Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-02

sketch Of the Rise and ProGress OF .
Wealthy City and County which
Never HAD . Room.
Walla Walla Union.

sketch OF the Rise and ProGress OF .
Wealthy City and County which
Never Had . Room.
Walla Walla Union.
The Lewis and Clarke expedition was
in the Walla Walls valley In 1905. The
Hudson Bay Company established a
trading post at Wallula not long after
ward. its employees intermarrying with
the natives and settling on the bottom
lands along the Walla Walla river. in
the region now known "a Frenchtown.
In 1884 Rev. Jason Lee undertook 10 To-
cate in Wa!la Walla valley as mis-
sionarv. be being the first American
citizen to- make the attempt. The at
tempt was followed. n lc36. by the loca
ton of DR.. Marcus Whitman and party
AT point about five miles wsst OF the
present city. This missionary settle
ment hourishei after the fashion of
SUCH establishments until the fall
of lSta. when the mission build
ings accommodated abo0t seventy
persons. mostly temporary solournlnS
emierants. On the .,tu of November,
le41, and succeeding days. DR.. Whit
man. his wife and eleven others. all then
present at the mission. We're murdered
by the indians In ISIS the military
authorities ordered the whites out Of
the country. and it was for years the
scene OF many bloody skir,nlsheS be-
tween the troops and the red men. The
Indians We're finally subdued. but the
country was not thrown open to settle
mens anti after April IL. lo59, the date
of the ratification of q treaty by which
the Indian title TO the lands In what Is
now known as Eastern Washington and
Oregon was eXtinguished. Prior To
that time one or two hundred people,
mainly followers of the army and dis
charged soldiers, had settled ia Walla
Walla. near large garrison, few being
engaged in farming on the creek bot.
toms. more raising cattle; but the larger
number trading with the natives and
troops.
The census of 1860 reported Walla
Walla county. which then lncluded the
present cuul..ies of Columbia and Gar
field, as having 4 total population of
1918. In 1870 the same region con
tanned 1902. In lso0 Walla Walla coun-
ty had SIG. and Columbia. which, then
embraced Garfield county. had .I0I IN
habitaDtS. Tie censUs OF 1870 reported
634 farms in what are now Walla Walla.
Columbia and G .rield counties. with a
product during the previous harvest
year of 1872 bushels OF spring and
1861 bushels Of fall wheat, 25,4S7 bush
els of corn, ia Sl2 bushels of oats and
21,654 bushels of barley.
In 1888 the Assessor reported the to-
tai valuation of Walla Walla County,
made on basis of 30 cents on the dol
lar, and excluding mortgages. at So
523, 1891. OF this amount T2623G2O is
the value of tue real estate. $50. ll9 the
improvements on real estate, 81, 033. oo5;i
vaina Of Personal property. He assess
ed 3D., i5l acres. OF which number 124,-
3l4 are improved. On this assessment
the total levy is 21;a mills for Terrific
rial, 6 MILLS fer county. mills for
school, will for road and mill for
Court House purposes. Total, $14 80
on each $1,000.
In the counties of Columbia and Gar
field, forming part of Walla Walla in
1870, the Assessors this year return 23O,-
$50 acres assessed. 4S.472 being improv.
ed. The total assessed value of the two
counties is $4,727.97S.
In October, 1861. the original town
site of Walla Walla, eighty acres, was
accurately surveyed and laid off into
streets. blocks and lots, the surveyor
noting on his plat the location of Is
buildings of various kinds, including
stores, RESIDENCES. shops and barns,
which then comprised the ''city." The
city was duly incorporated in 1862 by
act of Territorial Legislature. The
census of 1870 gave the city a total
population Of 1884. In 1880 the popu-
lation was 1888. No accurate census
has since been taken, but the growth
of population has been of equal ratio
with that of the decade prior to 1880.
and it is safe to say the inhabitants of
Walla Walla now number fully 5000.
The wealth of the city has increased
equally with its growth. In 1879 the
total assessment, made on a basis of
fifty per cent. of tho real value,
amounted to 1927 ,6O3. In 1880 it
reached $l,725,4l0; in 1888 it had risen
to $2,4S3.5O3.
When the reader recalls the fact that
the people who came to Walla Walla
from the East had to make toilsome
journey by wagon from the Central Pa
citic, 600 miles away, or brave the pangs
and perils of an ocean voyage from San
Francisco: that after they arrived they
were compelled to pay on the goods they
consumed and tho produce they export
ed the highest freight rates charged for
the same mileage in the United States,
their progress and prosperity will ap-
pear most marvellous. Never in their
history have the city and county been
doomed by railroad companies or real
estate dealers, never have they felt the
invigorating power of corporation cap
ital working for their advancement. On
the contrary, the growth and prosperity,
of the CITY in particular, has continued
in opposition to the efforts of corpora
ITEMS.