S.F. Tool/Chieftain A room with a view þÄì one of the five semi-circular windows on the third floor of the courthouse.

Towering over the Enterprise cityscape, the locally quarried Bowlby Stone Wallowa County Courthouse takes up a square city block at its address of 101 S. River St. The county began construction on the 65-foot-tall building in January of 1909, a decade after citizens initially proposed its construction and 20 years after the formation of Wallowa County.

Citizens, in fact, donated $5,000 toward initial construction although they withheld the sum until completion of the second story to ensure county officials didn’t abandon the project in its early stages.

S.R. Harworth won the construction bid at $31,300. Architect/designer Calvin Johnson of La Grande designed the building. He never lived to see its completion as he fell off the scaffolding of another Enterprise building in December of 1909 and died several days later.

The courthouse saw basic completion in January 1910 and full completion in May of that year.

A May 5, 1910 Chieftain article stated, “The new courthouse is enough to make anybody happy. She is what the parlance of the day would call a ‘humdinger’ – a humdinger being everything that could be desired in a new courthouse. And everybody is glad to note that state in Wallowa County’s development which is marked by so substantial a public building as this new courthouse. Moreover, the building itself, showing in concrete form the progressive spirit of Wallowa County, will be one of the biggest advertisements Enterprise and Wallowa County could have. It will simply verify in the visiting mind that slogan ‘Watch Enterprise Grow.”

Nearly as historically significant as the courthouse, the grounds themselves harbor their share of history, including the 1927 destruction by ax of 11 illegal liquor stills. The Wallowa County sheriff, a deputy and a state prohibition agent participated in the slaughter.

Several replantings of both deciduous and coniferous trees on the grounds took place over the years, as well as, several additions of historical significance:

Sometime in the 1920s, the county installed a granite bench commemorating two Wallowa County pioneers who donated the land for the courthouse square.

The American Legion placed a granite boulder on the grounds in 1925 with a plaque honoring the World War I (WWI) dead. In 1986, additional plaques were placed on the stone to honor veterans of subsequent wars up to that time.

The year 1926 saw placement of a memorial WWI cannon. Melted for scrap during WWII, it was replaced with a Japanese cannon from the same conflict circa 1947.

The county placed a 1936 concrete memorial arch on the grounds to honor Wallowa County pioneers.

Even with the advent of the modern age, the courthouse maintains many of its original functions. Several county offices originally housed there were relocated to other addresses in town. Also gone is the basement jail, which included a living space for the jailer and his wife. One of the former jail doors resides in a ground floor office.

The circuit courtroom is the crowning jewel of the courthouse interior. Upon entering the courtroom (on a tour, in this instance), one is greeted by the pleasant sight of its oak décor, nearly all of it original to the room. The bench (where the judge presides) is of ancient oak and surrounded by oak balustrade.

The jury box features two rows of original swiveling oak chairs with arm rests and cushioned seats. On the floor below both rows of chairs is a real brass rail on which jurors can rest their feet.

Court observers can watch proceedings from the comfort of oak pews that would not look out of place in the finest churches. At 100 years old, they look to easily last another 100.

While the county replaced many of the courtroom’s original oak blinds, some remain in place to shield spectators and court employees from the sun.

All the Circuit Court personnel express great pride in their courtroom and it appears to receive the care it deserves.

A tour through the third floor and attic reveals the complex structure of the upper framing of the courthouse, which features numerous gables and the cupola.

The basement contains two staircases for ingress/egress, and houses several county offices. The basement’s interesting feature is the load-bearing walls and foundation of unhewn, natural stone. Something about the stone in its natural state imparts the sturdiness and perpetuity of earth.

Starting in 1995, a Wallowa County employee set the wheels in motion to examine the possibility of placing the courthouse on the National Historic Places Register. The courthouse submitted the actual application in December of 1999 with approval coming in September of the following year.

The Wallowa County Courthouse remains a strong and enduring symbol of the county’s pioneer roots, yet still leads its citizens into the 21st century and beyond.