Situated west of Walla Walla, Whitman Mission National Historic Site, is a United States National Historic Site. The site commemorates the lives of Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa, and 11 other missionaries and their contributions to establishing the Oregon Trail.
They were slain in November of 1847 by members of the Native tribe Cayuse. This was done in retaliation to a measles outbreak that began at the mission and spread to the lands of the Cayuse, killing half of their people. This prompted the Cayuse War and is ultimately what prompted Congress to take Oregon and claim it as a U.S. territory. Today, a memorial obelisk sits on a nearby hill.
328 Whitman Mission Road, Walla Walla, WA, Phone: 509-522-6360