Will Wallula Become the Next Boomtown?
Walla Walla merchants eye branch stores in Wallula, sparking a regional rivalry over trade and access to the mines.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A number of business men of this city contemplate establishing branch houses at Wallula in the spring. Also, two or more of the business men at The Dalles will do the same thing. Among those going from this city, we hear of two general merchandise establishments, one cigar and tobacco store, one livery stable and one saloon, and it is probable that several mechanic shops will follow. From this it would seem that the next act in the building of the 'Sacramento of the Upper Columbia' is to be performed at Wallula. While we have no idea that 'Sacramento' will ever be built at Wallula, it cannot be denied that it has superior advantages over Umatilla City as a river supply point for the mines, and being situated upon a better road, it will ultimately absorb the trade of that city. The effect upon the Walla Walla valley of the building up of Wallula will, of course, be beneficial. To keep our own city in the ascendancy, it will be necessary for merchants to sell their goods at prices that compete with Wallula traders.
“From this it would seem that the next act in the building of the 'Sacramento of the Upper Columbia' is to be performed at Wallula.”
The fierce 19th-century competition between Walla Walla and Wallula over river access and supply routes mirrors the modern economic anxieties of regional hubs vying for logistical supremacy. While Wallula never became the 'Sacramento of the Upper Columbia,' the struggle to remain a commercial 'ascendancy' remains a constant theme in local civic discourse.
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