Wallowa County, Oregon
| Wallowa County, Oregon | |
|---|---|
|
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 Location in the U.S. state of Oregon |
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 Oregon's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | October 14, 1887 |
| Seat | Enterprise |
| Largest city | Enterprise |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,152 sq mi (8,164 km2) |
| • Land | 3,146 sq mi (8,148 km2) |
| • Water | 5.5 sq mi (14 km2), 0.2% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 6,856 |
| • Density | 2.2/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
| Website | co |
Wallowa County is a county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,008, making it Oregon's fourth-least populous county. Its county seat is Enterprise. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the origins of the county's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being it is derived from the Nez Perce term for a structure of stakes (a weir) 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 Expedition record the name of the Wallowa River as Wil-le-wah.
Wallowa County is part of the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon.
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 County. Boundary changes occurred with Union County in 1890, 1900, and 1915.
In 1877, the younger Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, incensed at the government's attempt to deprive his people of the Wallowa Valley, refused to relocate to the reservation in north central Idaho. Several regiments of U.S. Army troops were dispatched to force him onto the reservation. After several battles and a march of almost two thousand miles (3,200 km) towards sanctuary in Canada, Chief Joseph was forced to surrender in eastern Montana, forty miles (60 km) from the border with Canada. He and some of the survivors from his band were detained in Oklahoma, and later were relocated to Colville Reservation in northeast Washington. Approximately half of the survivors moved to the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. Chief Joseph last visited Wallowa County in 1902, and died two years later.
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