Ford in Stevens County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Tshimakain
1838 - 1908
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, September 3, 2025
1. Tshimakain Marker
Commemorating the establishing of a mission among the Spokane Indians on these grounds by the Reverends Cushing Eells and Elkanah Walker from Sept. 1838 to Mar. 1849. On this spot stood the Eells home.
Erected 1909 by Washington State Historical Society, Congregational Churches Of Washington, and Spokane Garry Chapter DAR.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1838.
Location. 47° 54.841′ N, 117° 47.971′ W. Marker is in Ford, Washington, in Stevens County. It is on State Highway 231 north of Ford-Wellpinit Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker stands at a pull-out along the highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5175 State Highway 231, Tumtum WA 99034, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Okanogan Highlands and in Greater Spokane. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Camp Washington (approx. 12 miles away); Home of PFC Joe Eugene Mann
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Cushing Eells (Wikipedia). Overview:
Cushing Eells (February 16, 1810 February 16, 1893) was an American Congregational church missionary, farmer and teacher on the Pacific coast of America in what are now the states of Oregon and Washington...(Submitted on September 7, 2025.)
2. Elkanah Walker (Wikipedia). Overview:
Elkanah Walker (18051877) was an American pioneer settler and Christian missionary in the Oregon Country in what is now the states of Oregon and Washington.(Submitted on September 7, 2025.)
3. Protestant missionaries choose Tshimakain plain (History Link). Full title: Protestant missionaries choose Tshimakain plain as site for a mission to the Spokane Indians on September 25, 1838. By Jack and Claire , Posted 2/23/2017. Excerpt:
On September 25, 1838, missionaries Elkanah Walker (1805-1877) and Cushing Eells (1810-1893) choose a site to build a mission near where the town of Ford in Stevens County will later be located (some 25 miles northwest of the city of Spokane). Walker and Eells have been touring the area in search of a place where(Submitted on September 7, 2025.)they can live and teach Christianity to the Spokane Indians. Situated on a plain known to the Spokanes as Tshimakain, interpreted as "place of springs," the mission will be home to the two ministers and their families for the next nine years.Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, September 3, 20252. Tshimakain (1838-1908) Marker
Additional keywords. WSSDAR
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, September 3, 2025
3. Tshimakain (1838-1908) Marker - south face
Listing the Walkers and children: Elkanah Walker, Mary Richardson Walker, Abigail B., Marcus Whitman, Joseph Elkanah, Jeremiah, John Richardson.
Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, September 3, 2025
4. Back of Tshimakain (1838-1908) Marker
circa 1909
5. Tshimakain Marker at its unveiling
Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 162 times since then and 66 times this year. Last updated on February 18, 2026, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 4, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 4. submitted on September 7, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 5. submitted on February 5, 2026, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Need photo of third side of this marker. We only have the front and one side • Can you help?
