Wallowa County Real Estate
Community History
Learn history about some of our area's unique communities. Read on...
Enterprise
R.F. Stubblefield and John Zurcher platted the town of Enterprise in 1886, including a central square, where the Wallowa County courthouse was constructed in 1909, and still stands. As with many small towns, the first name - Wallowa City - was rejected by the postal authorities. A town meeting held in September 1887 settled on the name Enterprise, and by November, the town had its post office.
Enterprise became the county seat in 1888, taking that honor away from Joseph. Businesses grew up to serve the local population and Enterprise developed quickly. By 1924, the main street was lined with solid brick and stone buildings, and included a motion picture theatre. Today, Enterprise is a commercial center for ranchers, and headquarters for Wallowa National Forest.
Flora
Flora, platted in the spring of 1897, was a thriving agricultural town in the early 20th century. Flora had about 200 residents in 1910, and supported general stores, a bank and a newspaper. When the population of Flora declined, the businesses left and Flora became a part of history. Today, its original school is being restored.
Imnaha
Imnaha's post office opened in 1887, to serve the farmers and ranchers who settled on the canyon bottomlands by the Imnaha River. By 1901, a townsite was established, and soon there was a general store and a church. Like other small towns, Imnaha might have died, but the farmers in the area relied on it, and later it became a tourist stop on the road to Hat Point, visited for its spectacular view of Hell's Canyon. Today, the 100-year old Imnaha general store is a repository of artifacts, from old photographs to stuffed bears.
Joseph
Joseph, named for young Chief Joseph, was the first town in Wallowa County, established in 1879 at the foot of Wallowa Lake. Originally called Lake City, it became Joseph in 1880, when the post office opened. That same year, F.D. McCully built a store, and other businesses followed. By 1884, the first newspaper in the county, the Wallowa Chieftain was started, and continues to this day as the Wallowa County Chieftain. It is the oldest business in the county.
When Wallowa County was separated from Union County in 1887, Joseph became the county seat, until it shifted to Enterprise in 1888. Joseph's population had grown to 237 by 1900, with businesses based on grain and stock-raising in the area. After the railroad reached town in 1908, the lumber industry contributed to Joseph's economy. In the 20th century, Joseph continued to serve the rural population, and became a center for visitors drawn to the recreational opportunities around Wallowa Lake.
Lostine
Lostine was a traditional Nez Perce home site; Old Chief Joseph died here at the summer campsite of the Wallowa Band. Homesteaders attracted to the fertile Wallowa River valley settled here, and by 1878, Lostine had a post office. The name came from a town in Kansas, chosen by settlers from Kansas. Like the other towns along the river, Lostine served the needs of the farming population.
Although larger towns grew up nearby, Lostine retained its sense of community and continued to serve the local area. Today, it has a population of about 200, which swells dramatically during the annual 4th of July flea market.
Troy
Troy, in the far northeast corner of the county, was at a ferry site, where the Grande Ronde and Wenaha rivers converged. Homesteaded in 1898 by Bill and Emma Wilson, the town was named Troy in 1902, reportedly for a son of the Grinstead family. A post office was opened that same year, and the town was officially platted in 1910.
Troy was a center for farmers and ranchers who had settled in the region, in areas then called Eden and Paradise. Troy also became a logging center, and in the late 1940's and early 1950's as many as 75 people lived in Troy. By 1957 the mills were closed, and the population declined, but Troy continues to be a commerical area for the region's wheat and cattle ranches.
Wallowa
Wallowa was one of the communities along the Wallowa River, where some of the first homesteaders in the valley began farming. A post office was established in 1874, but the town wasn't platted until 1889. Businesses served the growing agricultural population, and the traffic along the wagon road. After the railroad came through, the timber industry became an important part of Wallowa's economy, and the town felt the instabilities of that industry. Today, Wallowa is the center of a growing interest in re-establishing a Nez Perce presence in their traditional homeland. The Wallowa Band Nez Perce Trail Interpretive Center is working with the National Park Service to develop 320 acres at the edge of the Wallowa River as the Wallowa Homelands site.