If you’re going to take a trip to Walla Walla then you should know the area’s history. At least the basics. Walla Walla’s history can be traced back to before the Lewis and Clark expeditions in the early 1800s. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition did arrive in October 1805 and canoed down the Snake River, they landed at a location that was inhabited by Umatilla Indians. The original word for the area was “Wolla Wollah,” which is a transcribing of a word derived from a Nez Perce and Cayuse word “walatsa,” which could possibly be a reference to the running waters of the Walla Walla River. The Walla Walla area eventually became one of the first spots between the Rockies and the Cascades that was permanently settled by non-Indians, which is why the area is sometimes referred to as the cradle of Pacific Northwest History.
Soon after Lewis and Clark left, the North West Fur Company and the Pacific Fur Company reached the area, which were then followed shortly after by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Walla Walla then became an important center for fur trading for the region. The Cayuse tribes encouraged fur trading in an attempt to increase their own opportunities to trade.
In 1818, the North West Fur Company built Fort Walla Walla, which was originally known as Fort Nez Perce. The location was half a mile from the Walla Walla River on the eastern bank of the Columbia River. However, by 1831 the fort had disappeared and a second one was erected, which burnt down in 1841, which was then rebuilt from adobe made from nearby clay. The fort was eventually abandoned during the Indian Wars of 1855, which is right around the time when immigrant settlers began to cultivate vines, which marks the roots of Walla Walla’s thriving wine industry.