Wallowa County is a
county located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It is included in the 8 county definition of
Eastern OregonEastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
. According to
Oregon Geographic NamesOregon Geographic Names is an authoritative compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon. , the book is in its seventh edition and is compiled and edited by Lewis L. McArthur, who took over from his father, Lewis A. McArthur, as of the fourth edition...
, the origins of the
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being that it is derived from the
Nez PerceNez Perce is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin . The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family...
term for a structure of stakes (a
weirA fishing weir is an ancient type of fish trap that is traceable back to Roman times in the UK. It is also a technology used by, among others, North American Natives and early settlers to catch fish for trade and to feed their communities.-History:...
) used in fishing. An alternative explanation is that
Wallowa is derived from a Nez Perce word for "winding water". The journals of
Lewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first overland expedition undertaken by the United States to the Pacific coast and back. The expedition team was headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and assisted by Sacajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. The expedition's goal was to gain an accurate...
record the name of the
Wallowa RiverThe Wallowa River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a valley on the Columbia Plateau in the northeast corner of the state north of Wallowa Mountains. It rises in southern Wallowa County, in the Wallowa Mountains in...
as
Wil-le-wah.
In 2000, the county's population was 7,226. Its
seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
EnterpriseEnterprise is a city in and the county seat of Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,895 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,940 in 2007.- History :...
.
History
In 1871, the first white settlers came to the area, crossing the mountains in search of livestock feed in the Wallowa Valley. The county was established on February 11, 1887, from the eastern portion of
Union CountyUnion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the town of Union, which is located within its boundaries; in 2000, the county population was 24,530...
. Boundary changes occurred with Union County in 1890, 1900, and 1915.
In 1877, the younger
Chief JosephChief Joseph was the chief of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
of the Nez Perce, incensed at the government's attempt to deprive his people of the Wallowa Valley, refused to be moved to an
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on 3 July 1890 as the 43rd state....
reservation. Several regiments of United States troops were dispatched to force him onto the reservation. After several battles and a march of almost two thousand miles towards sanctuary in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Chief Joseph was forced to surrender in
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, forty miles from the Canadian border. He and some of the survivors from his band were detained in
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and later were relocated to Colville Reservation in
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
State. Approximately half of the survivors moved to the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho.
Wallowa County was the scene of perhaps the worst incident of violence against
ChineseOverseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the territories administered by the rival governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
in Oregon, when in May 1887 a gang of rustlers massacred 34 Chinese gold miners in
Hells CanyonHells Canyon is a ten-mile wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. It is North America's deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet and the most important feature of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.The canyon was carved by the waters of the...
. Of the seven rustlers and schoolboys believed to have been responsible, only three were brought to trial in Enterprise, where a jury found them not guilty on September 1, 1888. A proposal to commemorate this event on official maps was defeated June 2004; one reason given was the fact prominent local families are related to the killers.
United States Supreme Court
Associate JusticeAssociate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
William O. DouglasWilliam Orville Douglas was a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
was one famous summer visitor to Wallowa County, building a vacation cabin on Lostine River Road in 1939.
In December 2003, a developer announced a proposal to buy a property near
Wallowa LakeWallowa Lake is a ribbon lake one mile south of Joseph, Oregon, United States. It was formed by glaciation approximately nine million years ago. On the south end of the lake is a small community made up of vacation homes, lodging, restaurants, as well as other small businesses. Wallowa lake has...
, and build 11 homes on it. This property is adjacent to the property that is home to the grave of
Old Chief JosephOld Chief Joseph , Tu-eka-kas, also known as Joseph the Elder, was an American Indian chief of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce . Old Chief Joseph was one of the first Nez Percé converts to Christianity and a vigorous advocate of the tribe's early peace with whites...
, father of the younger Chief Joseph. This proposal drew opposition from a local group, as well as from the Nez Perce,
Colville-Places:Canada*Colville Lake, Northwest Territories*Colville Lake , for which the communiy is namedNew Zealand*Colville, New Zealand, on the Coromandel Peninsula, and the following nearby features:** Cape Colville...
, and
UmatillaThe Umatilla are a Sahaptin-speaking Native American group living on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States....
tribes. Prior offers by the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and the Trust for Public Land to buy the land were rejected. The County commissioners gave conditional approval for the developers to complete a final
platA plat consists of a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. U.S. General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bearing between section corners, sometimes including topographic or vegetation information. City, town or...
of the land on February 13, 2004, but the attorney for the Nez Perce said the tribe would appeal the decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.
Economy
The principal industries in Wallowa County are agriculture, ranching, lumber, and tourism. Since 1985, three
bronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age...
foundriesA foundry is a factory that produces metal castings from either ferrous or non-ferrous alloys. Metals are turned into parts by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metal...
and a number of related businesses specializing in statue-making have opened in
JosephJoseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, in 1880 the city formally named itself for Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and
EnterpriseEnterprise is a city in and the county seat of Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,895 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,940 in 2007.- History :...
, helping to stabilize the local economy. The
Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres...
is the largest landlord in the county, owning 56% of the land.
Politics
Like all counties in eastern Oregon, the majority of registered voters who are part of a
political partyA political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns...
in Wallowa County are members of the
Republican PartyThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
. In the
2008 presidential electionThe 56th quadrennial United States presidential election was held on November 4, 2008. Outgoing Republican President George W. Bush's policies and actions and the American public's desire for change were key issues throughout the campaign, and during the general election campaign, both major party...
, 63.52% of Wallowa County voters voted for Republican
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, while 33.42% voted for
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
and 3.06% of voters either voted for a
Third PartyThird party may refer to:Politics* Third party , party other than one of the two dominant ones in a two-party political system* Third party , in American politics* Third party , in Canadian politicsComputers...
candidate or wrote in a candidate. These numbers have changed slightly from the
2004 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, in which 69.3% voted for
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
, while 28.1% voted for
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
, and 2.6% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate.
Geography
Wallowa is the northeasternmost county of Oregon. It has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.20%) is water.
Geographic features
Wallowa LakeWallowa Lake is a ribbon lake one mile south of Joseph, Oregon, United States. It was formed by glaciation approximately nine million years ago. On the south end of the lake is a small community made up of vacation homes, lodging, restaurants, as well as other small businesses. Wallowa lake has...
and the
Wallowa MountainsThe Wallowa Mountains are a mountain range located in the Columbia Plateau of northeastern Oregon in the United States. The range runs approximately 40 mi northwest to southeast in southwestern Wallowa County between the Blue Mountains to the west and the Snake River to the east...
attract tourists to this region. The lake is a natural glacial formation, held in on three sides by prominent
moraineA moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past ice age. This debris may have been plucked off the valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s. The
microclimateA microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
is somewhat different from the surrounding areas and provides a cool retreat during the summer. Other geographic features include
- Grande Ronde River
The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, long, in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington in the United States. It drains an area southeast of the Blue Mountains, and northwest of the Wallowa Mountains, on the Columbia Plateau...
- Joseph Canyon
Joseph Canyon is a deep basalt canyon in northern Wallowa County, Oregon, and southern Asotin County, Washington, United States. It contains Joseph Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, which flows into the Snake River and then into the Columbia...
- Hells Canyon
Hells Canyon is a ten-mile wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. It is North America's deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet and the most important feature of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.The canyon was carved by the waters of the...
- Wallowa River
The Wallowa River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a valley on the Columbia Plateau in the northeast corner of the state north of Wallowa Mountains. It rises in southern Wallowa County, in the Wallowa Mountains in...
Adjacent counties
- Umatilla County, Oregon
Umatilla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the Umatilla River. In 2000, its population was 70,548...
- (west)
- Union County, Oregon
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the town of Union, which is located within its boundaries; in 2000, the county population was 24,530...
- (west)
- Baker County, Oregon
Baker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. It is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the Civil War in Virginia in 1861. It was split from the eastern part...
- (south)
- Adams County, Idaho
Adams County is a rural county located in the state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 3,476 The county seat and largest city is Council....
- (southeast)
- Idaho County, Idaho
Idaho County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 15,511 . The county seat is Grangeville. Previous county seats were Florence and Mount Idaho...
- (east)
- Nez Perce County, Idaho
Nez Perce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 37,410 at the 2000 United States Census; it was estimated at 38,932 in 2007. The county seat is Lewiston. The county is named for the Nez Percé tribe....
- (northeast)
- Asotin County, Washington
Asotin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Lewiston, ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of both Nez Perce County, Idaho, and Asotin County. As of 2000, the population was 20,551...
- (north)
- Garfield County, Washington
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2000, the population was 2,397, making it the least populous in the state. The county seat is at Pomeroy, the county's only city. It was named after U.S. President James A. Garfield....
- (north)
- Columbia County, Washington
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2000, the population was 4,064. The county seat is at Dayton, which is also the county's largest city. It is named after the Columbia River....
- (north)
National protected areas
- Nez Perce National Historical Park
The Nez Perce National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park comprising 38 sites located throughout the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington which are the traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez Perce. The sites commemorate the history, culture, and stories of the...
(part)
- Umatilla National Forest
The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres . In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Umatilla, Grant, Columbia, Morrow, Wallowa, Union, Garfield, Asotin, Wheeler, and Walla Walla...
(part)
- Wallowa–Whitman National Forest (part)
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,029 households, and 2,083 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 3,900 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.50%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.03%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.71%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.24%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.95% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.54% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 21.8% were of German, 15.7%
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 12.3%
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
and 11.8%
IrishThe Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians The Irish...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,029 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 4.90% from 18 to 24, 21.90% from 25 to 44, 30.00% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,129, and the median income for a family was $38,682. Males had a median income of $28,202 versus $21,558 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the county was $17,276. About 9.80% of families and 14.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.
Incorporated cities
- Enterprise
Enterprise is a city in and the county seat of Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,895 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,940 in 2007.- History :...
- Joseph
Joseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, in 1880 the city formally named itself for Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.- History :...
- Lostine
Lostine is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 263 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lostine is located at...
- Wallowa
Wallowa is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 869 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:...
Unincorporated communities
- Bartlett
- Eden
- Evans
- Flora
Flora is an unincorporated community in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the community was named after the daughter of the first postmaster, A.D. Buzzard...
|
Fruita
Grouse
Imnaha Imnaha is an unincorporated community at the confluence of Little Sheep Creek and the Imnaha River in Wallowa County, Oregon. Its elevation is...
Imnaha River Woods Development |
Lewis
Maxville
Minam Minam is an unincorporated community in northwestern Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Minam and Wallowa rivers, north of the Wallowa Mountains on Oregon Route 82...
Paradise |
Promise
Troy Troy is an unincorporated community in rural Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Troy is west of Oregon Route 3 and close to the Washington state line. The closest community to Troy is Flora....
Zumwalt |
Points of interest
The city of Enterprise in Wallowa County is the home of the second-oldest running theatre in Oregon. The single-screen OK Theatre was built in 1918 but had to delay opening until the spring of 1919 because of the
1918 flu pandemicThe 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused by an unusually virulent and deadly influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin of the virus...
.