Contact Information
2207 Juniper
Oroville, WA 98844
509-476-3321
Ranald McDonald's Grave State Park serves as a historical site without any public facilities.Ranald McDonald was the son of a Scotsman and Princess Raven, daughter of Chinook Indian Chief Comcomly. When he was ten or twelve years old he learned the Japanese language from two shipwrecked sailors at Fort Vancouver. This knowledge had a profound effect when Commodore Perry wanted to trade with Japan. Japan was a closed port, and their custom was to execute foreign sailors found on their shores. The U.S. Embassy could protect American sailors, and Ranald MacDonald purposely had himself shipwrecked upon the shore of Japan. He worked his way across the country to the capital and taught English to the Japanese to promote friendlier relations between Japan and the United States. He returned to live with his sister near the Canadian border at Toroda. This adventurer was born in 1824 and died in 1894 at Fort Colville. His grave is in a little cemetery on Kettle River.
The only activity at the park is visiting this historic site.
Washington's climate varies with each region. The Cascades split the state and alter weather patterns. Ranald McDonald's Grave State Park, located east of the mountains, receives significantly less rainfall than regions west of the mountains with an average annual precipitation of twelve inches.
Average summer temperatures are 94 degrees maximum and 50 degrees minimum. Because central Washington is landlocked and subject to winter winds, winter temperatures are much colder than those in western Washington.
