Walla Walla...the city so nice, they named it twice

After a restful pit stop in Kennewick, WA...that's one of the Tri-Cities along with Richland and Pasco...I spent the day sightseeing in Walla Walla.  Walla Walla is probably best known for their famous sweet onions.  Maui and Georgia have often claimed their onions are the sweetest, but here in the Northwest, we know which onion is king!  Walla Walla is also the site of the state's highest security penitentiary, housing the worst of the worst criminals.  But, it was the town's historical places that I wanted to see.

I started things off my visiting Whitman Mission National Historic Site.  This park tells the story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, who back in 1836 built a mission in the area known by the Cayuse Indians as Waiilatpu..."place of the people of the rye grass."  Though the buildings that were once on the mission site are long gone, it was still interesting walking the grounds.

 

 

 

That's the Oregon Trail you see in the above photo...well, not exactly THE original trail.  It seems at one time, the trail was paved over.  The Park Service later removed the pavement and meticulously recreated the trail.  Sadly, the Whitmans were killed by the Cayuse who wrongly blamed them for the measles outbreak that killed many of their tribe...the disease was actually introduced by emigrants passing through.  This tragic event is best known as The Whitman Massacre.  The Great Grave site is located within the park, and it's where the Whitmans and others that were killed are buried.

The other historic site I visited today was Fort Walla Walla Museum.  Although there are buildings located on the site, the emphasis is on the museum exhibits.  There were artifacts excavated from the area, and many examples of farm implements and machinery that were used by pioneers working the land.  I thought this 33-mule team pulling a combine was cool.

There was also a small presentation on the history of the Walla Walla penitentiary.  The exhibit included weapons made by prisoners, and an example of a prison cell.  Does this guy remind you of Brad Pitt?

I spent the afternoon driving east to my pit stop in Idaho.  As I traveled through the mountains, the rain came down hard and there was even lightning!  I'm hoping that's the last of the rain for the rest of the week as wet weather can certainly put a damper on outdoor activities!