Archeologists uncovered the ruins of the mission buildings in the 1940’s. The rectangle of packed earth with the two large pits is the base of the large hearth in the mission house kitchen. Narcissa Whitman cooked on this hearth for only a few years before it was replaced with a regular cookstove.
A plan of the foundation ruins of the mission house, as found by archeologists.
Among the thousands of artifacts discovered were these two buckles that might have been used for harnesses or belts.
A millstone emerges from mud at the site of Whitman’s grist mill.
A useful everyday object was this fine-tooth comb, found in the ruins. The missionaries had to be constantly on the watch for lice, especially in their children’s hair. In a letter home, Narcissa asked that some of these “louse traps” be sent.