Home

About Us

General Information

Museum Events

Living History

Membership

Collections / Exhibits

Museum Store

Education

Press Room

Volunteer

Links

Support Us

Elizabthe Milliken Baker, Oregon Trail Pioneer Woman

Janet Baker Wiggins portrays Elizabeth Milliken Baker,
seen here in the Museum's Babcock Train Depot.

Elizabeth Milliken Baker is played by Janet Wiggins. In 1843, Elizabeth Milliken, her sister Lettice, and their family traveled to the Oregon Country in the first wagon train to cross the mountains. The train was guided by Marcus Whitman on the way back from his famous winter ride to the East Coast, where he pleaded for the continuation of his religious mission. Also at issue was American acquisition of the region, which was jointly claimed and administered by the United States and Britain.  After stopping at the Whitman mission, the Millikens went on to settle in the Willamette Valley. 

Both sisters wed Walla Walla residents on the same day in 1861, Lettice marrying Almos Reynolds following the death of her first husband Ransom Clark, and Elizabeth marrying Robert Horton. Death often came early on the frontier and after Horton died, Elizabeth became the third wife of Dr. Dorsey Singh Baker, following the death of Baker’s first two wives. 

Be sure to visit the Ransom Clark Cabin in the Museum's pioneer settlement, one of the oldest structures in Washington State.

The Museum is located in Fort Walla Walla Park along Myra Road in Walla Walla. Admission is $7/adults; $6/students and seniors (62+); $3/children 6-12; and free to members, and children under 6. through a reciprocal agreement, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute’s Inwai Circle cardholders and enrolled members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are also accorded free admission. For more information, contact Fort Walla Walla Museum at 509-525-7703, or email: info@fortwallawallamuseum.org.