A Newsy Newsletter

So many things are happening! Keep reading for …

1. a report on all the things we’ve been up to (plants and visitors and plans, oh my!)

2. some information about upcoming events (dance, genealogy, teepee poles, Rendezvous St. Rose)

First of all, if you live nearby, swing by the site and admire the blanket flower in the cemetery, which is looking especially fine this year. The weeding work done by our board and volunteers, and also the chips graciously provided by Isaac Long’s people at Mountain View Tree service, and let’s not forget Duane, who figured out the irrigation — all these combined mean the St. Rose cemetery is looking lovely. Our rye grass is also looking quite stately in places, with heavy seed set.

Next up, a shrubbery report: back in December, we planted some native shrubs on several of the mounds near the shelter. We planted 22 that day, and as of last Friday, 16 of those are still alive, including examples of every species we put in. This is really encouraging (usually, if 50% survive on something like this you declare victory and wonder how you managed it!).

Summer will be the true test — of us, not the shrubs. You see, they need water every few weeks this first year, until their roots can reach down far enough for them to stand on their own. So if we can carry that water through their first summer (because it might be 2026, but we’re doing it like it was 1876, with buckets), they’ll have a good chance going forward. Are you a Don Quixote with a bucket? Give us a call — these shrubs could use a nanny.

Next up: on May 28 we hosted 77 people from the Vernacular Architecture Forum of America, which held their annual conference this year in Walla Walla. That’s two whole busloads of curiosity, for those of you keeping score. It’s also a group of excellent people, interested in history and knowledgeable about its material traces around us. There were people from all across North America, from Montreal to South Carolina to Bowling Green, KY, to College Place, WA. In fact, one of the delightful and surprising parts of the tour was the number of regional/local folks who signed up to learn more about this place we all share. It was a bit of a lift for the Frenchtown folks to get ready for that group and host them all at once, but really moving to think about all those people carrying these stories back to where they live.

Now for some upcoming events. This coming Saturday, June 20, the Walla Walla Friends of Acoustic Music will be holding their annual Frenchtown potluck and dance at the Frenchtown site. The pot luck starts at 6 pm, and the dance lessons start at 7. No charge, no experience necessary, local callers and live music. All this on an almost solstice summer evening. What could be nicer?

Next up, an event we are having some trouble naming, but perhaps you can help. Here is the issue. We have teepee poles. They still have bark on them. The process of removing that bark is called stripping. So we need to … yup… our… yup. And we’re going to do this with a youth group as a cultural outreach activity, but make it open to the public. If you have any printable suggestions about how we should advertise this entirely G-rated activity, give us a ring. This will be happening relatively soon, so keep an eye on our Facebook page, and hopefully I’ll ping the newsletter as well.

And THEN, and it will probably happen in August, and it will probably happen at the tasting room of our good friends over at Reininger Winery, we’re going to do another genealogy event. We did one of these at Long Shadows back in 2023, and it was absolutely lovely. It was a chance for people to get together and explore local and family history in the same breath, with the added bonus of some really knowledgeable people and resources provided to assist them. This time we’ll have a double hook, though. The question isn’t just “Are you related to Frenchtown?”, now it’s also “And does that mean you are actually Canadian?” We’re still working on the date, but we’ll announce it as soon as we get it set. Road trip, anyone?1

And FINALLY, Frenchtown Rendezvous will be Sunday, September 27, 2026 ! This is a special year for Frenchtown — it’s the 150th anniversary of the St. Rose church and cemetery, the cemetery we preserve at the site. We’re going to follow much the same model as last year, which is to say free food and friends, but with a few extra layers of history. And for those of you scratching your heads about why it’s going to be on a Sunday, and why it’s going to be THAT weekend and not [insert some other date here] — the answer is that in September and early October in Walla Walla, you really have to thread the needle scheduling around the competition. That would be the Pendleton Roundup, but also (no joke) the Walla Walla Catholic Schools Sausage Fest fundraiser. The Alpenfest in Joseph, Oregon is also a consideration, because we can’t do Rendezvous without Duane, and he missed the Alpenfest for us last year. So, Sunday. So, the 27th. So, you should all come!

Oof! This newsletter is already too long. So there’s more to say, believe it or not, but I’m going to stop here because there are other things that need to happen on my Tuesday besides Frenchtown (who knew, right?).

See you next time!

©Sarah Hurlburt on behalf of the Frenchtown Historical Foundation