In 1847, Cayuse children enrolled at a Protestant mission school in Oregon came down with the measles and this marked the start an epidemic which killed many Cayuse people. From the Cayuse perspective, the missionary, Dr. Marcus Whitman, was blamed for the deaths. As a result, the Cayuse killed the missionary and 11 other Americans. American settlers and miners who had invaded the area were fearful of a general Indian uprising and organized a volunteer military force.
The volunteer army was organized under the leadership of Reverend Cornelius Gilliam, an Indian hater who believed that all Indians should be exterminated. The volunteer army quickly established a camp at The Dalles. The new fort was initially called Fort Wascopum after the Protestant mission in the area. It was later known as Fort Lee, then as Camp Drum and Fort Drum. In 1853, the U.S. Army officially designated it as Fort Dalles.
Several companies of the 9th Infantry under the command of Lt. Col. George Wright arrived at Fort Dalles in 1856. Wright was appalled by the lack of adequate housing for his officers and set about to rectify the situation. Using an 1850 house plan book by Andrew Jackson Downing, new quarters were designed.
Of the four houses, Col. Wright’s was the most elegant and expensive: it cost $22,000. The least expensive was the Surgeon’s Quarters which cost about $5,000 to build. The expense of the houses did not go unnoticed and Wright was criticized for the cost, ornate designs, and cost of upkeep. Funds to provide water storage for the fort was denied.
Faulty mortar was used in the chimneys. This, coupled with the lack of water storage, resulted in three of the four houses burning down by the end of 1867. Only the Surgeon’s Quarters remained.
The open section of wall shown above shows the lath-and-plaster construction technique used on interior walls.
According to the museum display:
“The process begins with wood laths. These are narrow strips of wood, or split boards, nail horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists. Each wall frame is covered in lath, tacked at the studs.
Plaster is then applied using a wooden board as the application tool. The applier drags the board upward over the wall, forcing plaster into the gaps between the laths.”
In 1867, the fort was abandoned and only a caretaker remained on the property. In 1877, ownership of the property was transferred to the Department of the Interior. By the mid-1880s, there was no longer a caretaker and the fort was deteriorating due to squatters and looters. History-minded women, however, stepped in and saved the fort from total ruin. Ownership was transferred to the Oregon Historical Society and in 1905 it opened as a museum. The refurbished Surgeon’s Quarters now houses a series of museum displays. The entry into the Fort Dalles Museum is through what had originally been the kitchen of the Surgeon’s Quarters.
Shown above is the front of the Surgeon’s Quarters. This entry is not longer in use.
Shown above is the back of the Surgeon’s Quarters.
The Dining Room Displays
Shown above is the steamer Balley Gatzert which was launched in 1890.
The teaspoons shown above belonged to Margaret and Joel Chrisman who came across the plains from Virginia in 1844.
Entry Way Displays
The original entry to the Surgeon’s Quarters is no longer in use. Shown below are the museum displays which are in this area.
Chinese began moving into The Dalles in the 1860s, and by the 1880s there were a number of Chinese merchandise stores. By 1880, there were 9,510 Chinese living in Oregon and 116 in The Dalles. A strong Anti-Chinese Movement began in the western states in the 1870s. Chinese immigration had begun at a time when employment was on the rise. With the recessions of the 1870s and 1880s, many Americans blamed the Chinese for the lack of jobs. In addition, cultural differences fueled anti-Chinese prejudice.
The Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882 and 1892 restricted the immigration of the Chinese. Chinese had to obtain and carry with them at all times a certificate of identification as proof that they were legally in the country. It wasn’t until 1943 that the Chinese Exclusion Act was repeals and limited Chinese immigration was allowed.
The Chew Kee Company Store in The Dalles operated from about 1889 to 1942. It was the last remaining Chinatown business in The Dalles.
The Upstairs Hall
The Gardener’s Cottage
This structure was originally located at the eastern edge of Fort Dalles and was moved to its present location behind the Surgeon’s Quarters in the 1930s. The wooden structure was insulated with adobe brick between the outer wooden wall and the inner wooden wall.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum displays. More from this series:
Museums 101: The Western Room in the Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Parlor at the Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Bedroom at the Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Anderson Homestead (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Second Floor of the Anderson Homestead (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Bedroom at the Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)
