|
|
| 1907 |
| March
8: |
M.W.
Swegle conveys one acre (more or less) to the Whitman-Eells Memorial
Church. |
|
|
| 1916 |
|
Fall:
|
The bodies of William H. Gray and his wife are moved from their
burial site at Astoria,Oregon to Waiilatpu. |
|
|
| 1923 |
| Dec.
26: |
W.S. Holt, Ankeny, and Allen H. Reynolds convey the 8 acres of land
where the grave and memorial are located to the Union Trust Company
of Walla Walla as Trustees for the Walla Walla Trust Foundation.
The Whitman-Eells Memorial Church board also conveys their one acre
in the same way. This places the entire nine acres in the Walla
Walla Trust Foundation as a perpetual trust to the public. |
|
|
|
The
Walla Walla Kiwanis Club is interested in the site and begins working
to clear the confusing land title. |
|
|
| 1926 |
| June
21: |
Upon application
of the Kiwanis Club of Walla Walla, Congress, by action taken
on June 21, 1926 confirms the title of the Mission Farm (Donation
Claim No. 37 - Township 6, North of Range 35, East of the Willamette
Meridian and Claim No. 38 of Township 7, N.R. 35, E.W.M. -- (646.89
acres) to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
This patent of the land is signed October 7, 1926 by President
Calvin Coolidge.
This action
clears the title to all parts of the original mission and the
numerous transfers following that of the board to the Rev. Cushing
Eells.
|
|
|
| 1928 |
|
The
Oregon Trail Association pledges itself to restore the Whitman Mission. |
|
|
| 1930 |
| Sept.:
|
Marion
Willard Swegle conveys the 37.5 acres on which the Whitman Mission
building had stood to J.C. Fentress and wife by warranty deed . |
|
|
| 1931 |
|
The
Walla Walla Branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution and
the Walla Walla Kiwanis Club work to gether to carry out landscaping
and other improvements to the Great Grave area. |
|
|
| 1935 |
|
The Whitman
Centennial Incorporated is organized under and pursuant to Section
3863 of Remington's Revised Statutes of Washington, as a charitable
and benevolent corporation.
Purposes:
- To assist
in perpetuating the memories of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.
- To assist
Whitman College.
- To assist
in the care of the Whitman Monument.
- To acquire,
maintain and operate a part of Waiilatpu.
- To publicize
the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Waiilatpu Mission
and the coming of the first white women.
- To hold
pageants and celebrations to help accomplish above purposes.
|
|
|
| 1936 |
| June
29: |
Whitman
National Monument is created by special Act of Congress, and approved
by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This bill states that the land
for the national monument was to be acquired by gift - (see 1958)
-Public Bill No. 840-74th Congress. |
|
|
| Aug.
13 - 16 |
Centennial
Celebration:
- Thursday,
Aug. 13: Doctor's Day - Program sponsored by the American Medical
Association.
- Friday,
Aug. 14: Mother's Day - Day honoring Mrs. Whitman, program sponsored
by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the American
Association of University Women.
- Saturday,
Aug. 15: Historian's Day - Program directed by the Oregon Trail
Memorial Association.
- Sunday,
Aug. 16: Religious Day - Program sponsored by the Congregational
and Presbyterian Churches.
From
this celebration the Whitman Centennial Incorporated now had sufficient
funds to purchase the 37.5 acres owned by J. C. Fentress.
|
|
|
| Sept.
29: |
J. C. and Della Fentress deed their 37.5 acres to The Whitman Centennial
Incorporated for $10,000.00. |
|
|
| Nov.
27: |
The Whitman
Centennial, Incorporated notifies the Dept. of the Interior it
is ready to convey to the United States Government the property
to compose the Whitman National Monument. Shortly afterwards,
the Centennial Corporation is advised that the property held in
trust by the Walla Walla Foundation Trust would need to be incorporated
with the building sites before work for a National Monument could
be undertaken.
A suit of
law is instituted by the Whitman Centennial, Inc. to quiet the
title to this parcel of land - eventually the decree is entered
and the title conveyed by the trustees to the United States Department
of the Interior.
The period of time from September 1936 to July 1939 is taken to
clear up the titles to the various parcels and in placing the
title in such condition as to warrant the issuance of a policy
of title insurance (required by the Government on all lands conveyed
to it). The work of clearing the title to these tracts required
that several suits had to be entered, one of which was with the
Oregon Pioneer Historical Society.
|
|
|
| 1940 |
| Jan.
20: |
Whitman National Monument is formally established with a total of
45.84 acres. |
|
|
| 1958 |
| May
1: |
Due to the
restriction set forth in the Act of June 29, 1936, further legislation
is needed. Public Law 85-388 authorizes the addition of "not
to exceed 50 acres of land adjacent to the existing Monument and
a right-of-way thereto from U.S. Highway 410." (Now Highway
12)
Under the
act 46.71 acres adjacent to the existing monument lands are added
by condemnation and purchase.
|
|
|
| 1962 |
| May
31: |
President John F. Kennedy approves Public Law 87-471 (enacted by
the 87th Congress), which states "That effective January 1,
1963, the Whitman National Monument, established pursuant to the
Act of June 29, 1936, shall be known as the Whitman Mission National
Historic Site." |
|
|
| 1964 |
| |
Whitman
Mission Visitor Center is built as part of Mission 66 Program of
the National Park Service |
|
|
| 2000 |
| |
Whitman
Mission completes a General Management
Plan to assist with park planning in the early 21st century. |
|
|
