This community is located in
Wallowa County east of
La Grande, between
Enterprise and the
Wallowa Lake State Park, along Hwy 82 on the banks of the
Wallowa River. This secluded town rests near
Wallowa Lake State Park and the gateway to
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
Joseph officially became a town in 1887, and the old west heritage is still in the town today.
Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce lived in the Joseph Wallowa Lake region during the mild summer months. They grazed thousand of horses on bunchgrass and caught salmon in tripod supported traps, each called a "wallowa" by the Nez Perce. Each fall, the Indians would move to the lower elevations of the Snake River country. In 1877, Joseph and his peaceful band of Nez Perce were ordered to leave the Wallowa country for a reservation in Idaho. Thus began the famous Flight to Canada, ending with Joseph's bitter capture just 40 miles from Canada. Details of this and pioneer history are displayed and interpreted in Joseph's Wallowa County Museum, home of the Great Joseph Bank Robbery, and Dave Manuel's Nez Perce Crossing Historical Center.
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