Wild Walla Walla and the First Mayor
Dan Clark portrays E.B. Whitman
Walla Walla in the 1860s was a boom town with a wide range of adventures available – vigilantes, rough and tumble fights, midnight hangings, and many people stopping for supplies as they passed through on their way to the gold fields in Idaho's Orofino and Boise Basin.
E.B. Whitman, first mayor of Walla Walla, can tell you of those times. Living History performances begin at 2:00 pm each Sunday, plus Saturdays June through August, in the Museum's pioneer village.
E.B.Whitman, true to his public-spirited character, is restored to life by local attorney and civic activist Daniel Clark. After marrying and having two sons in Boston, in 1850 Whitman went to California to seek his fortune in the gold fields. Twelve years later he and his wife, Maria, were reunited here, where his cousin Marcus had lived. 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 sheriff, justice of the peace, and clerk of the school board, as well as in other positions.
Performances begin at 2:00 p.m. in the pioneer settlement at Fort Walla Walla Museum. Visitors are encouraged to question the Living History re-enactors about their lives and times. The Museum is open daily, 10 am - 5 pm, April through October; 10 am - 4 pm, November1 through December 23; and weekdays, 10 am - 4 pm, January through March.
Admission is free to Fort Walla Walla Museum members,
eligible service personnel & their familes through
the Blue Star Museums program, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute's
Inwai Circle cardholders,
enrolled members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and all children under 6;
$3/children
6-12; $6/seniors (62+) and students; $7/adults.
Your admission fee today may be applied to a membership,
priced beginning at $27. For more information, contact Fort Walla Walla Museum at 509-525-7703, or email: info@fortwallawallamuseum.org. |
