[or-roots] Walla Walla Valley

[Cecil Houk]

These are the final comments by Nineveh Ford in his narrative.

From:   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/ford/n-ford.htm

    The general face of the country appeared to me as if it was not acceptable for the habitation of
white people.  The country that we passed over, the Walla Walla Country and Eastern Oregon has
proved to be a different country entirely from what it appeared to the emigrants at that time.  They
considered it a desert gotten up expressly for the Indians, suitable for them and nobody else - fit
for a wild race of people.  That same country has since proved to be one of the finest wheat
countries known in the world.  It looked barren although it was covered with fine grass, bunch grass
with thousands of Indian horses.  The Indians were numerous.  I was raised in a timber country and
this being bare of timber it looked like a barren desert to me.  It was only suitably apparently for
grazing Indian ponies and for hunting it did not appear delightful to me with the exception of the
Grande Rounde Country.  I have been back to the Centennial and traveled eleven thousand miles in the
United States, and after residing 19 years in Eastern Oregon I find no country that seems to me
prettier nor no country that is so fertile nor that I would swap this for.  It is the finest land
for garden vegetables fruit apples pears plums and peaches and is only surpassed for grapes by
California.  In Umatilla and the Walla Walla Valley I raised an apple measuring 16 1/2 inches in
circumference and weighing 46 ounces avoirdupois.  At the Centennial at Philadelphia it was claimed
by the showbill as the World Beater, the next size at the Centennial was an apple weighing 42
ounces.  It is the largest apple on record.
     Western Oregon I thought a fine country; it satisfied me when I got there.  Aside from Eastern
Oregon I know no other such anywhere.  This valley was a very desirable country to look at from the
first most beautifully diversified with prairie and timber adjacent to each other that I ever saw.

     Cal Steptoe first laid off the town of Walla Walla.  The troops came there in 1856 or 57.  He
was the one that was surrounded with Yakima Country and started the Yakima war.  They killed the
Indian Agent there mid 1855 and Steptoe went out to see about it.  There was nothing at the town of
Walla Walla then.  He camped in the wide prairie.  The troops concentrated there after he had made
his campaign in to the Spokane Country in 1856.  Then they moved down below where Walla Walla is and
established what is called Fort Walla Walla.  Walla Walla is the great center of Eastern Oregon.  It
is convenient of access from all points and a fine grazing district.  Another thing was that the
Indians camped there.  We generally found where the Indians camped in the winter was the mildest
place in the country.  They found the Indians camped there in winter and for that reason concluded
it was the best place for white people to camp.

     They located the second time a mile lower down on an elevated ridge; a flat ridge having room
for the buildings and barracks with water on each side.  The first location was torn down.  Then at
this first camp where there were a few people Steptoe laid out a town.  It was called "Steptoe"
first.  Then they located the County Seat there and called it Walla Walla City.  The Fort consisted
of dwellings and quarters for the soldiers.  They had no palisades nor walls nor log houses.  They
were plank houses.  There is no fort there it is barracks.  At the time this was located the Hudson
Bay people had all abandoned their forts.  Walla Walla was their nearest point as formerly that was
called Walla Walla, the old Hudson Bay Fort Walla Walla, at the mouth of Walla Walla River.  When
the Hudson Bay people abandoned that Steptoe established another fort in Walla Walla Valley and
called it the same name.  The Hudson Bay people having abandoned their fort the owner of the place
or the man who kept possession Kane broached the name of Wallulla.  There was a man by the name of
Ransom Carr who was one of the earlier settlers in that vicinity.  He settled there after the troops
went there.  Then there was Mr. Russell, he settled there to supply the troops.  Both these settled
there in 1856 or 57.  Walter Davis also is an early settler and Sergeant Smith.  There is a mile
square of reservation laid off with the fort in the center.  The town lots of Walla Walla City came
down to the line.  Between the town and the fort there is about half a mile.  While it was Steptoe
City I do not think there was a lot laid off.  In 1859 it was opened for settlement by Col. Wright.
It commenced building up then with canvas houses and shacks and some log houses.  There was no saw
mill there to get lumber.  The settlers coming in farmers stock raisers and traders started the town
there.  There was no knowledge of gold mining there at the time.  In a short time they organized
that section into counties.  A quarter section was laid off into a town; the Roberts had a quarter
section.  There is Gaines addition and Roberts addition and still another quarter section Reeses
addition.  They are all connected now and there is quite a large section of country there two miles
which is laid into town lots.  The country was settled up by farmers and stock raisers.  Merchants
went in with stock and supplies.  Then when the mines took out the merchants increased their stock
of goats and sent them out from there and miners would come to get their supplies.

     Oro Fino was the nearest mining district.  The mining interest of course benefited the farmers
and stock raisers and advanced the farming interest.  At this time 1860 there were very few boats on
the river.  In 1859 there were boats below The Dalles but none above except a very little trial
enterprise called the Col. Wright.  Everything was hauled above in wagons.

     I have been up there 19 years.  When the mines were opened it created a big trade in freight
grain and stock to supply the mines.  When the mines failed there was quite a discouragement of the
farmers because they had not the market for their surplus.  There was no transportation.  So there
was quite a stagnation in business and in farming.  The O.P.N Co. increased the number of their
boats and finally commenced shipping the surplus down, only charging what it was worth to move the
freight over the portages.  They carried freight much cheaper down the river than for taking it up.
This encouraged the farmers to produce.  Finally the farmers saw that they could make something that
way and they enlarged their farms raised more and finally got to producing a great surplus.  It has
increased for the last 4 or 5 years very rapidly.  They are building still more boats.  Last fall
they carried freight from Walla Walla to Wallula 30 miles at the rate of 140 tons a day and were not
able to get it all out.

     Wallula consists of a landing.  There are two taverns.  Only part of the wall of the old Hudson
Bay fort remains.  Whitman station is 12 miles below Walla Walla and west of the rail road.  There
is a farm there and a grave yard in which all the persons who were massacred are buried in one
grave.  The Indians burnt all the wood of the above house of Whitman's station down.  Part of the
walls are remaining.  The walls of the fort have all disappeared.



FIN