United States government had already displaced thousands of Indians, destroyed their economies and made treaties it had failed to honor.

They had also been watching the steady encroachment of white settlers along the Oregon Trail and were horrified to see millions of acres of their ancestral homeland taken from them and desecrated by division and individual ownership – a concept completely counter to their own traditional, sacred relationship to the land.

The killings at the Whitman Mission alone would no doubt have brought retribution from the United States government, but there was an additional factor that spurred an immediate response. The Cayuse took dozens of hostages from the mission after the murders, many of them women and children. Held for a month, the captives were finally exchanged for a variety of goods in an agreement brokered by a representative of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The American public was outraged, and in order to rescue the hostages, the Oregon Provisional Government had quickly raised a substantial volunteer militia, which was later augmented by U.S. Army troops. Since the release of the hostages had been secured by the time it arrived on the scene, the militia turned its attention to tracking down the perpetrators EBRATING CEL

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of the massacre. Several years were spent in ing out the obvious — namely, that white setbloody skirmishes, until five Cayuse braves tlers were moving in “like grasshoppers on were surrendered by the Cayuse in 1850. Claim- the Plains” — and promising that a peaceful ing their innocence until the end, the braves agreement would allow the Indians to choose were nonetheless executed, effectively ending their own reservation lands. The Indians did the Cayuse war. not easily capitulate, and in fact, several groups 1850 also saw the creation of the Donation refused to sign the agreements at all.

Land Claim Act. This promoted homesteading In the end, after a week of difficult negoin the Oregon Territory by allowing settlers to tiations, the United States received over 6.4 claim up to 640 acres per couple. In the five years million acres for which the Indians were paid between 1850 and 1855, when the Act expired, $200,000 and forced onto three reservations. more than 7,000 parcels of land were distributed.

Washington’s first territorial governor, Isaac Stevens, was appointed in 1853, and he also served as superintendent of Indian affairs for the territory. One of Steven’s most important tasks was drawing up treaties that would allow the United States to purchase land from the Indians and relegate the Indians to contained reservations.

In 1855, a treaty council was called by Governor Stevens and Oregon superintendent of Indian affairs, Joel Palmer. Thousands of Indians from the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakama, Nez Perce and Palouse tribes attended, most of them wishing to voice their positions, rather than to surrender their lands.

The U.S. government’s strategy was to convince the Indians that it was in their best interests to Territorial Governor Isaac J. Stevens instigated the Walla Walla Treaty cede their lands by point- of 1855, but his intention was to remove the tribes from the Valley.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The Mullan Road and the Rise of Walla Walla

by Diane B. Reed

The Mullan Military Road was the project of Army Capt. John Mullan, to create an important link between frontier forts in the West, as well as a long-envisioned connection between the Missouri and Columbia rivers to unite the continent.

Although the work was to begin in 1858, confrontations with Native American tribes prevented the beginning of construction until 1859.

The 624-mile road from the military fort in the town of Walla Walla to Fort Benton on the Missouri River began with an existing leg from old Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia River at Wallula. This early road had been established as a well-used branch of the Oregon Trail, passing through the Whitman Mission, just west of present-day Walla Walla.

On July 1, 1859, Mullan and his company of 100 soldiers and 100 workers departed from Walla Walla in Washington Territory to begin construction of the new road between Fort Walla Walla and Fort Benton in what later became Montana Territory. From Walla Walla the road passed near present-day Prescott on its way to the Snake River. In 1859 the road crossed the

Snake at the mouth of the Tucannon River, but by 1861 the crossing had been moved to Lyons Ferry.

From there the road went northeast, originally passing south of Lake Coeur d’Alene and, after additional work in 1861, passing near present-day Spokane, then crossing into Idaho near what is now Post Falls. From there it made its way to Continued on pg. 14 >

Builder of the Mullan Road “My first impression of Walla Walla was a beautiful valley with many acres of bottom land and connected with streams — excellent places to make your homestead.

Many of the soldiers homesteaded here, making claims under the Donation Lands Act. Aft er I made my land claim I left a couple of my brothers here and went on to build the Mullan Road. Unfortunately, I lost title to my property to my brothers so I left Walla Walla.

But we could all see the potential for the valley — the farms and the merchants that were building their businesses here. Walla Walla was the financial center of a vast territory and growing rapidly because of the military road that I helped to build.”

Capt. John Mullan, a West Point graduate, was assigned to establish a wagon and pack route from the steamship dock at the old fur trade Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia River to the steamship dock at Fort Benton at the head of navigation of the Missouri River. The Mullan Road was completed in 1862, the first engineered wagon road to cross the Rockies and the Northwest. Though it was frequently in such disrepair that only foot travelers and pack animals could follow its course, it was instrumental in the development of the Inland Northwest and Walla Walla.

Capt. John Mullan is portrayed by Ron Klicker at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

This 1923 marker was moved to North 13th and Abadie streets and was rededicated on April 15, 2012, in honor of Walla Walla’s sesquicentennial celebration and the completion of the Mullan Road in 1862 by Capt. John Mullan. The road ran from Walla Walla to Fort Benton, Mont., and was the first engineered wagon road from the Columbia River to the Missouri. An interpretive site is being developed along 13th Street, which follows the route of the historic Mullan Road.

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present-day Missoula, Mont., before climbing to its highest elevation at Mullan Pass (5,168 feet). The road went north of the current city of Helena, through present-day Great Falls and on to Fort Benton on the Missouri River.

The total cost of construction of the road was $230,000. Building the road involved myriad tasks, including the removal of rocks and trees, choosing or fashioning reasonable grades and building dozens of bridges. Upon its final completion in 1862, it became the first wagon road to cross the Rockies to the Inland Northwest and ensured the future of the fledgling settlement of Walla Walla.

Although conceived as a military road, in the end the Mullan Road proved to be far more important to settlers, tradesmen and gold miners than for military use. Even during construction, Mullan and his men found “continual indications of gold” in Montana. By the time the crew were

Capt. John Mullan

making improvements and repairs to the road as they worked their way back to Walla Walla from Fort Benton in 1860, parties of emigrants were already overtaking them. Many new settlers traveled to Fort Benton by steamboat up the Missouri, where they picked up the new road.

At its end they could board a steamboat on the Columbia River at Wallula.

Despite the promise of the Mullan Road, it proved to be difficult to maintain. Shortly after its completion, it was in such disrepair that only foot travelers and pack animals could follow its course, especially through the mountains. Still, the settlers came, and in 1862 Walla Walla was already prospering as a stopover and was bustling with commerce and construction. Mullan wrote: “The wilderness of yesterday has to-day given place to homes.” In spite of conditions, the Mullan Road was well-traveled until the railroads supplanted the overland trails.

Today, the Mullan Road is still visible in a number of locations. Traces can be seen not far from Walla Walla at Lyons Ferry and near Washtucna. The Mullan Road was an integral part of the fastest land-water route across the American continent. Traversing the Mullan Road took about 47 days, a far cry from today’s 10-hour highway trip over the same route.

As part of the effort to give the road the recognition it deserves, efforts have been made to commemorate it through interpretive signs, monuments, conferences and on the Web. In April, a historical site commemorating the road was dedicated along 13th Street at Abadie Street in Walla Walla.

You can learn more about the Mullan Road at www.mullanroad.org Mullan’s original map can be viewed at http://kaga. wsulibs.wsu.edu/zoom/zoom.php?map=uw091

Gustav Sohon drawing of Fort Walla Walla and the adjacent community in 1862. From Capt. John Mullan’s “Report on the Construction of a Military Road from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Benton,” published 1863. Courtesy of Fort Walla Walla Museum.

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The heritage of the Walla Walla region is colorful and varied, with a wide assortment of people from many cultural backgrounds. These diverse sources continue to make Walla Walla a special place to live, work and play. Pride of place is a hallmark of the region. More than 40 annual Living History Company presentations, and numerous displays, at Fort Walla Walla Museum celebrate the music, dancing, food, dress, language, religion and other facets of the culture that make up the Walla Walla area. Meet some of Walla Walla’s early movers and shakers at 2 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, June through August, and Sundays through October.

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Judge William Langford is portrayed by Judge Don Schacht at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

As a second generation Walla Wallan, New York Store is proud to have been supplying the families of Walla Walla Valley with quality Western and Workware ... from head-to-foot since 1904.

Since 1869, Baker Boyer has fulfilled the varied and changing needs of our clients and our community. Still family owned and operated, Baker Boyer takes great pride in its long tradition of strength, stability, financial guidance, and exceptional personal service.

Happy 150th Birthday!

John T. Saul

The Largest Family Western Clothing Store in Southeastern Washington

191747

It just makes sense.

www.bakerboyer.com Member FDIC

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Walla Walla Catholic Schools

WALLA WALLA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS CONGRATULATE THE CLASS OF 2012 Thank You to the Graduates of DeSales and the students at Assumption for Upholding the Tradition of Active Faith, Academic Excellence, and Community Service

• Most importantly, the outstanding community service by all students at Assumption and DeSales: Five community-wide Food Drives, Toys for Foster Children Drive, Toys for Tots Drive, Blood Drive, community-wide Diaper Drive, Breast Cancer Fundraiser by our senior Volleyball Team, Childhood Cancer Fundraiser for a local family by our Assumption NJHS members, Realtors’ Food Drive, AAUW’s Scholarship Book Drive, Senior Service Projects in local area schools and retirement homes, there’s more but we are running out of space...

SMALL SCHOOLS • BIG OPPORTUNITES • BIG ACHIEVEMENTS •

thewwcs.com

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193765 cl

• Once again, we have graduated 100% of our Senior Class • 50% of our 2012 seniors were members of the National Honor Society • The top 30% of the seniors have an average GPA of 3.9 • For the past five years the graduating class’ average college scholarship earnings were $1,181,712 • 65% of Assumption Middle School students were members of the National Junior Honor Society • Assumption students placed 1st in a community-wide Math Competition and 1st in the Spelling Bee for third and fourth grade

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left: Main Street and bridge over Mill Creek in Walla Walla, circa 1862-64. One of the earliest photographs depicting the growing town. Courtesy of Oregon Historical Society, catalog number OrHi 6213. Right: Wheat farming developed in the 1860s and became a predominant economic staple of the Walla Walla Valley. Courtesy of Fort Walla Walla Museum.

The Beginnings of the City of Walla Walla

by Robin Hamilton

On Jan. 11, 1862, Walla Walla became an incorporated city and held its first elections in April of that year. E.B. Whitman was chosen as mayor and several other positions were filled, including five for city councilmen.

Whitman’s inaugural address, which was printed in the town’s newspaper, the Washington Statesman, mentioned the need for a fire department, permanent bridges and strong education.

The city fathers had some interesting ways to collect revenues. In addition to fines for citizens beating and shooting each other, the main source of income for the city came from heavy levies against the pleasure trade — saloons and brothels.

At its inception, Walla Walla was little more than a rough-and-tumble frontier camp, but with the influx of gold miners and fortune seekers, along with settlers and a variety of immigrants, it soon became a city with luxurious-for-the-time EBRATING CEL

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hotels, social clubs and stores that sold all sorts of goods, both exotic and necessary.

Dr. Marcus Whitman, whose death at the hands of Cayuse Indians in 1847 was a seminal point in Walla Walla’s history, had proven that crops of all sorts flourished in the area’s rich soil.

But, until much later, farming did not attract the numbers of immigrants that the promise of gold did.

Early agriculture developed as a result of the presence of Fort Walla Walla and the city’s importance as a supply stop for those going to the gold mines. Later, when the gold mines stopped producing and miners began to leave, the demand for food and supplies for these hordes of men did too. Although much could be grown, it became

apparent that farmers needed to ship their produce to markets in more populated areas. Then, as now, transportation was a challenge. Freight had to be moved by wagon to and from boats on the Columbia, an arduous and time-consuming task. A railroad from Walla Walla to Wallula was needed, though construction, which began in 1871, wasn’t completed until 1875.

It’s interesting to note that in the 1860s, Easterners were being advised to homestead in Washington Territory as a remedy for diseases such as tuberculosis. As the city grew, so did infectious disease, including several epidemics of smallpox, proving that there was no escaping the consequences of people living in close proximity to one another.

How Walla Walla Got Its Name

Excerpted from “Lyman’s History of Walla Walla County, Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties”

“On November 17, 1859, the board of commissioners voted to locate the county seat at the point first named ‘Steptoeville,’ then Waiilatpu, but now by their vote duly christened Walla Walla.

Thus, on November 17, 1859, the ‘Garden City’ officially entered the world under the name by which the Indians at the junction of the Big Rivers introduced themselves to Lewis and Clark, the first white explorers, and preserved, though with many changes of spelling, through the era of the Hudson's Bay Company, and by that company applied to the fort on the Columbia.

Now by the action of the first elected board of county commissioners the musical name was attached to the newly established town of 1859.

It is worthy of notice that the name is commonly supposed to mean the ‘Valley of Waters,’ referring to the numerous streams in the vicinity of the city. The author [Lyman] has been told by ‘Old Bones,’ an Indian of the Cayuse tribe who lived for many years near Lyons’ Ferry

on the Snake River and was known to all oldtimers, that the name was understood by the natives to signify that section of country below Waiilatpu, ‘where the four creeks meet;’ viz., the Walla Walla, Touchet, Mill Creek, and Dry Creek. The Walla Walla above that point was commonly known to the Indians as ‘Tum-a-lum.’

The sound ‘wall’ is common in Indian words all over the Northwest as Willamette, Wallula, Wallowa, Waiilatpu, or, as some got it, W’allatpu.

Many poetical and some prosaic accounts have been given of the origin of the name.

Among others, Joaquin Miller, ‘Poet of the Sierras,’ insisted that when the French voyageurs first looked down from the Blue Mountains (‘Les Montagnes Bleues’ in their Gallic speech) upon the fair fertile valley, they exclaimed : ‘Voila,

Voila !’ (Behold, behold!) and thus the name became fi xed. This fantastic idea is, however, easily disproved by the fact that Lewis and Clark, who entered the country by the Snake River, got the name from the Indians on the Columbia near the mouth of the Walla Walla.

There was a general habit of designating the region around the fort as Steptoeville, a clumsy and illogical name, for it is not euphonious nor would it seem that it would have been popular, for certainly the officer who met such disastrous defeat at the hands of the Spokane Indians did not bring great glory to the Stars and Stripes nor great security to possible settlement. Fortunately the name was not preserved.”

Merchant, foundry owner and fireman “When I first came here in 1860 the fort was already here so I knew it was going to be a safe place to bring my family. A fort brings a lot of business so I thought it would be a good place to start a shop. When gold was discovered in Idaho I knew I was going to stay here and I’d have a lucrative business selling to the miners. And I thought that the town might grow to five, six, seven thousand people someday.

You know, we had a flimsy little county jail that couldn’t hold anybody, and we had to keep territorial prisoners in it. But none of us would vote ourselves a tax to build a new jail. And we had prett y lax law enforcement — or maybe they were overwhelmed — so we had

vigilantes step in and clean up the outlaws and riff raff that the gold fields in Idaho had attracted.”

Born in Shrewsbury, England, in 1829, William Phillips came to Walla Walla in 1860. He established a tin and stove shop on Main Street between Third and Fourth (it later became a hardware store) and brought his family to town in 1861.

In 1867 Phillips and his partner, Mr. Abel, built Walla Walla’s first foundry on lower West Main Street. In 1866, after a disastrous fire downtown, Phillips became a volunteer fireman and was appointed fire marshal in 1867.

William Phillips is portrayed by Dick Phillips, his great-grandson.

This monument, at the corner of East Main Street and Second Avenue, shows the buildings in the town of Walla Walla in early 1859. It was dedicated on Nov. 17, 2009, the 150th anniversary of the naming of the town and its establishment as the Walla Walla County seat, launching the beginning of Walla Walla’s three-year sesquicentennial period.

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The First Newspaper in Walla Walla

by Rob Blethen

If you lived in Walla Walla, Washington Territory, in 1862 and you wanted to know what was going on in your town, your country and the world, your only source was probably the local newspaper, the Washington Statesman. Unlike many of the papers of its day, the Statesman was ahead of its time, presenting the news in the politically independent way that is common today, though it did sympathize with the Union during the Civil War. The paper was founded by brothers William Smith and R.B Smith in 1861. These two later changed the publication’s name to the Walla Walla Statesman in 1864. The Statesman was a weekly newspaper that came out on Fridays.

Unlike the newspapers of today, it carried very few pictures. The paper packed as much news and advertising text into each page as was possible. Many of the Statesman’s subscribers were miners, and lore has it they actually paid their subscriptions with gold dust. A subscription for a year back in 1862 cost $5.60. The number of subscribers was approximately 200.

The content of the Statesman in 1862 was focused on world affairs, history, religion, local news and letters to the editor. Headlines were understated in size and language and covered such diverse topics as, “The Indians’ Feelings Toward the Whites,” “The Best Wealth” and “Farmers Should Prepare for Winter and Worship.”

Like today’s Union-Bulletin, it was full of advertisements, the abundance of which shows there was a very rich and diverse economy in Walla Walla even back in 1862. There were ads for everything from groceries to clothes to attorneys. Prominent topics in the advertising that paint a picture of what might be expected from a Western town back then were liquor, wine, beer and saloons.

The Washington Statesman office, circa 1875. Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell.

It’s unclear exactly when the Statesman ceased publication, though it is known it was sometime in the early 1900s. The modern-day Union-Bulletin was crafted from a merger of John G. Kelly’s Bulletin (founded in 1906) and W.H. Cowles’ Union (purchased in 1931 in a foreclosure proceeding) by Kelly in 1934.

Donald Sherwood married John G. Kelly’s daughter Virginia, and after he ran the paper for decades, they sold the Union-Bulletin to its current owner, The Seattle Times Company, stewarded by my family, the Blethens, in 1971.

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Our heritage is a significant factor in the unique ambiance of Walla Walla, and it continues to grow as a vital component of our tourism industry. We are blessed with what many communities would cherish – an authentic sense of place.

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The Severe Season

by Robin Hamilton

The winter of 1861-62 was record-setting by most historical accounts. It was one of the coldest, snowiest and wettest winters ever recorded. It was also the first winter of the Civil War. For the West Coast of the United States, it was a season of extreme storms and torrential rains that were biblical in proportion, beginning in November and continuing into January.

The continuous rain and the following storms flooded great stretches of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, California and Arizona. The State of California, which relied on taxes from land, was bankrupted by the floods.

As the winter stretched on in Oregon and the Territory of Washington, snow fell in feet, rather than inches, and was either so powdery soft that snowshoes would sink through it, or frozen, making travel by wagon dangerous, if not impossible.

Rivers, even those as large as the Columbia, froze and became impassable.

In Washington Territory, along the Mullan

Road, the heavy snows made traveling difficult and supplies soon became scarce. Without access to commodities by road or river, towns such as Walla Walla suffered. According to reports in the town’s newspaper, the Washington Statesman, citizens were panicked and angry about the shortage of food and the exorbitant prices of necessities, including firewood. In fact, firewood became so scarce that anything that would burn was used, from furniture to fence posts.

It was bitterly cold that winter — temperatures stayed below freezing during the day and once reached a low of minus 29 degrees. There was constant snowfall, up to 5 feet in some areas, which forced Walla Walla’s citizens indoors, if they were lucky enough to have sufficient shelter. Some settlers arriving to the area in the late fall of that

year didn’t have time to build a structure that would withstand those conditions, and the toll on their physical and mental health was heavy.

The men who had flocked to gold mines in the mountains of Idaho were ill-prepared for the severity of that winter. There were accounts of miners who refused to leave their claims starving to death. Those who made it back to Walla Walla didn’t fare much better, as some citizens took to stealing as a way to survive.

Livestock — including horses, cattle and sheep — were unable to dig through the snow to find grass and died by the thousands of cold and starvation. An estimated million dollars worth of livestock was lost.

Snow stayed on the ground until the spring rains arrived in March.

First teacher in Walla Walla “When my husband and I arrived here in 1861 he bought property and we had a nice house at First and Main Street

by Mill Creek. In 1862 there were 50 buildings built [in Walla Walla] and 30 more were under construction.

I opened up a private school on the corner of Palouse and Alder and in the winter of 1861–62 had 40 students. That was a really harsh winter but we made it over that time. I was then given a certificate and the school was changed to a public one, Walla Walla’s first, though we had to meet in rented space.

In late 1862 the Washington Statesman brought up the issue that there were children here and no public school building. Finally, in 1864 the city purchased property bounded by Cherry, Palouse, Sumach and Spokane streets. The building

was a one-story, two- room frame structure, 30 by 60 feet.

The first teachers in the new school building were W.R. Yocum and his assistant I.M Gale. The desks were double seated with lids on top which could be lift ed to reveal a storage place for slates, books and lunches. The school opened on March 12, 1866, and a small tuition fee was charged.”

Sarah Miner and her husband, A.J., came to Walla Walla in 1861. A.J. Miner and his partner, Mr. Rogers, opened a planing mill. Sarah opened a private school in the winter of 1861–62. She was described as “a lovely, cultured woman, who had the finest house plants in town.”

Sarah Miner is portrayed by Barbara Daniel at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

The Sesquicentennial Committee worked with local artist Jeanne McMenemy to create a limited-edition series of three posters, one for each 50-year period of Walla Walla’s 150-year history. The posters feature photos of people, places and artifacts drawing from ArtWalla’s “Windows on the Past” installation at Heritage Park, as well as public and private collections. left: Staffordshire plate collected on an early dig from the site of the third Fur Trade Post at Wallula.

Courtesy Fort Walla Walla Museum.

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The Beginnings of Local and Regional Government

by Diane Reed

The early development of what became the City of Walla Walla was tied closely to the presence of Fort Walla Walla. The first Fort Walla Walla was the British Hudson’s Bay Company trading post at Wallula. The first U.S. military Fort Walla Walla was established in 1856 on upper Mill Creek, and a replacement post was built in October of that year in what is now downtown Walla Walla. This fort was situated where the Nez Perce Trail crossed Mill Creek, just east of the intersection of First and Main.

It included living quarters, a storehouse and a blockhouse, all constructed of logs, and was occupied until a permanent fort was completed a mile southwest of town in 1858 (now the Veterans Administration Hospital). Some of the officers’ quarters from the 1858 fort still stand on the grounds.

First elected mayor of Walla Walla “I was elected mayor of Walla Walla in 1862. On my inaugural day there was a riot in Robinson’s Theatre.

The soldiers had a favorite, Mr. Robinson’s daughter, the darling of the stage. The soldiers would sit in the theater company by company, and that day one of the soldiers was so taken with her that he staggered drunkenly up on the stage and reached for her and one of our town ‘sports’ shot that soldier dead. And there was a general riot that took place and there were other soldiers and townspeople killed and wounded. The soldiers wanted our marshal to arrest the man that had done the shooting, and he refused to do so. So the soldiers marched into town and surrounded our sheriff’s office, arrested him and were

marching him through town to the fort when I, the new mayor, met them at the city limits.

It took some tall talking to convince the soldiers that we had civil government and that we would be the law and order in this town, not the fort.”

E.B. Whitman came to Walla Walla in 1859 and became a successful merchant and Wells Fargo agent. Several times elected mayor of Walla Walla, he was prominent in the community throughout the rough and violent times of the mid-1860s. Over the years he served as mayor, sheriff, justice of the peace and clerk of the school board.

E.B. Whitman is portrayed by Daniel Clark at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

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ArtWalla received a grant from Sherwood Trust to commission a commemorative sesquicentennial public art installation. From submissions received, designs from three local artists — Squire Broel, Brad Rude and Wayne Chabre — were selected. The artists created scale models of their designs for public presentation. Public voting was encouraged through May; the final design by Squire Broel was selected June 4. The finished piece will be unveiled Dec. 2. Follow ArtWalla on Facebook for updates and details.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes SESQUICENTENNIal ISSUE

In early 1857 the settlement growing up the first councilmen were I.T. Reese, J.F. Abbott, Statesman, noted in May 1862, “Some very tasteful around the fort was still unnamed, although R. Jacobs, B.F. Stone and B. Sheideman. George H. and well arranged private dwellings adorn the some referred to it as Steptoeville, after the Porter was elected marshal. As John Abbott was city; but in all our peregrinations about town name of the commander at the fort, Lt. Col. E.J. unable to serve on the council, William Phillips we have not noticed a rose bush or shrub of any Steptoe. In July of 1859, it briefly bore kind about any of them.” the name Waiilaptu, but the county On June 11, 1862, a fire broke commissioners renamed it Walla Walla out in a downtown theater and on Nov. 17, 1859, and established the persuaded the citizens to form the newly named city as the county seat Washington Engine Company. They of Walla Walla County. raised a subscription, and by DecemThe location of the fort reassured ber the city had its first firefighting the fledgling community that the setequipment, a Hunneman tub engine. tlement was located in a safe place Along with the increasing size for commerce and growth, and the and prosperity of the new city came building of the Mullan Road from 1859 law-and-order issues that defied the to 1862 brought a steady stream of setability of the fledgling city to maintlers and miners. tain order. A violent 1862 confrontaOutfitting gold miners on their tion at Robinson’s Theatre between way to Idaho and Montana and new soldiers from the fort and local citisettlers coming west ensured the zens led to a debate about who growth of business and attracted was responsible for keeping the residents to Walla Walla. By the sumpeace in the city. Mayor E.B. Whitmer of 1860 the town was growing man and Col. Henry Lee, comso quickly that the County Board of mander of the post, each claimed Commissioners authorized a survey jurisdiction, and the sheriff was to lay out the streets, a job that was disinclined to prosecute citizens completed in 1861. However, instead of of the town in quarrels with the adopting an east-west orientation, the soldiers. As a result, soldiers route of Main Street followed the Nez took possession of the streets Perce Trail. A number of buildings and arrested the sheriff until had to be moved out of the newly Mayor Whitman intervened. created rights of way, but the surThe unwillingness of lovey cleared the way for cal citizens to pay for adthe orderly growth of equate law enforcement the city. led to the formation of On Jan. 11, 1862, groups of vigilantes the Territorial Legislawho took it upon ture incorporated the city of themselves to enleft: 1860s fireman’s helmet, Walla Walla Fire Department.

Walla Walla and called for the election force law and order in the city. After a Middle: Walla Walla firefighter William Bender. in April of a mayor, recorder, five counnumber of incidents, including hangRight: 19th-century firefighting trophy presented to cilmen, marshal, assessor, treasurer ings and other examples of frontier Walla Walla Fire Department. Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell. and surveyor. Temporary officials were justice, the citizens had had enough. appointed until an election could be held. The first was appointed in his place.

By 1865 the city and the county had agreed to appointed mayor was B.P. Sandefe, who served At the time of the election, Walla Walla conshare the county jail, and the citizens relied on until the first election was held April 1, 1862. At sisted of a few modest frame structures and log the marshal and the courts to prosecute and carry that time, E.B. Whitman was elected mayor and houses. The city’s first newspaper, the Washington out punishment.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes SESQUICENTENNIal ISSUE

21

The Abbott Stage Line entering Walla Walla from Idaho. The company was established in Walla Walla in 1861. Courtesy of Fred L. Mitchell.

Walla Walla and the Gold Rush

by Diane Reed

The building of the Mullan Road from 1859 to 1862 helped to tie the fortunes and development of Walla Walla to the burgeoning gold rush in Eastern Washington, Montana and Idaho.

Although gold was discovered in the Colville area in 1855, the full impact on Walla Walla began with the Feb. 20, 1860, discovery of gold by E.D. Pierce on the north fork of the Clearwater River near the present town of Orofino, Idaho.

More gold was found in the surrounding areas of Idaho, including on the Salmon River and at Gold and Grasshopper creeks. Further discoveries of gold in Montana and British Colum-

bia ensured a brisk business for Walla Walla providing the goldfields with food, equipment and supplies. Merchants were eager to sell gold seekers mining supplies and staples for their journeys. Profits were high, with basic goods such as coffee and cured meat selling for four times the price of the same goods in Portland.

Pack animals were sought-after, and one firm even offered camels to transport miners’ sup-

plies. Pack trains headed to the gold fields from Walla Walla on the Mullan Road and the Nez Perce Trail.

While goods and supplies for the gold settlements made their way east from Walla Walla, some miners returned with the sought-after gold. In 1859 Dr. Dorsey Baker (joined by his partner, John F. Boyer, in 1862) had established a successful business particularly catering to the

EBRATING CEL

Walla Walla

YEARS

SESQUICENTENNIAL FOUNDED 1859 INCORPORATED 1862

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Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes SESQUICENTENNIal ISSUE

June to december, 2012

miners, one which became well-known for its an anything-goes city continued, despite the By 1863, Walla Walla was the largest and honesty and fairness. (So many miners trusted presence of Fort Walla Walla, the opening of a wealthiest city in Washington Territory (a posiBaker and Boyer to hold their gold that by 1869 school and fire department in 1862, and a lesstion the city held into the 1880s). The Walla Walla the pair had formed a bank under their names, than-adequate jail. area had earned its way into this distinction which still survives today.) through its role as a transportaBy the time Capt. John Multion and supply hub, first for fur lan, accompanied by his wife, trading in the early 1800s, then Rebecca, returned to Walla Walla for the mines and miners. Most to become farmers in August of of the gold made its way through 1863, the town was bustling. A the city to Portland and afar. variety of merchants and suppliBy 1866 wheat was fast beers had sprung up, many of them coming the new gold of the Walprospering by provisioning la Walla Valley. The Washington immigrants, miners and pack Statesman reported the wheat trains. Historian W.D. Lyman crop for the year “promises to described the time: “Walla Walla double that of any former year.” was the scene of the greatest acBy 1870 grain had supplanted tivity: streets were crowded; the gold as the enterprise of the merchants were doing a thriving Valley’s future; it still plays an business; and pack trains moved important role in the region’s in seemingly endless procession economy. The “gold” in the Walla Mid-19th century miner’s lamp, gold scale and case, and miner’s candle holder. These toward the gold fields.” probably belonged to Michael Beam Ward. Courtesy of Fort Walla Walla Museum. Walla Valley that has endured is Walla Walla’s reputation as in its wheat fields.

Madam “I came here because my husband was shot in a card game in San Francisco. That’s how I got the money to come north. I brought ten young women, three musicians and a bodyguard with me. I heard that there was gold being found in the Idaho hills and I thought Walla Walla would be a good place to start a new business. Within two years I had built the Coast House. My establishment was of higher quality and my girls were very talented and beautiful. They entertained privately and as a group.

We would have the best of dinners, music and conversation — because of that we would oft en entertain the mayor, chief of police, the fire chief and the movers and shakers of the town.

One time my establishment was quarantined and for two weeks the town was run by dropping a basket over the side of the second story with written orders as to how

to run the town, because we had the mayor, a doctor and several priests inside.

I had a second establishment at the Hotel State. We had a second-floor walkway between the hotel and the fire station, and we even put a fire alarm in case any of the men were in my establishment when a fire broke out.”

Josephine Wolfe, nicknamed “Dutch Jo,” came to Walla Walla around 1860. She was well-known as the savvy proprietress of two of Walla Walla’s houses of ill repute, popular with local officials, army officers and miners back from the gold fields. She was also a public benefactress, giving generously to the Catholic Church, the Stubblefield Orphanage and providing for needy firemen. She purchased the firefighter’s statue at Mountain View Cemetery, where she and several of her employees are buried.

Living History figure Josephine “Dutch Jo” Wolf, portrayed by Lois Hahn.

In addition to the scores of early Walla Walla-area artifacts usually displayed, special sesquicentennial exhibits include beautiful examples of floral-themed beadwork by the Plateau Indian people and a collection of dresses from the 1860s. Not only were the dress designs intriguing and elaborate and the fabrics beautiful and rich, judging from these examples, the waist sizes of the women living at the time were of Scarlett O’Hara proportions. June to December.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes SESQUICENTENNIal ISSUE

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A Day in the Life

story and photos by

Kimberly Miner

A Day in the Life of Father Pat I thought it would be an interesting idea to shoot “A Day in the Life” series but did not necessarily want to focus on any one person, so the idea of focusing on a “career” came about.

I wanted to shoot a career that I found to be somewhat intriguing. To photograph a day that others, too, may have wondered about, such as “A Day in the Life of a Priest.” Does a priest pray, worship or study the Bible all day long?

I knew this was possibly not the

case, but I wanted to see for myself what his day was like: I have long had this curiosity about priests, who dedicate their entire lives to the service of God and humanity.

The day started at 7 a.m. at the rectory, where Father Pat was doing his laundry ...

Preparation for Mass.

22 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Father Pat doing his laundry.

Robe worn during Lent.

Greeting members of Assumption Church.

Saying goodbye.

Young member of Assumption Church.

Saying hello to the preschool children.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 23

A Day in the Life

Leaving Assumption.

Mass attendees at St. Mary Providence Medical Center chapel.

Hospital visits.

Lunch.

24 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Church members stop by parish office to talk to Father Pat.

Father Pat and Father Jeff checking on the progress of the St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church remodel.

Fathers talking with the bookkeeper.

Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekly prayer dinner, provided by a church member.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 25

Summer Dance

by

Robin Hamilton

A Festival of Dance Walla Walla has seen its music and theater scenes develop in the past year. So, what’s next in the arts pantheon?

Dance. All kinds of dance.

The Walla Walla Summer Dance Festival, July 21-27, follows last year’s successful inaugural season with an ambitious program featuring contemporary and classical ballet, hip-hop and a world-premiere modern-dance performance created especially for the festival.

The festival will be capped by the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s take on the music of Cole Porter;

a performance by Cruz Control, a cutting-edge hip-hop dance crew out of Seattle; and the John Passafiume Dancers, performing a contemporary piece set to Beethoven’s String Quartet in A Minor (Op. 132).

All week, there will be free dance events for all ages, beginning with a free hip-hop class at the YMCA and several other free events, including a lecture and demonstration featuring danc-

ers from the Oregon Ballet Theatre, New York’s John Passafiume Dancers and Cruz Control.

The dance festival is an outgrowth of the Summer Dance Lab — a pre-professional training intensive held every summer at Whitman College. Young dancers from across the country attend the Dance Lab to develop their performance skills under the direction of Lydia Tetzlaff and John Passafiume.

Oregon Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Alison Roper and Soloist Brett Bauer in Christopher Stowell’s “Eyes On You.” Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

26 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

July Dance Schedule

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Dance lecture and demonstration featuring dancers from the oregon Ballet theatre, John passafiume dancers and Cruz Control. free and open to the public. 7 p.m., harper Joy theatre, Whitman College.

July 24 Walla Walla public library’s “terrific tuesday,” featuring dancers from the oregon Ballet theatre, John passafiume Dancers and Cruz Control. free and open to children and their parents. 2 p.m., Cordiner hall, Whitman College. open rehearsal of the summer Dance festival’s visiting artists and companies. free and open to the public. 7 p.m., Cordiner hall, Whitman College.

July 27 Walla Walla summer Dance festival’s grand festival performance, featuring oregon Ballet theatre, John passafiume dancers, Cruz Control and student dancers from the summer Dance lab. tickets: adults, $20; students with iD and seniors 65-plus, $10; families (two adults plus children), $50. tickets are available at Walla Walla tourism’s main street kiosk, earthlight Books, Whitman College Bookstore and at the door. 7 p.m., Cordiner hall, Whitman College.

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Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 27

Historic Homes

by

Karlene Ponti / photos by Greg Lehman

The 1909 home of Susan Monahan and Mark Brucks has been updated but maintains its historic charm.

A Century and Then Some Susan Monahan and Mark Brucks just completed a major renovation of their 1909 home at 145 Thorne St. The home has recently passed the century mark; now upgraded, it is going on to its next 100 years.

Susan and Mark purchased the home in 2008 and moved in March 2009. According to Susan, it’s an American bungalow with its characteristic long, low look and long porch.

Since 1909, it has had only four previous owners. And it’s been a family home, never chopped into apartments.

It was built for Sam and Ethel King — they lived there through 1946. Then, from 1947 to 1973, it was owned by George and Mabel Smith.

The third family was originally Fred and Marla Miklancic; later, Fred lived there with his second wife, Sherri, from 1973 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008, it was owned by Janice Ingham and Joaquin Torres.

Susan and Mark keep learning about the history of the home. That project meant they were able to meet and develop friendships with descendants of the first three families who lived in the house.

28 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

The home was in good shape when Susan and Mark bought it, but they wanted to change some things. Renovation began on the upstairs, then progressed to the main floor. At that point, the couple simply lived upstairs.

While the interior of the home was in disarray, Susan, who likes order, says she was “almost without hope.” But she loves beauty more than order, and the construction was completed.

A priority in the project was to keep the historic integrity of the home, as well as salvage and reuse as much as possible, like windows and siding.

“There are only two new windows in the house,” she says.

The couple worked with RTL Construction, and they are happy with the process and outcome.

“They are gentlemen,” Susan says.

The company made every effort to reuse the

existing materials. The garage ended up being demolished and a new one was built, but siding and windows were repurposed.

The home has three floors, including the full but unfinished basement. And the house is “not new space, it’s rearranged space,” Susan says.

The main and second floors originally had porches, very common in the early 1900s. The exterior lines of the home weren’t expanded, the existing porches were just enclosed and absorbed.

The kitchen has a large walk-through pantry for increased storage. They have kitchen cabinets designed by Mark and built by Phill Thompson of Systematic Wood Designs. These cabinets are made to look like those of the early 1900s, with glass front doors to display the dinnerware inside. The cabinets also have lights underneath them to illuminate the countertop with just the right light.

Continued on pg. 30 >

Above: The extensive woodwork is a significant feature throughout the home. Below: Exposed ceiling beams and no-frills windows accent the dining room.

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 29

Historic Homes

<continued from pg. 28

To honor the history of the home, in the kitchen Susan keeps a framed photograph of the Smith family after a Thanksgiving meal.

The home was designed by architects Lambert and Bailey. Much of the woodwork is long-leaf pine with a very noticeable grain. The floors are verticalgrain, old-growth fir.

When Susan and Mark first looked at the house, they felt at home immediately.

It just seemed right.

“It’s like we just knew where we belonged. It was uncanny,” she says. “My husband was really drawn to the large piece of property, so we could have a community garden behind the house.”

On the main and second floors, the design of the home and woodwork is bold and strong. The huge windows were left as they are, letting in the light.

“We don’t do ‘curtainy’ things,” Susan explains.

The plain, no-frills attitude inside and out has a classic look all its own.

She likes the brightness of the natural

light pouring in; the house is the couple’s window on the world.

Susan’s favorite room is her coffee room in the entryway near the front door and living room.

“It’s a peaceful, wonderful place,” she says.

It’s the perfect quiet room to stop and relax.

The second floor continues the same themes: fabulous woodwork, large rooms with ample amounts of storage, walk-in closets and large windows.

“Both bedrooms have wonderful sunrooms,” she says.

These were former sleeping porches incorporated into the renovations in a different way.

The sunroom on the northeast has a relaxing view of the large garden out back.

“We’re so high up it feels like you’re in the treetops. You can look out to the garden, it’s like a whole other world. It’s like you’re living in the trees,” says Susan.

“We’re grateful to be able to have this Continued on pg. 32 >

Right: The upgraded kitchen has plenty of storage.

Below: Light streams through the kitchen windows — the room is a social center for the home, carrying on a tradition.

30 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

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Historic Homes

<continued from pg. 30

house; we do not take this for granted.

It’s too big a house for just two people.

We’re sensitive to its past,” she says.

The design of the home was very forward-thinking for the time in which it was built. Pocket doors are in use to shut off various areas for heating and privacy, just as they were in the early 1900s.

A future project will be to change some of the landscaping to decrease water usage.

“Low water, high beauty. We want to get the grass replaced and put in water-conserving plants. It can still be lush and beautiful. But we want to do one thing at a time and not get burned out,” she says.

Another wonderful aspect of living there, according to Susan, is the creek that runs through the front yard.

“Bryant Creek – it’s my water feature,” she says. “We are blessed with the creek and house. We’re very fortunate.”

The large home is a comfortable, pleasant space for Susan and Mark and for their many guests.

Karlene Ponti is the special publications writer for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and Walla Walla Lifestyles. She can be reached at karleneponti@wwub.com.

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Secret Garden

by

Karlene Ponti / photos by Greg Lehman

Kevin Patterson and Mark Sluga organized and added to the existing garden at their home at 223 S. Roosevelt St.

Contemplation Garden Lush, growing plants and art blend together in the gardens at 223 S. Roosevelt, the home of Kevin Patterson and Mark Sluga.

The sound of Mill Creek can be heard as the scent of lilacs fill the air. Each curving section of the garden, from iris bed to tulips to the hidden Zen garden, offers its own calming touch.

When Kevin and Mark bought the home seven years ago, they brought with them many ferns, as well as other shade- and water-loving plants, from the Seattle area. They added these and kept the main features that were already established, such as the large shade trees and old lilacs.

Kevin and Mark simply added and organized — which, in a garden, means a lot of work.

The east-side iris bed, with bright color and lush foliage, was “a flat pallet of weeds,” Kevin says.

But Mark and Kevin planned carefully, so they could keep the transplanted damp-climate foliage from withering in the dry heat. One section of ferns is shaded by a fence and large tree; the plants are labeled with humor and precision.

“It started as a joke because we’re forgetful,”

Kevin laughs.

Mixed in with the growing leaves is Kevin’s artwork, with real leaves in concrete.

Leaf shapes and colors mix here and there in the garden.

Tucked away in the shade is the Zen-garden section, which originally was going to be a pond.

They decided that wouldn’t work, then put all the dirt back in. It settled on its own and created an intriguing landscape. Lush hostas grow almost everywhere.

Continued on pg. 34 > Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 33

Secret Garden

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left: Natural art blends in with secluded Zen garden on the north side of the home. Above: Flowing lines define sections of the garden.

Continued on pg. 36 >

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JuLY July 1

uplay, ages 7-12, at Jefferson, pioneer, eastgate lions and Washington parks, hosted by the city of Walla Walla parks and recreation Department. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Details: wwpr.us or 509-527-4527.

ThROugh July 8

Boyer Bank, the city of Walla Walla and the Walla Walla union-Bulletin. Details: 4thofjulyinthepark.com or 509-520-1252.

Walla Walla sweets Baseball at Borleske field. 7:05 p.m. Details: wallawallasweets.com or 509-522-2255.

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“Big Daddy’s Bar-B-Q” comedy performance at the power house theatre. 111 N. sixth ave. Details: 509-742-0739.

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the annual pow-wow features traditional drumming, dancing, colorful costumes. Vendors offer food, art and more. Wildhorse resort & Casino, pendleton. Details: 800-654-9453.

enjoy lavender field Days. u-pick lavender, learn to make crafts such as wreaths and wands. sunday-friday, Blue mountain lavender farm, lowden. Details: 509-529-farm.

ThROugh Aug. 26

the city of Walla Walla parks and recreation Department offers classes, including drawing and painting. 9:30 a.m., Carnegie art Center, 109 s. palouse st. Details: wwpr.us or 509-527-4527.

tamástslikt Cultural institute hosts the weaving exhibit “transitions—one man show: Joey lavadour.” Details: 541-966-9748.

July 4 the fourth of July in the park is Walla Walla’s community celebration of independence Day. the all-day festival features live music and entertainment, crafts, food booths and more from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. then, at dark, fireworks are launched from the athletic field at Walla Walla Community College. sponsored by Baker

July 11 And 18

July 14-15 athena’s Caledonian games, a traditional scottish festival, dates back to the 1800s. events include highland dancing, piping, sheepdog trials, athletic competitions and more. athena, ore. Details: athenacaledoniangames.org. fast cars and excitement at Walla Walla Drag strip, middle Waitsburg road. Details: wwdragstrip.com or 509-301-9243.

Walla Walla sweet onion festival salutes the area’s famous onion. two full days of entertainment, music, cooking and barbecue contests in downtown Walla Walla. Details: 509-525-1031.

July 17 hands-on day camps for kids aged 9-11. the “pioneer kids” camp teaches how the pioneers lived. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., fort Walla Walla museum. Details: 509-525-7703.

July 18-22 summer poker rodeo at Wildhorse resort & Casino.

Details: 800-654-9453.

July 19-22 mule mania. learn about mules and donkeys. Classes, parade and fun. Columbia County fairgrounds, Dayton.

Details: 509-382-4825.

July 20-22 experience history firsthand at the Dayton Depot alumni Weekend open house. free admission. Dayton historic Depot. Details: 509-382-2026.

Dayton high school alumni Weekend features a parade, picnic and parties. Dayton. Details: 509-382-4033.

July 21-22 milton-freewater’s annual chain-saw carving competition, logs to frogs, pits chain-saw artists against each other to create frog-themed carvings. 8 a.m., highway 11, across from papa murphy’s. Details: 541-938-8236.

Regular Events each month, the Blue mountain artists guild in Dayton sets up a new exhibit at the Dayton public library.

Details: 509-382-1964.

MOndAy most monday nights, live music at Vintage Cellars. 10 N. second ave. Details: 509-529-9340.

TuEsdAy trivia game Night. red monkey Downtown lounge, 25 W. alder st. Details: 509-522-3865.

WEdnEsdAy Wine tasting, first Wednesday of the month. plateau restaurant at Wildhorse resort & Casino, pendleton.

Details: 800-654-9453. record your own music. 5 p.m., Walla Walla recording Club at sapolil Cellars, 15 e. main st. Details: 509-520-5258. music. 7-9 p.m., Walla Walla Wine Works, 31 e. main st. Details: 509-522-1261. open mic. 8 p.m., laht Neppur ale house, 53 s. spokane st. Details: 509-529-2337. karaoke. 8 p.m., Wildfire sports Bar at Wildhorse resort & Casino, pendleton. Details: 800-654-9453.

ThuRsdAy Walla faces tasting salon: first thursday of the month, salsa Night. the second and fourth thursday, open mic. the third thursday, records are played during the “spin and pour.” 7-10 p.m., Walla faces, 216 e. main st.

Details: 877-301-1181.

“Blues and Barbecue” with live music and “West of the Blues BBQ.” Charles smith Winery, 35 s. spokane st. Details: 509-526-5230.

Dinner by in-house Bistro 15, with entertainment.

5-11 p.m., sapolil Cellars, 15 e. main st. Details: 509-520-5258.

38 Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes

Comedy jam. 8 p.m., Wildfire spor ts Bar at the Wildhorse resor t & Casino, pendleton. Details: 800-654-9453. open mic. 7-10 p.m., Walla Walla Village Winery, 107 s. third ave. Details: 509-525-9463. karaoke. 8 p.m., Crossroads steakhouse, 207 W. main st. Details: 509-522-1200. live music. 9 p.m.-midnight, anchor Bar, 128 e. main st., Waitsburg. Details: 509-337-3008.

FRidAy pianist Carolyn mildenberger. 5-7 p.m., sapolil Cellars, 15 e. main st. Details: 509-520-5258. pianist Bob lewis. 6:30-9 p.m., oasis at stateline, 85698 highway 339, milton-freewater. Details: 541-938-4776. the first friday of each month, free admission. tamástslikt Cultural institute, pendleton. Details: 541-966-9748. music. Dayton Wine Works, 507 e. main st. Details: 509-382-1200. from may-December, the “first friday” artWalk Walla Walla. 5-8 p.m. Details: artwalkwallawalla.com. the second friday each month, acoustic jam. skye Books & Brew, Dayton. Details: 509-382-4677. live music. 7 p.m., Walla faces, 216 e. main st. Details: 877-301-1181. live music. Backstage Bistro, 230 e. main st. Details: 509-526-0690. live music. 9 p.m., Wildfire sports Bar at Wildhorse resort & Casino, pendleton. Details: 800-654-9453. live music. 9 p.m., sapolil Cellars, 15 e. main st. Details: 509-520-5258. sATuRdAy live music. 8 p.m., laht Neppur ale house, 53 s. spokane st. Details: 509-529-2337.

most saturday nights, live music. Vintage Cellars, 10 N. second ave. Details: 509-529-9340. live music. 9 p.m.-midnight, anchor Bar, 128 e. main st., Waitsburg. Details: 509-337-3008. live music. 7 p.m., Walla faces, 216 e. main st. Details: 877-301-1181. live music. Backstage Bistro, 230 e. main st. Details: 509-526-0690. live music. 9 p.m., Wildfire sports Bar at Wildhorse resort & Casino, pendleton. Details: 800-654-9453. live music. 9 p.m., sapolil Cellars, 15 e. main st. Details: 509-520-5258. through august, enjoy a Downtown summer sounds Concert. 4 p.m., land title plaza, first avenue and main street. Details: 509-529-8755. the Walla Walla Valley farmers market sets up shop at Crawford park, fourth avenue and main street.

Details: 509-520-3647. sundAy sunday Jazz Café. 3 p.m., Walla faces, 216 e. main st.

Details: 877-301-1181. ragtime piano by uriel. 4-7 p.m., oasis at stateline, 85698 highway 339, milton-freewater. Details: 541-938-4776. through august, enjoy a Downtown summer sounds Concert. 4 p.m., land title plaza, first avenue and main street. Details: 509-529-8755. the Walla Walla Valley farmers market sets up shop at Crawford park, fourth avenue and main street.

Details: 509-520-3647.

July 21, 23-25, 27

July 23 Walla Walla sweets and the Downtown foundation host an all-star Block party with family-friendly activities and live music on main street between spokane and Colville. Details: wallawallasweets.com or 509-522-Ball.

July 24 the Walla Walla sweets host the West Coast league all-star game. Borleske stadium. Details: wallawallasweets.com or 509-522-Ball.

A Life Well-Lived is Worth Remembering Your wishes fulfilled ...

No difficult questions left to answer ...

All decisions made with a clear head ...

July 28

A funeral reflective of your wishes.

Bob McCoy Pre-Planning and Pre-Funding Funeral Advisor.

pink ribbon Classic horse show, a fundraiser hosted by the new 4-h Club american Wranglers and Walla Walla Valley horsemen to benefit the Walla Walla Cancer Center special Needs fund. 8 a.m., Walla Walla County fairgrounds. Details: 509-540-2776. family movie Night, title to be announced, presented by the city of Walla Walla parks and recreation Department. at dusk in Borleske park. Details: wwpr.us or 509-527-4527.

Herring Groseclose Funeral Home

315 West Alder, Walla Walla, 525-1150

85464 CL 193350

summer Dance festival. a series of events, including a lecture, dance demonstration and rehearsal. the experience culminates in this year’s festival performance, featuring the oregon Ballet theatre, seattle’s hip-hop Cruz Control, and the New york modern company, the John passafiume Dancers. 7 p.m., Cordiner hall, Whitman College. Details: wallawalladancefestival.org.

Photos by Steve Lenz

Where in Walla Walla?

Last issue’s clue: Quite probably Walla Walla’s only rocket, it marks an organization that honors our troops.

Clue: This cemetery is located on the top of a hill in the midst of a wheat field.

Formerly known as the Buroker Cemetery, it has another, more poetic name. First burials were in 1869 and the last was 1902. Name the cemetery and give its location.

Answer: Walla Walla VFW Post 992

Contest rules

Last month’s winners

If you have the answer, email it to rickdoyle@wwub.com, or send it to: Where in Walla Walla?, 112 S. First Ave., P.O. Box 1358, Walla Walla, WA 99362. The names of 10 people with correct answers will be randomly selected, and they will receive this great-looking mug as proof of their local knowledge and good taste.

Ray Lightle Buddy Georgia Gary Miller Lori Jewett

Elaine Vandiver John Deming Carl Jeglum Joan Fugina

Wall a Wall a Lifest yLes 39