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History · Walla Walla

A history of Walla Walla,
since 1856

Postcards, papers and photographs of Walla Walla from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1856established
6old images & papers
24historic places
0recent photos
From Walla Walla’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Walla Walla's history starts in 1806 when the Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Walawalałáma (Walla Walla people) near the mouth of Walla Walla River. Other inhabitants of the valley included the Liksiyu (Cayuse), Imatalamłáma (Umatilla), and Niimíipu (Nez Perce) indigenous peoples. In 1818, Fort Walla Walla (originally Fort Nez Percés), a fur trading outpost run by Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), was established and operated as an important stopping point in Oregon Country. Abandoned in 1855, it is now underwater behind the McNary Dam.

Native history and early settlementFoundingGold rush and growthAgricultural center20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1856Established
1860s3 items · Washington Statesman mastheadCommons
1870s3 items · General stereoscopic views of Walla W…Commons
Help out

Finish Walla Walla’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewWashington Statesman masthead, 1862: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Walla Walla

See all 64 →
Adam WestAdam WestFilm, TV & StageHamza YusufHamza YusufWriting & ArtsCTConnor TrinneerFilm, TV & StageRBRobert N. BradburyFilm, TV & StageMarion BauerMarion BauerMusicRJRalph P. Boas, Jr.Science & Medicine
By decade

Walla Walla, decade by decade

1860s3 items
Washington Statesman mastheadCommonsWashington Statesman masthead1862Military Post and City of Walla-Walla - 1862CommonsMilitary Post and City of Walla-Walla - 18621863Walla Walla Statesman mastheadCommonsWalla Walla Statesman masthead1863
1870s3 items
General stereoscopic views of Walla Walla, WashingtonCommonsGeneral stereoscopic views of Walla Walla, Washingtonc. 1870General stereoscopic views of Walla Walla, WashingtonCommonsGeneral stereoscopic views of Walla Walla, Washingtonc. 1870Bird's Eye View of Walla Walla, Washington Territory, 1876CommonsBird's Eye View of Walla Walla, Washington Territory, 18761876
National Register of Historic Places

24 historic places in Walla Walla

Walla Walla has 24 listings on the National Register, and they protect 106 historic buildings, because Walla Walla Downtown Historic District alone counts 67.

#8
Among Washington’s most-listed townsby listings · most towns there have none
24places listed22 buildings · 2 districts
0National Historic LandmarksNone here yet
106historic buildings protectedcounting each building in a district
1974first listedFort Walla Walla Historic District · newest: Walla Walla Downtown Historic District, 2021

Where they are

Tap a dot for a photo and link. Districts show at their center.
Fort Walla Walla Historic DistrictDacres HotelWalla Walla Public LibraryMemorial Building, Whitman CollegeKirkman HouseJohn F. Boyer HouseSmall-Elliott HouseGeorge Ludwigs HouseOsterman HouseWalla Walla Valley Traction Company Car BarnNorthern Pacific Railway Passenger DepotUS Post Office-Walla Walla MainWashington SchoolNorman Francis Butler HouseLiberty TheaterMarcus Whitman HotelWhitehouse-Crawford Planing MillMax Baumeister BuildingElectric Light Works BuildingYMCA Building-Walla WallaWalla Walla Downtown Historic DistrictMiles C. Moore HouseGreen Park SchoolBachtold Building-Interurban Depot
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles

From each listing’s National Archives record · 6 of 24 name a style
Italianate2
Georgian Colonial1
Victorian1
Craftsman1
Commercial1
Late Victorian1

When they were listed

The Register began in 1966. Walla Walla’s busiest decade was the 1990s.
Fort Walla Walla Historic DistrictListed 1974Fort Walla Walla Historic DistrictDistrictHistoric - Non-AboriginalMilitaryDacres HotelListed 1974Dacres HotelBuildingCommercePoliticsWalla Walla Public LibraryListed 1974Walla Walla Public LibraryBuilt 1905EducationSocial historyMemorial Building, Whitman CollegeListed 1974Memorial Building, Whitman CollegeBuildingEducationKirkman HouseListed 1974Kirkman HouseGeorgian ColonialArchitectureJohn F. Boyer HouseListed 1980John F. Boyer HouseVictorian · Built 1883CommerceEconomicsSmall-Elliott HouseListed 1982Small-Elliott HouseItalianate · Built 1879CommerceTransportationExploration/SettlementGeorge Ludwigs HouseListed 1982George Ludwigs HouseBuilt 1904CommerceArchitectureOsterman HouseListed 1983Osterman HouseBuilt 1892ArchitectureWalla Walla Valley Traction Company Car BarnListed 1989Walla Walla Valley Traction Company Car BarnBuilt 1905TransportationNorthern Pacific Railway Passenger DepotListed 1990Northern Pacific Railway Passenger DepotBuilt 1914TransportationUS Post Office-Walla Walla MainListed 1991US Post Office-Walla Walla MainBuildingPoliticsArchitectureWashington SchoolListed 1991Washington SchoolBuilt 1901EducationArchitectureNorman Francis Butler HouseListed 1992Norman Francis Butler HouseBuilt 1882ArchitectureLiberty TheaterListed 1993Liberty TheaterBuildingRecreationArchitectureMarcus Whitman HotelListed 1999Marcus Whitman HotelBuilt 1928Social historyArchitectureWhitehouse-Crawford Planing MillListed 2000Whitehouse-Crawford Planing MillCommercialArchitectureIndustryMax Baumeister BuildingListed 2000Max Baumeister BuildingLate Victorian · Built 1889ArchitectureExploration/SettlementElectric Light Works BuildingListed 2012Electric Light Works BuildingLate 19th and Early 20th Century American MovementArchitectureCommerceIndustryYMCA Building-Walla WallaListed 2015YMCA Building-Walla WallaBuilt 1907RecreationSocial historyMedicineWalla Walla Downtown Historic DistrictListed 2021Walla Walla Downtown Historic DistrictDistrictArchitectureCommerceListed 1989Miles C. Moore HouseBuildingPoliticsArchitectureListed 1990Green Park SchoolBuildingEducationArchitectureListed 2019Bachtold Building-Interurban DepotBuildingArchitectureTransportation
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · styles from the National Archives catalog · photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Washington Statesman masthead (1862) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 College Place📜 Milton-Freewater📜 Prescott📜 Waitsburg

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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