Walla Walla County was established in 1854 from Clark and Skamania counties. It originally included all of eastern Washington as well as area which later became Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Walla Walla County was reduced in size as new counties were formed in eastern Washington during the Territorial period. In 1860, Spokane County was formed from its northeastern area and it 1865 Yakima County was created from its northwestern area. Columbia County was created from the its eastern part in 1875. In turn, these large counties were broken into smaller counties.
District Court was established in Walla Walla County in 1860 as part of the First Judicial District. Prior to that date, Walla Walla County was attached to Skamania County for judicial purposes. Probate Court was established in Walla Walla County in 1854.
The city of Walla Walla was the most populous in Washington Territory until the late 1870s. It was a supply center for the mining campus in Idaho Territory and served as a crossroad for overland travelers to the West Coast. In the later years, it served as the banking, transportation and supply center for the surrounding agricultural area.
Territorial court records from Walla Walla County include Civil, Criminal, and Probate cases.
Arranged into series by court of jurisdiction; described herein according to each case type.
District Court case files date from 1860 and they are arranged in two series. The first series is numbered 1-1480 and dates from 1860-1868. The second series is numbered 1-6136 and dates from 1866-1889. Naturalization cases were originally interspersed in the two series, but they have now been organized as a separate series. Bankruptcy cases dating from 1872 have also been organized as a separate series.
None.
None.
In-house only.
[Document cited], Walla Walla County Territorial [type of case and case #], Washington State Archives Eastern Regional Branch.
The files were created in Territorial Probate, District, or Justice Court and remained in the custody of the County Clerk until transfer to the State Archives.
The material was accessioned into the Archives in 1989.
No further additions are expected.
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Additional court records such as courtroom journals may also be available. Inquire with repository for details.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.