Spokane County was first organized in 1858 from part of Walla Walla County. Five years later it was voted out of existence by the Territorial Legislature and merged into Stevens County. In 1879 it was recreated and named after the Spokane Indians; the name means "children of the sun". It is located in the northeastern part of the state and is bounded by Idaho on the east. The county was first visited by fur traders in 1810, who established Spokane House as a trading center. Two years later, the Pacific Fur Company built Fort Spokane. Missionaries arrived in the county in the 1830s. The first permanent settlements in the county were established in the 1870s and the county's prosperity was assured with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1890. Today Spokane County has a varied economy based on services, manufacturing, agriculture, and wholesale and retail trade. Its county seat, Spokane, is the second largest city in the state and is a regional transportation, financial and cultural center.