[1][2] Wright's family had an extensive military background; his father was a veteran of the War of 1812[1] and Norwich University founder Alden Partridge was related to his mother.

In 1858 Wright oversaw the construction of Fort Dalles in Oregon Territory from a wood outpost to a more substantial base while in command.

On September 23, 1858, after signing agreements with the Coeur d'Alenes, Wright was in camp near Latah (Hangman's) Creek, near present-day Spokane, Washington.

He had in custody Chief Owhi, regarded as a perpetrator of the attacks on white settlers which led to the Yakima War.

Although Wright would have preferred to have been sent East during the Civil War, he remained in California where he commanded the largest force ever in the Far West—6,000 troops in 1862.

His duties included protecting the frontier, keeping watch on secessionists, safeguarding the coast, and moving troops eastward.

Wright and his wife died at sea en route to his new command when the steamer Brother Jonathan was wrecked off the California coast.

[8] The name change acknowledges the brutality imposed on Native American tribes in Spokane by Col. George Wright.

The new name honors Whist-alks, a woman warrior and Spokane Indian who played a role in the resistance against Wright in 1858.