Four albums donated to state parks, Rosalia Library

Four albums which contain the last 20 years of additions and improvements at the Steptoe Battlefield State Park, along with documentation, stories and photos (mostly taken by the late Jim Nebel), have been assembled by Diane Nebel. The albums also contain ongoing efforts to collect the names of 158 members of Lt. Col Edward J. Steptoe's unit of May 17, 1858, which was the date of the battle.

The albums also contain quotes from a book regarding the battle, from the natives side of the story - which has personally described accounts by Chief Joseph Seltice (before, during and after the battle). The book, available at the Rosalia branch of the Whitman County Library, is entitled "Saga of the Coeur d' Alenes" published in 1999.

The albums also contain other stories of the battle found on http://www.HistoryLink.org and from the Walla Walla Museum, which verified that there were actually six forts (and not just one) in the Walla Walla area that started back in the early 1800's by the Hudson Bay Company - two forts were fur trading outfits, one fort was a missionary fort and three were military forts (one of which was Steptoe's).

Another story included in the albums, even though it wasn't about the battle, is accounts of Rosalia's first Stagecoach Driver in 1879, who indicated that there were two small forts available in Rosalia at the time for Rosalia citizens to take cover in case of another Indian attack. Interesting to note that every time the driver came to town, he planted a locust tree along the southern route into Rosalia that passes under the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Bridge (which is now part of the State Park's Cascades to Palouse Trail project). Those trees are still there today, but they are being affected by an invasive vine.

There are also stories and photos about transforming Rosalia's 1923 Texaco Station into the Rosalia Visitor and Interpretative Center for the Steptoe Battlefield State Park. Of 157 Washington State Parks, only one, The Steptoe Battlefield State Park, is officially the only Indian Battlefield state park in Washington State.

The albums were donated to the Washington State Park and the town of Rosalia. The public ones are at the Rosalia branch of the Whitman County Library and the Rosalia High School Library as educational information for the students.