GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
for
Nez Perce National Historical Park
and
Big Hole National Battlefield

OLD CHIEF JOSEPH GRAVESITE

The Old Chief Joseph Gravesite is a 5.1-acre cemetery on the west side of Oregon Highway 82, just north of Wallowa Lake and 1 mile south of Joseph, Oregon. Old Chief Joseph was reinterred at this site in 1926. The beautiful scenic view encompasses Wallowa Lake, the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and an imposing glacial moraine.

The cemetery, a national historic landmark, is sacred and sensitive for the Nez Perce people. Old Chief Joseph's grave is marked by a tall stone marker bearing the legend, "To The Memory of Old Chief Joseph, Died 1870." The cemetery is separated from the highway by a cobble wall and gateposts built by the Umatilla Tribal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1938 -- 1940.

A path cuts through the cemetery giving access to the popular swimming and fishing area at the dam and water diversion flume at the outlet of Wallowa Lake. The highway is busy, and the pull out for parking is quite narrow and just over the crest of a hill in the road. The lake, a reservoir for irrigation water, is also a recreational attraction. Several residences are across the highway from the site, and other residential sites have been platted to the northwest.

The cemetery is held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Umatilla and Nez Perce Tribes. The land is now administered by Nez Perce National Historical Park under the direction of the tribes. Adjacent lands are owned privately and by a consortium of irrigation companies. For protection of the resource, it is necessary that the 8-acre parcel north of the cemetery be acquired.
Map of site

 MANAGEMENT ISSUES

  • Traffic on the highway is heavy and parking is inadequate.

  • The Nez Perce people do not want the site to be "manicured," but visitors need to be educated about their reasons for this.

  • There is concern about people trampling unmarked graves.

  • Visitors are confused about which Chief Joseph is buried here.

 ACTION PLAN

  • The tribes will decide visitation levels and timing, and appropriate activities for this sacred site.

  • Methods will be developed to preserve the landscape between the cemetery and lake.

  • Visitors will be discouraged from using the cemetery as a shortcut to the dam.

  • The Park Service will cooperate with the county and Oregon Department of Transportation to analyze parking issues and options or the potential for moving parking, and improving access for tribal elders and visitors with disabilities.

  • The site may be seasonally staffed.

  • The Park Service will cooperate with others to preserve the setting and the wildlife corridor.

  • Surveys for special concern species will be conducted; any mitigation needed to avoid impacts on such species will be implemented.

  • The 8 acre buffer zone will be acquired.


http://www.nps.gov/nepe/gmp8-35.htm
Last Updated: 12-Nov-1999 ÿ