The Mission House ruin as it looked in 1948 when uncovered by National Park
Service archeologists. The cement foundation lying at an angle to the old building
is where a farmhouse, built in 1912, stood. Just beyond is the Mission House
cellar with the large granite footing in the center and charred planking to the right
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View of west portion of the Mission House ruin. The workman stands on
the large kitchen hearth. Another hearth can be seen in the Indian Room (lower
right-hand corner) and in Room B (upper left).
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Cellar of Mission House showing charred flooring fallen from the room
above. The trowel stands beside a joist. The workman points to a small pit
where white paint (face paint?) and a perfect soapstone elbow pipe were found.
Apparently these were placed here by an Indian or Indians for reasons unknown to us.
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Cellar of the First House from above. The adobe walls of this building, which
was 30 by 36 feet, were brought up from the cellar floor. The rear third of the
building was of logs laid up beween grooved posts. Though most of this ruin
was excavated in 1947, the work was not completed until 1948. A discusion of
the excavation of this ruin will be found in
[The Archeological Excavation of Waiilatpu Mission, 1947 Report].

Close-up of cellar wall at First House, showing the header-stretcher method
of laying up the brick. About halfway up the wall, which is 4 1/2 feet high,
bulges in from 3 to 4 inches, the result of the floods of 1837 and 1838.
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Iron burr for a coffee mill - possibly used by the missionaries to
grind flour, and a teaspoon with the initials of Mrs. Whitman's parents
engraved on the handle.