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It's a Humdinger!
The Wallowa County Courthouse built in 1909 is the anchor for the unique Central Business District of the City of Enterprise. Many of the buildings in downtown Enterprise are more than 100 years old and reflect the community pride and the "enterprising" nature of the Enterprise townspeople in the early 20th century. This uniqueness comes from the use of Bowlby Stone, a locally quarried volcanic tuff.
An American Renaissance in Enterprise, Oregon
At the close of the 19th century, the citizens of Enterprise shared in the national sense of renewed confidence and a feeling that the United States was the natural heir to Greek democracy, Roman law, and Renaissance humanism.
This sense of confidence is illustrated by the group of public spirited residents who formed a library in 1899. At the start, it was a private library and charged a subscription fee. Dues were only $0.50 a year, but anyone unable to pay could donate a used book instead.
World War I and the Spanish Flu were the headline grabbers for much of 1918 and 1919, overshadowing the construction of the most modern theater in Eastern Oregon.
Mr. Hackbarth, announced the construction of the theater in July of 1918. The tiny announcement in the Wallowa County Record-Chieftain announced that the theater would feature a new concept in modern movie houses adopted from the east coast: a sloping floor which would allow everyone in the theater to have a good view of the screen. Other modern touches included five safety exits and steam heat. John Oberg, the same builder who built the Enterprise City Library, won the contract for the carpentry construction and Samuel Haworth was hired for the concrete masonry work.
The William P. Warnock House, located at 508 First South Street in Enterprise, was constructed in 1910. The building reflects the popular architectural styles of the period such as Queen Anne and Colonial Revival.
The Warnock house was built using balloon framing, a unique American construction method developed in the mid - 19th century that made housing affordable to the working class. The house was originally built to house the children of the Warnock family and their cousins while they attended High School in Enterprise.
The City of Enterprise is the County Seat of Wallowa County, Oregon. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total population of 1,940. The town sits at the base of the Wallowa Mountains at an elevation of 3756' and recieves about 12" of annual precipitation.
Enterprise is located at 45°25'27" N, 117°16'37" W. According to the Wallowa County GIS department, the city occupies a 1.47 square miles or 938.16 acres.