Nearest city Joseph, Oregon Designated NHL May 5, 1985 Year built 1877 Management National Park Service | NRHP Reference # 89001082 Area 2 ha Added to NRHP 15 October 1966 | |
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Location Wallowa County, Oregon, USA Address Buffalo Eddy, Nez Perce National Historic Park, Joseph, OR 97846, USA Similar Iwetemlaykin State Heritage, Wallowa Lake, Nez Perce National Historical, Wallowa Lake State Park, Mount Howard | ||
The Old Chief Joseph Gravesite, also known as Nez Perce Traditional Site, Wallowa Lake, Chief Joseph Cemetery and Joseph National Indian Cemetery is a Native American cemetery near Joseph, Oregon. The area was also a traditional campsite of the Nez Perce and may be archaeologically significant.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985, listed as Wallowa Lake Site. It is a component of the Nez Perce National Historical Park.
It is the burial place of Old Chief Joseph, the father of Chief Joseph. When Old Joseph died in 1871, he had a traditional burial at the forks of the Lostine and Wallowa rivers. In 1886 his grave was desecrated by local property owners and his skull was removed as a souvenir. In 1926, the remains of the elder Chief Joseph were reburied. His grave is marked by a tall stone marker bearing the legend, "To The Memory of Old Chief Joseph, Died 1870." The cemetery is a sacred place for the Nez Perce people.