Fort Walla Walla & Town Growth

In July 1856, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Steptoe established a U.S. Army post in the Walla Walla Valley. This military fort — not to be confused with the earlier Hudson's Bay Company trading post of the same name — was positioned to project American authority over the region following the conflicts of the 1850s.

The fort served as a base for military operations during the various conflicts with Indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau. It also provided a sense of security that attracted settlers to the area.

The military presence brought soldiers, civilian workers, and suppliers, creating an economic nucleus around which a town would grow.

Walla Walla grew rapidly in the late 1850s and 1860s. The town was incorporated in 1862 and soon became one of the most important settlements in Washington Territory.

Gold Rush Supply Hub: When gold was discovered in Idaho in the early 1860s, Walla Walla became the primary supply point for miners heading to the goldfields. The town's population boomed as merchants, packers, and entrepreneurs set up shop.

Early Infrastructure: By the 1870s, Walla Walla had newspapers, churches, schools, and a growing business district. Baker Boyer Bank, founded in 1869, claims to be the oldest bank in Washington state.

Whitman College: Founded in 1859 as a seminary and reorganized as Whitman College in 1882, it became one of the Pacific Northwest's respected liberal arts colleges and remains a cornerstone of the community today.

For a brief period in the 1870s and 1880s, Walla Walla was the largest city in Washington Territory, larger than Seattle. Its position as a trading center and agricultural hub made it a place of real consequence.

The arrival of the railroad transformed Walla Walla's economy and connected it to national markets.

The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company reached Walla Walla in the early 1880s, giving farmers and merchants reliable transportation for goods. Wheat, which had already become a major crop, could now be shipped efficiently to Portland and beyond.

The railroad also brought new residents, new businesses, and new connections to the wider world. But it also meant that Walla Walla was no longer the essential stop on the road to somewhere else — travelers could now bypass the town entirely.

This shift would gradually diminish Walla Walla's relative importance as cities like Spokane and Seattle, better positioned on major rail lines, grew faster.

Fort Walla Walla continued to operate through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving various military functions. The fort was officially closed on September 28, 1910.

The fort's closure marked the end of the military era in Walla Walla, but the town had long since established its own identity as an agricultural and educational center.

Today, the Fort Walla Walla Museum preserves the history of the fort and the broader region. The museum campus includes original and relocated historic buildings, military artifacts, and agricultural exhibits that tell the story of this formative period.