The museum’s latest acquisition is a fascinating box of locally used glass cinema advertising slides.
This is one of six slides advertising Klemke Motors of Walla Walla from circa 1950. The subject of this slide is the Nuffield tractor, a line of British tractors made by the agricultural division of Morris Motors, later renamed the British Motor Corporation (BMC), from 1948 until they were replaced by Leyland tractors in 1969. The name “Nuffield” was chosen by founder Lord Nuffield after his Oxfordshire village. Notable features include Perkins engines, later replaced by BMC’s designed diesel engines, and their evolution into models such as the 10 series, which featured a 10-speed gearbox.
It is known that the Murrell Brothers managed the Walla Walla Picture Shows during the 1950s and early 1960s. According to older residents, they would alternate between hosting a dance one Saturday and screening a movie the next Saturday at the Literary Institute.