Old Chief Joseph Gravesite
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this destination:
- Iwetemlaykin Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.3364, -117.2222
- Elevation: 4440 feet
Description
Old Chief Joseph, Ttıwí·teq’is, stood firm on the rights of his people to remain in the Wallowa valley. He died in 1871 at the confluence of the Wallowa and Lostine Rivers. After his son, Chief Joseph, was forced to leave the valley for a reservation in Idaho in 1877, the grave of Ttıwí·teqis was looted twice and his skull carried off as a souvenir. Some locals, however, had enough respect to name the town of Joseph after him in 1880. His remains were moved to the current site in 1926 because the landowners were “tired of” working around it during farming operations. Beyond the grave marker are the graves of members of the McFarland family, also leaders of the Nez Perce, and Martha and Frank McCully, the latter a local sheep rancher and friend of Chief Joseph. Views from here stretch up the classic lateral moraine of Wallowa Lake as far as Aneroid Mountain, with Bonneville Mountain splitting the two forks of the Wallowa River.
More Links
- Old Chief Joseph (Native American Netroots)
- Old Chief Joseph (Tuekakas), Nez Perce chief (AAA Native Arts)
- Old Chief Joseph Gravesite History (National Park Service)
- Nez Perce National Historical Park (National Park Service)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)