Collection is open for research.
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by J.J. Laughlin, the Walla Walla Valley Pioneer and Historical Society president, on April 16, 1970. The accession number associated with this donation is retro-0433.
The Walla Walla Valley Pioneer and Historical Society was formed in 1886, by descendents of Walla Walla's early white settlers. The society helped found the Fort Walla Walla Museum in 1957. The museum originally focused on the preservation and display of pre-automobile agriculture materials. The Fort Walla Walla Museum was initially operated out of City Hall, but in 1968 it moved to occupy 15 acres within the original 640 acre Fort Walla Walla military reservation.
The Walla Walla Valley Pioneer and Historical Society records contains meeting minutes, memoranda, and business and financial documents. These records, which date from 1966 through 1998, also contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, and membership lists. The collection also includes a grant proposal for the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as brochures and other publicity materials from the Fort Walla Walla Museum.