Wallowa County, Oregon

Wallowa County is located in the of. According to , the origins of the 's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being that it is derived from the term for a structure of stakes (a ) used in fishing. An alternative explanation is that Wallowa is derived from a Nez Perce word for "winding water". The journals of record the name of the  as Wil-le-wah.

In, the county's population was 7,226. Its is.

Economy
The principal industries in Wallowa County are agriculture, ranching, lumber, and tourism. Since 1985, three  and a number of related businesses specializing in statue-making have opened in  and, helping to stabilize the local economy. The is the largest landlord in the county, owning 56% of the land.

Geography
Wallowa is the northeasternmost county of Oregon. It has a total area of 8,163 (3,152 ). 8,146 km² (3,145 sq mi) of it is land and 16 km² (6 sq mi) of it (0.20%) is water.

and the attract tourists to this region. The lake is a natural glacial formation, held in on three sides by prominent s. The  is somewhat different from the surrounding areas and provides a cool retreat during the summer.

Adjacent Counties

 * - (west)
 * - (west)
 * - (south)
 * - (southeast)
 * - (east)
 * - (northeast)
 * - (north)
 * - (north)
 * - (north)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,029 households, and 2,083 families residing in the county. The was 1/km² (2/sq mi). There were 3,900 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.50%, 0.03% or , 0.71% , 0.24% , 0.04% , 0.95% from , and 1.54% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 3,029 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were 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 for the county was $17,276. About 9.80% of families and 14.00% of the population were below the, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.

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, , from the eastern portion of. Boundary changes occurred with Union County in 1890, 1900, and 1915.

In 1877, the younger of the Nez Perce, incensed at the government's attempt to deprive his people of the Wallowa Valley, refused to be moved to an  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, Chief Joseph was forced to surrender in , forty miles from the Canadian border. He and some of the survivors from his band were detained in, and later were relocated to Colville Reservation in 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 in Oregon, when in May 1887 a gang of rustlers massacred 34 Chinese gold miners in. Of the seven s and schoolboys believed to have been responsible, only three were brought to trial in Enterprise, where a jury found them not guilty on,. 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.

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 62-acre property near, and build 11 homes on it. This property is adjacent to the property that is home to the grave of, father of the younger Chief Joseph. This proposal drew opposition from a local group, as well as from the Nez Perce,, and tribes. Prior offers by the and the  to buy the land were rejected. The County commissioners gave conditional approval for the developers to complete a final of the land on, , but the attorney for the Nez Perce said the tribe would appeal the decision to the.

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 but had to delay opening until the spring of  because of the.