| Whitman
Mission was gone by the time the first camera came to the Northwest, therefore,
no photographs exist of Dr. and Mrs. Whitman or of pre-1847 Waiilatpu. With
the deaths of the Whitmans', came the destruction of the various mission
buildings and the orchard that they had planted. The only record of what
Whitman’s Mission perhaps looked like is from a painting
by William Henry Jackson based on survivors' accounts. After the Whitman’s
were killed and the Cayuse began living on the reservation, other structures
were built upon the mission grounds -- a church, farmhouse, the memorial
on the hill, and the Great Grave.
See how the mission
site has changed between then, in the 19th and early 20th Century,
versus now, in the late 20th Century, as you follow the links.
We hope you will enjoy your "tour" from the past to the present.
Use your imagination
as you compare the images. . . imagine the Waiilatpu of Whitman’s time.
. .and visit the Waiilatpu of today.
Mission grounds between 1912 and 1940
The site of Whitman Mission
as it appeared between 1912 and 1940. The Swegle barn and farm buildings
were built in the same location as the T-shaped Mission House. The Oregon
Trail, once used by wagons full of emigrants, was converted to a county
road and covered with gravel. The county road was removed in 1962 - 1963,
and the old Oregon Trail was restored.
The Mission
Grounds NOW
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The First House
Close-up of the cellar wall
of First House. About halfway up, the wall, which is 4 1/2 feet high,
bulges in from 3 to 4 inches,which is the result of the floods of 1837
and 1838. First House was one of the structures excavated during the 1940's
in an attempt by the National Park Service to locate the foundations of
all the mission period structures. The adobe wall
was visible under glass until 1978, when due to deterioration, the
National Park Service covered it with earth to preserve what was left.
First
House NOW
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The Great Grave
The
Great Grave as it appeared in the 1860's. The first Great
Grave in which the Whitmans' and other victims were hurriedly
buried was just a shallow grave which was dug up by wolves
or wild dogs. The bones were reburied and covered by a wagon
and a large mound of earth to prevent the animals from digging
it up again. In 1897, on the 50th anniversary
of the Whitmans' deaths, 3000 people attended ceremonies to
dedicate the Great Grave and memorial shaft on the hill.
The Great Grave, made of Vermont marble, did not arrive in
time for the dedication ceremony, however, it was in place
two months later.
The
Great Grave NOW
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The
Whitman-Eels Memorial Congregational Church
The Whitman-Eells
Memorial Congregational Church as it appeared around the turn
of the century. The memorial on Shaft Hill can be seen in
the background. The church was built in 1896 south of the
Great Grave at the base of Shaft Hill on land donated by Marion
Swegle. In 1923 it was moved and it is now a residence on
a nearby road. During those 27 years of its existence at the
mission site, it was one of the only noticeable changes to
the land on which the Whitmans' and the Cayuse lived.
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1897
- 50th Anniversary of Whitman Killings
The 50th anniversary
of the Whitmans' deaths was attended by 3000 people. Highlights
included speeches by survivors and the dedication of the Great
Grave and Memorial Shaft on the hill (although these did not
arrive in time for the ceremony).
150th
Anniversary - 1997
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Whitman Memorial Park
The Kiwanis Club
established Whitman Memorial Park in the 1920's and 1930's.
Kiwanis made many improvements to the land, including the
building of a road leading to the Great Grave and Monument
with a large entrance arch. The park became Whitman National
Monument in 1936, upon its transfer to the National Park Service.
In the years that followed, more improvements were made to
the grounds. Another name change occurred in 1963, when to
clarify the park's significance, it became Whitman Mission
National Historic Site.
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The
Mill Pond
This pre-1962
photograph shows the dikes of the millpond that Whitman had
built at Waiilatpu. The millpond apparently had little place
in the post-Whitman era. The gristmill it once powered eventually
fell into disrepair and the millpond eventually drained of
water awaiting restoration.
The
Millpond NOW
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