Whitman Mission

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College Place, WA, US

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Jeffrey Fritts

For The Love Of The Ride...

14 mi.

294 ft.

A trip into history is but a short ride to the Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Managed by the National Park Service the Mission includes an excellent visitor center and scenic grounds.

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## Whitman Mission National Historic Site
Managed by the National Park Service
## Retribution or Revenge?
The 1847 attack on the Whitmans horrified Americans and impacted the lives of the peoples of the Columbia Plateau for decades afterwards. Was killing the Whitmans justified legal retribution, an act of revenge, or some combination of both? The circumstances that surround this tragic event resonate with modern issues of cultural interaction and differing perspectives. (NPS, Whitman Mission National Historic Site Web site)

A short ride just outside College Place, WA starts at the @point[Lions Park in College Place](d,28.88).  (The ride is just over 14 miles roundtrip.) Parking, restrooms, and if you are driving an RV even a dump station are available.  Making a right from Lions Park will start your adventure.  A small ascent then a decent…[slow down at the bottom for the left turn on to E. Whitman Dr.]    Left on @photo[Last Chance Rd.](808000), right just past Walla Walla River onto Stovall Rd., bear right onto Sweagle Rd ., once again cross the Walla Walla River and Whitman Mission will be on your right.  (During the summer honey bees are located in fields near the Walla Walla River, so keep your mouth closed as you ride past them.)

Once you have enjoyed the scenic low-traffic roads to Whitman Mission start your adventure back to the 1800s, when pioneers were moving west, by visiting the excellent National Park Service visitor center.  The center includes a museum full of stories and artifacts of what life was like for the Whitmans and the Cayuse Indians they found here on the Columbia Plateau.  A must see to begin to understand what happened here is the movie that plays in the theater.  Park rangers are on hand to answer your questions and fill in the details of the Whitman Massacre and of course there is a gift shop.  Restrooms are available at the center and picnic areas if you brought your lunch.

**Nuts, bolts, tips and tricks**.

You can ride the Walla Walla Valley and not even bring your bike.  Rentals are available from @poi[Allegro Cyclery](1095983) at 200 E. Main St. in downtown Walla Walla.  Call ahead and reserve your bike (509) 525-4949 http://www.allegrocyclery.com/

College Place, WA is a small village beside the larger community of Walla Walla.  Walla Walla is wine country with a rich history and a reputation as the Road Riding Capital of Eastern Washington State.

*Many businesses in College Place are **closed on Saturday** including @poi[The Express](1095980) convenience store at the corner of 4th and College Ave. and @poi[Andy’s Market](1095981) at 12th and College Ave. However, the College Place Food Mart at SE 8th and  S College Place Ave is open 7 days a week like @poi[Walmart](1095982).*

Once you arrive at Whitman Mission you will want to leave you bikes at the rack near the visitor center.  **The Park Service does not allow bicycles on the paths in the park.**  Also consider bringing some walking shoes with you as the paved paths, especially up the Whitman Memorial hill, can be slick and hard to walk on in cycling shoes.  One more tip the latest version(Revised 2016)of the official Walla Walla Valley Bike Map, available at our local bike shops, shows a slightly different route to the Mission.  Either this route or the map route will get you there and back.  My route has much less traffic and is more scenic.  Earlier map versions show crossing Last Chance Rd. and continuing west on Whitman Dr.  However, Whitman Dr. ends at Park Service gates and so does the pavement.  The trail passes through both private and Park Service land and is not suitable for road bikes with narrow tires (23/25c).

Whitman Mission

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