The Wallula Treasure In 1859, gold was discovered in Idaho, and Wallula was the jumping off point for miners headed to the gold fields. From Wallula they headed east (or returned) on Dorsey Baker’s Walla Walla and Columbia Line. It was also known as the Rawhide Railroad, because according to early travelers, the original rail lines were made of split wood, which Baker covered with rawhide to make the trains run smoother. According to legend, two men boarded the train’s one express car, and stole several pounds of gold bullion. They jumped off the train and went overland toward Wallula, to catch a riverboat to Portland. Unfortunately for the robbers, a posse dogged their trail for many miles, and captured the robbers just outside of Wallula. Before they wer caught, the robbers buried the gold. They hung the men before returning to Wallula, but never found the money.