Frenchtown was a historical

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

settlement established by

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derive ...

and

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

fur traders. It was located in Walla Walla County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. Originally called "le village des Canadiens", it became known as "Frenchtown" by later settlers similar to other settlements such as

Frenchtown, Montana Frenchtown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is part of the 'Missoula, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 1,825 at the 2010 census, an increase from its population of 883 in ...

. It has also been referred to as "Walla Walla Frenchtown", This

historical place has become legally recognized through a registered historical foundation. After most French Canadian and Métis residents were expelled in 1855, the area was largely resettled by Americans and the community closest to it was renamed to Lowden in 1915. Enjoy this video about the Frenchtown Historic Site and visit the Frenchtown Historical Foundation website: http://www.frenchtownwa.org/visit-us/ http://www.frenchtownwa.org/ Support the work of the Frenchtown Historical Foundation: http://www.frenchtownwa.org/support-fhf/

History

Michel Pellissier and Catherine D'Aubuchan built the first cabin in 1823. Joseph LaRocque and Lizette Walla Walla built the second one in 1824, according to best estimates. Retired Canadian métis fur traders continued to settle and marry into the local tribes. Roughly twenty French Canadian métis and twenty Ojibway, Cree and Iroquois formed the core. This would evolve into a mixed ancestry village of log cabins and Indian camps scattered over approximately . Fifty métis families lived in the area by 1847, as estimated by counting the number of cabins on Thomas Bergevin’s map. Following various Indigenous uprisings throughout the

Territory of Washington The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

and escalating pressure from settlers arriving on the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kansa ...

, the US Army declared in October 1855 that the Walla Walla valley was under martial law and that all residents including métis, vacate the valley immediately. The order was challenged and a few Frenchtown métis stayed. Hostilities would soon follow. Without any supervision or permission from the US Army, the

Oregon Mounted Volunteers The Oregon Mounted Volunteers was a military regiment recruited in the U.S. state of Oregon during the Yakima War. In November 1855, Major Mark Chinn left The Dalles and assembled 6 companies of Mounted Volunteers to turn against the Walla Walla pe ...

(OMV) engaged in the Battle of Walla Walla that followed. The US Army refused to pay or equip the Willamette Valley Volunteers so they “lived off the land”. Food, horses and supplies needed were stolen. The "Battle of Frenchtown" (December 7–10, 1855) ended up being the longest Indigenous battle in the history of Washington Territory. The Frenchtown métis community was shattered. Some families scattered around the Pacific Northwest and some returned to Canada. Americans filed claims on the land that had been vacated. However, many former Frenchtowners remained in the area, and their descendants maintained a small French-speaking Catholic community until the 1880s. Frenchtown WA- Saint Rose Cemetery- sign

Frenchtown WA- Saint Rose Cemetery- sign

The original Saint Rose Cemetery was established in 1853 at the site of the Saint Rose of the Cayouse Mission on Yellow Hawk Creek. The 1853 Mission house was burned during the war of 1855. A log chapel was subsequently built on the McBean land claim in 1863. After a few years the St. Rose Mission and cemetery were moved to a site on the Walla Walla River now owned by the Allen family. In 1876 the river burials were moved to a hill at the Frenchtown site and the Saint Rose of Lima Mission Church was erected on the lower portion of the site, which served the French-Canadian community in the area until about 1900. Nearby the city of Walla Walla was established in 1859 and incorporated in 1862. For a while, Walla Walla was the largest community in the territory of Washington. In 1915, Frenchtown name was changed to Lowden. The Frenchtown Historical Foundation was first organized in 1992 to rehabilitate the historical site. It acquired the land for the present-day historic site, including the cemetery, in 2005. A formal opening of the site and rededication of the St. Rose of Lima cemetery occurred in 2010 in collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Relocation and restoration of the "Prince’s cabin" was completed in 2016. Originally located near the Whitman Mission, the cabin is believed to be the oldest standing cabin in the state of Washington. It was built for a Cayuse Indian whom the Hudson’s Bay Company called “The Prince” circa 1837. The Frenchtown Historic Site is currently maintained by the Frenchtown Historical Foundation of Walla Walla, WA.

References

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