Living History and Ice Cream Social coming to Fort Walla Walla

WALLA WALLA-Fort Walla Walla Museum will host The Ice Cream Social: The Oregon Trail Game, its biggest summer event.

On June 23, from 10 am to 5 pm, visitors will be able to play an interactive live-action version of the popular 1985 video game "Oregon Trail." Bring your team and survival skills to travel from Independence, Missouri, to Fort Walla Walla. In this kid-friendly game, participants pack a wagon to travel the Oregon Trail and stop at forts along the way, where the wagon party will be checked for the necessary supplies for their travel. Along this journey, players will face over ten different calamities to overcome using pioneer skills, creativity, or pure luck. Those who make it to the last stop, Fort Walla Walla, will be rewarded with 320 acres of land and other prizes.

Come find out if you can overcome snakebites, extreme cold, and even accusations of theft and jailing by the local sheriff.

The museum thanks the event's sponsors, Baskin-Robbins, Columbia REA, and the Yancey P. Winans Testamentary Trust.

On June 2, the museum will offer a Living History performance in the "Offsite bus tour: Ed Burlingame, ditch digger and developer."

From 2 to 4 pm, Ed Burlingame, portrayed by Tom Williams, will take you on a bus tour and give you the inside scoop on the major irrigation project, including a stop at the "Little Grand Canyon" and to examine the Touchet beds.

Building an irrigation system that lasts a century is quite a feat. The Burlingame Ditch was completed in 1905 to carry water for irrigation and is still in operation. Burlingame designed and built the ditch that turned over 5,000 acres of sagebrush into productive farmland. Please RSVP by Sunday, June 2, by calling (509) 525-7703 or emailing  info@fwwm.org. There are only 40 seats available. Standard museum admission will be charged on the day of the event; attendance for museum members is free.

The museum will present two additional Living Histories in June. On June 9, at 2 pm, Capt. Oliver H.P. Taylor, dragoon at Steptoe's Battle, the Battle of Tohotonimme, 1858, will be portrayed by David Bryant. Taylor, a West Point graduate from the East Coast, became versed in the ways of the West after fighting Indian tribes for whom it turned out he had sympathy. He eventually was stationed at Fort Walla Walla with his young family. He was one of the unfortunate soldiers tapped to go with Lt. Col. Edward J. Steptoe north of the Snake River to negotiate with the tribes who did not want a treaty. Come hear the tale of bravery in a harrowing time.

What Lies Beneath: Victorian Layers (Living History) will be presented on June 16 at 2 pm. A Walla Walla Sweet Onion has many layers, but a smartly dressed, genteel Victorian lady had many more. Some may know about the many layers of clothing women in the 1880s wore to be considered appropriately dressed.

Fashion and function feature in this ensemble. Come watch as the layers are thoroughly explained and removed down to intimate garments. Of course, the disrobing will be done in the most modest and ladylike manner and is guaranteed to be a family-friendly performance.  Join us for an hour of entertainment and education about the delicate nature of Victorian-era modesty and style.

Historical re-enactor, Living History performer, and historical fashion maven Diane Somerville will lead this educational Living History event.

Fort Walla Walla Museum is in Fort Walla Walla Park at 755 NE Myra Road. The museum is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in March through October, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during November through February. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors/students, $5 children ages 6–12, and free for children under 6. Museum Members receive free admission all year long. Memberships start at just $35. You can find their calendar with upcoming events at fwwm.org/all-events.