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Building a Business in Early Downtown Walla Walla

Fred Stine represents one of Walla Walla's best “rags to riches” story.  He arrived in Walla Walla in 1862 with no more than the clothes on his back and 75 cents in his pocket, but eventually built the largest brick hotel in Washington Territory in 1872.

After Stine’s arrival, he immediately engaged the trust of local residents who lent him sufficient funds to set up a lucrative blacksmith trade serving the needs of gold miners on their way to Idaho, pioneers from the Oregon Trail, and the military at Fort Walla Walla. With the fortune he made, Stine not only retired his debts in a few short months, but soon amassed enough to construct the largest brick hotel in Washington Territory.

Among the events the hotel hosted was a celebrated dinner for President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William T. Sherman. When much of the hotel burned in 1892, Stine sold the property to George Dacres who erected a new hotel, now the Dacres Building, on the corner of W. Main and S. 4th in downtown Walla Walla near the Farmer's Market. Fred Stine is portrayed by Touchet agribusinessman Charles Saranto.

Museum patrons are invited to question Mr. Stine about the early days of Walla Walla and visit the Museum’s many displays and historic buildings.

Museum hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily. Admission is free to members, children under 6, and through a reciprocal agreement Tamástslikt Cultural Institute's Inwai Circle cardholders and enrolled members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; $3 for children ages 6-12; $6 for seniors (62+) and students; and $7 for adults. Your admission cost can be applied to a membership, which includes free admission to all Living History performances, priced beginning at $25. For more information, contact Fort Walla Walla Museum at 509-525-7703 or email: info@fortwallawallamuseum.org