Posted in Oregon
March 05, 2019
A Trip To This Sacred Native American Site In Oregon Will Take You Back In Time
Long before white settlers showed up in Oregon, Native Americans lived and thrived here. By the mid-1800s, they were being forced off their land, and new traditions and histories were made. While the landscape will never again be what it was before Westward Expansion, the history of Oregon’s original people is now more recognized than it was for many years. Here’s a national historic site where you can learn about an amazing man who was a leader amongst his people.
Old Chief Joseph agreed in 1855 to give up some of the tribe's other land in return for the promise that they would never be forced out of the sacred land of the Wallowa Valley. Just a few years later in 1863, white men quickly broke that promise when gold was found in the area.
Old Chief Joseph died in 1877, and was buried at the confluence of the Wallowa and Lostine Rivers. His grave was later desecrated by white settlers, and his skull was taken as a souvenir. The grave was moved to a spot on the northern shores of Lake Wallowa in 1926.
As the Nez Perce fled toward Canada, they were pursued by the U.S. Army in what was known as the Nez Perce War. He and his people eventually surrendered, and though they were told that they would be able to return to the Wallowa Valley, the white men's promises were just as empty as ever, and the Nez Perce never again lived on their sacred lands.
Learn more about the Old Chief Joseph Grave Site on the national park’s website.
Did you know that Sacajawea’s son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, is buried in Oregon? Learn about his gravesite here.
