The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached this area April 27, 1806, on their return journey from the Pacific.

There he erected a pole and notice claiming the country for Great Britain and stating the intention of the North West Company to build a trading post at the site.

The location was chosen to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company for the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest.

To save money, the original rails were wooden, with strap iron on the upper surface.

In 1883, the Northern Pacific completed its line from St. Paul, Minnesota, to present-day Wallula.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), all land.

A paper mill of Packaging Corporation of America is in Wallula, originally a Boise Cascade facility constructed in 1958;[5][6] to produce corrugated shipping containers.