Fort Walla Walla/Whitman Mission Homeschool Field Trip

Recently I organized a field trip for a bunch of homeschoolers at Fort Walla Walla Museum and the Whitman Mission. We've done this before, but it has been about 5 years. It was fun to go back now that the kids are older. My favorite part of the Fort Walla Walla Museum is this huge mule team hooked to a harvester. Truly incredible to think that all those mules were controlled by only two lead mules!

This was a playhouse for a local prominent family, moved to the museum grounds. It has beautiful antique dolls and toys inside.

Look how thick the walls are on this jail door!

One room school house.

Wish I had room for desks like these in my house.

I just can't imagine sleeping in these one room cabins with a whole family! I would think everyone would get on each other's nerves during the winter months. I give so many props to those real homesteaders!

WWI artillery piece waiting to be restored.

I always love looking at the women's clothing. I marvel at how tiny their waists and shoes were.

Hailey and Josiah got to see their old friends and made new friends, too.

This was most of the kids, but there were a few others that didn't make the picture. We had about 65 people in all including parents. Great turn out!

We also celebrated several of the children's birthdays between museums. Look at those toothless wonders!

Next stop was the Whitman Mission. Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa, were some of the first missionaries in this area. He helped get the first wagon trains on the Oregon Trail through the treacherous Blue Mountain Pass. They ran a beautiful mission at Waiilatpu, but through a series of misunderstandings with the local Indian tribes, they were massacred along with 11 others. That incident sparked the destruction of the tribes as they were pushed off their lands, even after the men responsible turned themselves in and were hanged. It is a very sad story for everyone involved. It is a solemn place to visit, full of meaning.

Some homeschooling friends walking along what was once part of the Oregon Trail going right by where the Mission once stood.

This is where the doctor and his wife, as well as two adopted sons (John and Francis Sager), were killed in their home called the Mission House.

The kids loved walking along the Oregon Trail.

Headed up the hill to where the tall monument stands in memory of those who were killed. The view of the mission is amazing from up here.

At the foot of the hill, the mass grave sits with all the names of those who died that fateful day.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures of our educational outing. We love field trips and try to go on as many as our schedule will allow.

Have a fantastic week!

God Bless, Jackie