Wascopam Mission
The Wascopam Mission or Dalles Mission was a branch of the Methodist Mission opened at Celilo Falls in 1838. Among the tribes proselytized were members of the Cayuse, Klickitat, Nez Perce, Shasta, Tenino, Walla Wallas, and Wasco-Wishram. In 1847 the mission was closed and later became the site of Fort Dalles.
Establishment
The Wascopam Mission was established on March 21, 1838, by Reverends Daniel Lee and Henry K. W. Perkins. Lumber for the buildings was cut mostly by neighboring Wascos. The mission was often called Wascopam after them. During its operation, the mission consisted of a schoolhouse, garden, stable, barn, and two dwellings along with a cleared pasture adjacent to the wood huts used by the Native American villagers.Supplies were procured from Hudson's Bay Company stations Fort Vancouver and Fort Nez Percés along with the Methodist stations of Mission Bottom and later Mission Mill with Chinookan and Walla Walla escorts. During one such trip provisions dwindled to the point that a horse had to be consumed until salmon could be purchased from a Clackamas village.
Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock is a rock about tall, carved by natural elements in an open area on a slight slope. The Methodist missionaries preached at the location, with some initial success in converting some of the local Indigenous peoples.The rock currently stands in the intersection of E. 12th and Court streets in the city of The Dalles, Oregon. It is directly south of The Dalles-Wahtonka High School, with a historical marker. The rock has been kept its original location, now in the middle of a street, due to history surrounding it. A mural on a building in downtown The Dalles features the rock prior to the development of the current roads and neighborhood around it.