Walla Walla in Walla Walla County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Wai-i-lat-pu
February 23, 2006
1. Wai-i-lat-pu Marker
A short distance to the south, near the Walla Walla River, is Wai-i-lat-pu, "The Place of the People of the Rye Grass, a mission founded among the Cayuse Indians of the Walla Walla Valley in 1836 by Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa.
As increasing numbers of emigrants moved into the Oregon Country during the 1840s, Whitman Mission became an important station on the Oregon Trail. Cultural differences, climaxed by a measles epidemic that killed many Cayuse, ended the missionary effort. A few suspicious Cayuse took the lives of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and eleven others on November 29th, 1847.
The grounds, preserved through early community efforts, are now administered as a National Historic Site.
Erected by Cooperating Agencies.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Oregon Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1724.
Location. 46° 2.997′ N, 118° 27.966′ W. Marker is in Walla Walla, Washington, in Walla Walla County.
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Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Columbia Basin. 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 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Great Grave (approx. 0.6 miles away); Whitman Memorial Shaft (approx. 0.6 miles away); Oregon Trail Wagon (approx. 0.7 miles away); Children of the Trail (approx. 0.7 miles away); November 29, 1847 (approx. 0.7 miles away); Farming at the Waiilatpu Mission (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mission House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Blacksmiths Shop (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Walla Walla.
Also see . . . Whitman Mission National Historical Area. (Submitted on November 28, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)
Additional keywords. Missionaries, Frontier
October 10, 2006
2. Wai-i-lat-pu Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,562 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
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