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Oregon County
Wallowa County, Oregon
The Oregon Alps and Chief Joseph's homeland - from the Wallowa Mountains (the glacially carved peaks and alpine lakes of the Wallowa Mountains - nicknamed the Oregon Alps for their Swiss-like grandeur - rise to nearly 10,000 feet in the northeast Oregon corner and contain the Eagle Cap Wilderness, one of the most spectacular mountain wilderness areas in the Pacific Northwest, whose glacial lakes, wildflower meadows, and dramatic ridgelines draw backpackers from across the region) to Chief Joseph's Wallowa Valley (the homeland of the Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph - whose people were forced from the Wallowa Valley in 1877 in a treaty violation that triggered the 1,170-mile Nez Perce War flight toward Canada - is one of the most emotionally resonant landscapes in the American West).
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Office: Wallowa County Department of Emergency Services – primary at the Sheriff’s Office, 104 W Greenwood St, Enterprise, OR 97828 | secondary at 601 Medical Pkwy | EOC Phone: (541) 426-3131 | Fax: (541) 426-4685; per ORS 401, mission is disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
911/Dispatch: Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office – Telecommunicators/Emergency Medical Dispatchers, certified through Oregon DPSST; non-emergency (541) 426-3131 ext. 0.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Wallowa County spans an elevation range from about 1,000 feet on the Snake River to nearly 10,000 feet in the Eagle Cap Wilderness – wildfire is a recurring seasonal hazard.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: OR-82 serves Enterprise, the county seat, in far northeastern Oregon.
Notes: Wallowa County borders Idaho along the Snake River, with the Wallowa and Blue Mountains defining the landscape.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wallowa County Planning – confirm current phone via co.wallowa.or.us.
Notes: Wallowa County is genuinely, nationally significant as the ancestral homeland of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce (Nimíipuu) people, led by the revered Chief Joseph. The Old Chief Joseph Gravesite, a National Historic Landmark and component of the Nez Perce National Historical Park, sits at the north end of Wallowa Lake – Old Chief Joseph, who refused to cede the Wallowa homeland, was reburied there in 1926 after his original grave was twice robbed. The city and county newspaper (Wallowa County Chieftain) are named in his honor. Wallowa Lake itself, at the base of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, is a genuinely spectacular glacially carved lake and one of Oregon’s premier scenic destinations.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Wallowa County Veterans Service Office – (541) 426-0539 | Fax: (541) 426-0539 | [email protected]; CVSO Ted Thorne; also a Primary Care Telehealth Outreach Clinic, 401 NE 1st Street, Enterprise, OR 97828 | (541) 426-0219 | Fax: (541) 426-0226.
Federal: Walla Walla VA Medical Center service area.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Wallowa County Library – Office, 207 NW Logan Street, Enterprise, OR 97828 | (541) 426-3969; over 23,000 items, roughly 12,000 checked out annually across branch sites; branches include Imnaha (Mondays 12-4 PM, Saturdays 10 AM-2 PM), Troy (Saturdays 9 AM-5 PM), Enterprise Public Library, 101 NE 1st Street | (541) 426-3906 | Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-6 PM, Joseph City Library, and Wallowa Public Library.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wallowa Lake, the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and the Old Chief Joseph Gravesite/Nez Perce National Historical Park sites are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Nez Perce/Chief Joseph heritage – one of the most historically significant Native American stories covered anywhere in this project – is a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Wallowa County Assessor – confirm current phone via co.wallowa.or.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: Wallowa County Humane Society – Info Center, 119 E. Main Street, Enterprise, OR 97828 | Adoption Center, 207 NE Garfield Street | (541) 426-4170; volunteer-run since 1980, Hours: Thu-Sat 10 AM-3 PM; offers TNR trapping assistance for feral cats.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Wallowa County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via co.wallowa.or.us.
NOTES: Wallowa County is the fourth county in the Oregon v2 redo’s fifth and final batch (Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, Yamhill). The genuine Chief Joseph/Nez Perce heritage – one of the most historically significant Native American stories covered anywhere in this project – is a distinctive local fact. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Wallowa County
Wallowa County is Chief Joseph’s homeland and Oregon’s Alps – the Nez Perce leader’s forced removal from the Wallowa Valley in 1877 triggered the most extraordinary military retreat in American history, and the glacially carved Eagle Cap Wilderness peaks rising nearly 10,000 feet make this northeast Oregon corner one of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in the Pacific Northwest.
Enterprise (the county seat, population ~1,900) and Joseph (population ~1,100) serve the county’s ranching, arts, and outdoor recreation communities beneath the Wallowa peaks.
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Wallowa County Assessor at 101 S. River Street, Suite 300, Enterprise, OR 97828, phone 541-426-4543. OR Measure 50 limits assessed value increases.
Courts & Legal
Wallowa County Circuit Court at 101 S. River Street, Enterprise, OR 97828, phone 541-426-4991, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
101 South River St, Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-4543
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wallowa County Circuit Court, Enterprise (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The NRHP-listed 1909-1910 Wallowa County Courthouse is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Wallowa County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Wallowa County Circuit Court 101 South River Street, Room 204, Enterprise, OR 97828 (541) 426-4991
Wallowa County is in the far northeastern corner of Oregon, bordered by Union and Umatilla counties, seated in Enterprise. The 1909-1910 Wallowa County Courthouse, built of local Bowlby stone in a Romanesque Revival style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Oregon has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code, maintaining its own independent probate code under ORS Chapters 111 through 117. Probate is handled in the probate department of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent lived (ORS 111.085). Oregon does not offer a separate unsupervised/informal probate track – its “simple estate” process and formal administration are the two paths.
Simple Estate Affidavit (ORS 114.505–114.560) – available when the total fair market value of the estate is $275,000 or less, made up of no more than $75,000 in personal property and no more than $200,000 in real property. The affidavit (“Affidavit of Claiming Successor”) cannot be filed until at least 30 days after death and must be filed with the clerk of the probate court. It requires a detailed asset description, a list of known creditors, and notice that claims are barred unless presented within 4 months of filing.
Full Probate Administration – required for estates that exceed the simple estate limits or don’t otherwise qualify. A personal representative is appointed by the court and administers the estate under ongoing court oversight.
Step 2: filing for administration
A petition for probate is filed in the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent resided (or, for simple estates, an Affidavit of Claiming Successor is filed with the probate clerk at least 30 days after death).
If a will exists, it’s filed with the petition or affidavit.
For full administration, the court appoints a personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice is given to heirs, devisees, and creditors; claims against the estate must generally be presented within the statutory period.
The personal representative (or affiant, for simple estates) inventories assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes what remains according to the will or Oregon’s intestacy laws.
Full administration closes once a final account is filed and approved by the court; simple estates close once assets are distributed and any required notices are filed.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Wallowa County directly for current fees.
Oregon imposes a state estate tax on estates exceeding approximately $1,000,000, with rates ranging from 10% to 16%. No state inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
101 South River St, Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-3131
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 South River St, Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-4543
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
401 NE 1st St, Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-4967
Department of Human Services
401 NE 1st St, Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-4511
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Wallowa County Public Health – confirm current contact via co.wallowa.or.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Enterprise
Population: 7,000
Established: 1887
Tier: 3
Public Records
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