Fort Walla Walla Post Cemetery
755 NE Myra Road, Walla Walla
Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington 99362
509-525-7703
Directions
The cemetery is located in the town of Walla Walla, northwest of Highway 125.
History
Fort Walla Walla is a United States Army fort in Walla Walla, Washington. The original Fort Walla Walla was established in July 1856 by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Steptoe of the 9th Infantry Regiment. A second fort was occupied on 23 September 1856. The third and permanent Fort Walla Walla was built in 1858 and was adjacent to Steptoeville, which later became Walla Walla—a community that developed around the second fort.
An Executive Order designated the fort as a military reservation on 7 May 1859, encompassing 640 acres for military use and an additional 640 acres for hay and timber reserves. On 28 September 1910, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry lowered the flag, marking the fort’s closure.
In 1917, the fort briefly reopened to train members of the First Battalion of the Washington Field Artillery in support of World War I. In 1921, the fort and its property were transferred to the Veterans Administration, which still maintains 15 original military buildings. Today, the site includes a park, a museum, and the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center.
According to Find a Grave, the earliest death date was in 1874 for John Bender.
Additional information
E. M. Baker Post No. 33 of Fort Walla Walla
Stories from the Fort Walla Walla Cemetery
FORT WALLA WALLA CEMETERY – END OF THE FRONTIER
