Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Washington
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Volcanoguy
N 46° 02.426 W 118° 27.596
11T E 387036 N 5099575
The Whitman Mission National Historic Site near Walla Walla, Washington.
Waymark Code: WM8M0H
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2010
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
Views: 5

From the guidebook:
Left here, 0.5 m. to a junction with a dirt road; R. on the dirt road 0.4 m. to the entrance of WHITMAN MEMORIAL PARK, site of the Waiilatpu (Ind. place of the rye grass) Mission. A group of graves and a large crypt sealed, with a massive block of stone mark the burial place of the pioneer missionaries. A flight of steps and a winding road lead to the crest of the hill, where a tall shaft has been erected.
In 1836 Marcus WHitman constructed a crude cabin of cottonwood logs on the right bank of the Walla Walla RIver, at Waiilatpu, near the mouth of Mill Creek. The larger buildings of the mission soon rose along side. Myron F. Eells, a missionary from Massachusetts who visited the mission in 1838, described it thus: “It was built of adobe, mud dried in the form of bricks, only larger -- there are doors and windows of the roughest material, the boards being sawed by hand and put together by no carpenter, but by one who knows nothing about the work. There are a number of wheat, corn and potato fields about the house, besides a garden of melons and all kinds of vegetables common to a garden. There are no fences, there being no timber with which to make them. The furniture is very primitive; the bedsteads are boards nailed to the sides of the house, sink fashion; then some blankets and husks make the bed.” The mission buildings and grounds are in process of restoration as an historic site, under the auspices of Whitman Centennial, Inc., a Walla Walla organization.

---Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State

The Whitman National Monument was established by Congress on June 29, 1936. Following World War II, archaeological excavations were conducted in the old mission area and a temporary one room museum was opened. On January 1, 1963, the designation was changed to Whitman Mission National Historic Site. A full visitor center was finally dedicated on June 6, 1964. The Whitman Mission National Historic Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
This waymark is located near the old entrance to Whitman Memorial Park from the east.

Book: Washington

Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 367-368

Year Originally Published: 1941

Visit Instructions:
To log a Visit, please supply an original image of the Waymark.

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest American Guide Series
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Don.Morfe visited Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Washington 04/17/2024 Don.Morfe visited it
Lomond visited Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Washington 08/07/2010 Lomond visited it
Volcanoguy visited Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Washington 09/26/2009 Volcanoguy visited it

View all visits/logs