| Wallowa County
Located at the far north east corner of Oregon, bordered by Idaho and the Snake River on the east and Washington to the north. The county is comprised of 3,152 square miles of some of the most beautiful country in the western United States, 80% of which is land, while 20% is water. The area's spectacular scenery includes the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, Seven Devils mountain range, Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, Wallowa Lake, and Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Topography includes river valleys, river canyons, high mountain peaks, lush meadows, grass land, farm land and high mountain lakes, in elevations between 1500 and 10,000 feet. The human population of the county was 7,226 in 2000, and according to Oregon state records has not varied up or down from 7,000 more than 750 people in the last 25 years.
 On the other hand, people are by far out-populated by horses, mules, ponies, and cattle. In addition, large numbers of whitetail and mule deer, elk, and some bighorn sheep can be easily seen by car. Bears, mountain lions, and eagles are some of the areas most numerous large predators. The county's rivers, lakes and streams can be easily accessed and fished for trout, steelhead and salmon. Summer recreation is the largest tourist draw,  with Wallowa Lake, one of the area's alpine lakes, the most visited tourist attraction. The US forest Service holds 56% of the total land mass, giving visitors access to more than a million acres of public lands. The economy is agriculture, timber, and tourism with cottage industries that include bronze foundries, local artists, and related businesses.
Area services include a new hospital, 2 small airports, food service, many choices of camping and lodging, and businesses as small as local fruit stands and as large as car dealerships. Wallowa County is located less than 1 hour from La Grande, Oregon, on Hwy 82, also known as the Wallowa Lake Hwy. Main cities of Wallowa, Lostine, Enterprise, and Joseph are located on the drive along the hwy, which dead-ends just passed Wallowa Lake. Hwy 3 runs from Enterprise north to Washington, while the Little Sheep Creek Hwy runs east to Imnaha.
While the Nez Perce Indians, or Nee Me Poo (We, the People) no longer live in mass in the area, the influence of their history is apparent. The area was once home to old Chief Joseph, and in 1877, his son Young Chief Joseph led the US Army on an infamous 1,700 mile chase through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana before they were captured. Old Chief Joseph is buried at Wallowa Lake. Most of the remaining members of the Joseph band of the tribe lives on the Colville reservation in Washington. The name Wallowa most likely means (land of) winding water and /or is the native word for a stake type of fish weir used by the tribe for fishing.
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