Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-01-27
HOLMAN TELLS OF
WALLOWA COUNTY
PRESIDENT STATE HISTORICAL
SOCIETY HAS ARTICLE IN
PORTLAND JOURNAL.

Of Oregon Counties" by F. V. Hol-
man, president of the oregon Historl-
cal Society. The following Idescript.
Ion of this county appeared in Fri.
days paper.
WALLOWA COUNTY.
"aliowa county was created Feb
ruary IL, 1887, by the state legis-
iauure. CGeaeral laws of 1887. pus
I42)' IL comprises part OF the cas-.
ern portion of the original Union
county. 1t is the northeastern county
Of Oregon.
Inc name is that of the beautiful
Wallowa lake and its outlet. the
Wallowa river.
The part of Oregon which compris-
IS Wallowa county in early days
was isolated. 1t was far from the
Usually travelled route of early
travellers, fur tra3e AID immigrants Is
1t lies south and southwest of Lewis
ION, idaho, near which, to the east
southeast and south of the Clearwatt l
river is Lapwai, the reservation of
Inc upper Nez Perce tribe.
In October 1905, and in NAV 1906
1he Lewis ann Clark expedition was
Ut the mouth of the Clearwater river
which Lewis and Clark called the
-Noosoooskee. Lewiston is situated
1t the junction of the Clearwater
With the Snake liver. Wallowa coun-
y is a short distance south of Lewis
on. Lewis and Clark's expedition
nd not go into what is now Wal
owa county.
In the winter of 1811-12, Wilson
'rlce Hunt and his party en- route,
overland, TO AS ora, attempted to
lescend the Snake river. They start
I'd to descend the Snake river In
canoes, but they were compelled 10
abandon their canoes and proceed
lown the bank of the river. some of
he party being on the east side, the
others ON the west side of the Snake
liver. The Whole party nearly perish
ID from hunger and other hardships.
December "a, 1871, the party left
he Snake river and proceeded west
ward TO the Columbia river, which
hey reached January 81, 1872, at a
point not far south of the Walla
Walla river. On the way from the
Snake river TO the Columbia, the ex-
let route Of the party is not describ-
I'd nor can it definitely be ascertain
I'd, but undoubtedly 1t was through
what is now Walfowa county, probab-
y south of Waliowa lake. The only
Iver or stream between the Snake
liver and the CoQambia which is men-
Ioned by name, except Walla Walla
river, 1t is said, was called by the
natives Eu-o-tal-la, or Umatilla." Qr-
dngs Astoria, vol. 2, page 65).
In 1888 and 1884, Captain Bonne-
Vile and his party were in what is
low Wallowa county. He does not
mention the name Wallowa. He docs
mention the Imnaha river which he
calls the Immahah, and the Way-lee-
way, which is the Nez Perce name
of the Grande Ronde river.
The eastern and southern part of
Wallowa county were the habitat of
he lower Nez Perce Indians, at the
time OF the beginning OF the noted
war with them, which began June
1877, and ended in October OF the
same year. Their chief was the fam
Gus indian known as Chief Joseph.
To be certain Of the meaning or
origin of the name, wrote A. c.
Smith, NOW living at Enterprise, in
Wallowa county. For many years he
lived with the Indians in that vicinity
and speaks one or more OF the tribal
languages. He has kindly written
me, saying that he hail learned from
the Umatiila and the Nez Pence In
dams that the Wallowa river was
named by the fact that, many gene
rations ago, the Nez Perce Indians
placed the first fish trap In that rive,
and the salmon failed, from some
cause unknown 10 them, to go into
the trap and, after leaving the trap
set I'm the river until time to go into
their winter quar'ers. they arrived at
SIDerstitiousi notion that some charm
had interveaed to prevent the fish
from going in. And so, when they
veat away. they left the trap stand