About Wallowa County
Wallowa County is located in the Northeastern corner of Oregon and is known for its stunning natural beauty, endless outdoor recreation offerings and charming small towns. The region has a long tradition of making a living off of the land: from farming to ranching, forestry to tourism. Even today, ranching, and farming remain cornerstones of the region's economy, lifestyle, and identity. A relatively recent influx of artisans - bronze casters, photographers, potters, glass blowers and the like - has added a new and vital component to the County's economy and flavor.
The Nez Perce Indians (Nimiipuu) have inhabited Wallowa County for millennia, utilizing an array of year-round resources including fish in the canyons during the winter and early spring, nutritious plants and game animals in the summer through fall. The Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce were led by Chief Joseph the Elder until his death in 1871. His son, Chief Joseph the Younger (Hinmaton-Yalaktit), led the Nez Perce on a 1200 mile retreat from General Howard in the Nez Perce War of 1877.
The Landscape
The majestic Wallowa Mountains comprise the south and west border of the County, and include vast tracts of forest, scores of animal species, mountain meadows, and rock spires are separated by snowfields that may last all summer. The Wallowas contain Oregon’s largest wilderness area – the Eagle Cap Wilderness - where massive granite peaks and lake-filled basins dominate the glacially-carved upper reaches of the range.
A full mile below the mountain peaks, the gently undulating hills of the Zumwalt Prairie support a spectacularly diverse array of raptor species, including some – like the ferruginous hawk – seldom seen in other regions. The prairie ecosystem teams with endemic and threatened plant species, several grassland sparrow species, and a variety of large mammals, including elk, bobcat, and bighorn sheep. The Zumwalt Prairie is the largest intact bunchgrass prairie in North America, and is home to a rich palette of wildflowers each spring and summer.
Clear, deep, prestine-blue Wallowa Lake is one of the best examples of a glacially carved lake in the contiguous 48 states, drawing scientists, residents, and awestruck visitors to its shores each year. A wide variety of water fowl, bald eagles and osprey feed on the lake’s Kokanee salmon and lake trout. The lake feeds Wallowa River, one of eight Wild and Scenic Rivers in Wallowa County; only four states lay claim to as many wild and scenic rivers.
Hells Canyon serves as the eastern border of the County. In addition to world class whitewater, austere beauty can be found in the canyon walls that stretch more than a mile above the Snake and Imnaha Rivers. The basalt cliffs tell the story of one of the earth’s largest volcanic eruptions. Hells Canyon Country is home to bighorn sheep, cougars, dozens of raptor species, a large variety of wildflowers…and very few people.
The county's population of roughly 7000 has remained virtually unchanged since white settlers inhabited the area in the late 1800's peaking at 9,778 in 1920. With just 2.3 people per square mile, humans are far outnumbered by the 378 species of wildlife, including elk, deer, bear, bighorn sheep, and bald eagles. Located 65 miles from McDonald's, four hours from a major airport and what any teenager might refer to as “the mall,” and lacking a single traffic light, Wallowa County is truly a unique place.
Challenges and Opportunities:
Wallowa County's economy consistently ranks at or near the bottom in statewide assessments, having unemployment as high as 19% during winter months. In 1994, all three sawmills shut down, leaving hundreds out of work, and setting off an economic decline that the county has yet to recover from.
Due to the continued loss of family-wage jobs, young families are moving out of the County and school enrollments are declining dramatically. The region's iconic beauty has drawn those with the means to purchase property here, sending land and housing prices skyward, making home prices out of reach for the average citizen and tempting ranching families—whose land has been theirs for generations—to sell.
Wallowa County is responding progressively to the trends affecting it. New models of collaboration are developing, and a shared vision of restoration and stewardship of our watersheds is emerging. Local leadership is facilitating creative and inclusive place-based solutions for public land management. Local entrepreneurs are designing new products and pursuing new markets for small diameter logs and other by-products of watershed restoration. Local contractors are diversifying their business to provide a broader range of services, and a stewardship workforce is on the rise. Private sector initiatives are partnering with public schools and filling gaps wrought by State budget deficits, and stimulating education as a sector of economic growth. Wallowa County is working to meet the challenges facing us.
Learn More!
Rural Development Assistance Team
Wallowa County 's Economic Structure: An Input-Output
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area