A Deeper Look: Wallowa County

Old Joseph Gravesite, Wallowa County, OR

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

Wallowa County is in the upper right corner of the state, the northeastern-most county. It ranks as the fifth-least populated of the Oregon Counties, with around 7,200 people. Mountainous and beautiful, it was home to the Nez Perce Indians, who were removed to the Colville Reservation in 1877 after a long battle with the U.S. Army cavalry.

There are four incorporated towns, including the county seat, Enterprise. The other are Wallowa, Joseph, and Lostine.

Recently (August 11^th) the county and the town of Wallowa, which was in the direct path, were hit by a severe thunderstorm with high winds and hail the size of tennis balls. All the buildings in the town of Wallowa were damaged by the hail, the wind/hail combination breaking every window on the west side of every building along a five-mile stretch. Construction workers on the high school gym were caught in the open, and there was damage to all public buildings in town as well. Any vehicle left in the open was damaged.

Wallowa County, OR

There are 400 private homes in the town that were affected, as well as another 100 in the outlying regions. In the case of mobile homes, the hail often went right through the roofs. On other buildings the hail broke windows and the winds embedded the broken glass in the opposite wall. There were injuries, but no deaths. The worst injury appears to have been a broken arm as well as lacerations and bruises.

With winter coming soon and every roof in need of repair, the town is scrambling to help the residents and businesses make the needed repairs. Not all buildings had adequate insurance, so donations are being taken. The state of Oregon is expected to contribute 2 million dollars in emergency funds to the county. Federal funds are not available since the disaster is considered too small. The mayor of Wallowa is Gary Huse.

Wallowa County is, as mentioned earlier, home of the Nez Perce and Chief Joseph. His father, Old Chief Joseph (originally named Tuckakas), was one of the first converts to Christianity at the mission at Lapwai, Idaho. In the early years, from 1855, he worked to keep peace with the whites and worked with other leaders to create a reservation based on the promise they would retain the sacred Wallowa Valley. In the 1860’s the discovery of gold caused the government to reduce the size of their land to about one-tenth and taking the Wallowa Valley. Old Chief Joseph refused to sign this treaty and refused to remove his band from the valley. He also slashed his American flag and shredded his Bible, according to Wikipedia.  

The Wallowa County Sheriff is Joel Fish. He and his staff cover and area of 3,153 square miles. The office is currently hiring and in need of a deputy and telecommunications staff.

The County Commissioners are Susan Roberts, Todd Nash, John Hillock.

According to the County web site, the goals of the Commissioners are:

·         To be reasonably accessible and responsive to the citizenry.

·         To provide the best possible service for the available public funds.

·         To increase public awareness of available resources and services.

·         To develop a positive cooperative relationship among county employees.

How do we pray for Wallowa County?

Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Psalm 24:7

Pray for the continuing recovery of Wallowa County and the town of Wallowa from the hail disaster and for Major Gary Huse and other leaders.

Pray for Sheriff Joel Fish and the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office. Pray for the needed staff to come in.

Pray for the Commissioners: Susan Roberts, Todd Nash, and John Hillock for wisdom and that they are enabled to keep the standards set for their positions.