Joseph Oregon Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Nez Perce Tribe Reclaims Nearly 150 Acres Of Ancestral Land In Northeastern Oregon

By Cassandra Profita December 27, 2020

Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Shannon Wheeler (right) and Secretary Rachel Edwards sign paperwork completing the purchase of 148 acres of the tribe's ancestral land in eastern Oregon. Courtesy of the Nez Perce Tribe

The Nez Perce Tribe is reclaiming an ancestral village site in the Eastern Oregon town of Joseph more than a century after being pushed out the area. This month, the tribe purchased 148 acres of an area known as “the place of boulders,” or Am’sáaxpa.Read More

The Economic Toll Of Headlines That Prompted Agent Orange Scare In Wallowa Lake

By Erin Ross July 4, 2019

A barrel that once contained either 2,4,5-T or 2,4-D was removed from Wallowa Lake. When combined at high strengths, those chemicals create Agent Orange, an herbicide that was used during the Vietnam War, with devastating consequences.

For the better part of a month, Joseph, in Oregon’s northeastern corner, has been associated with the toxic herbicide Agent Orange, which the military used liberally during the Vietnam War. National headlines suggested barrels of Agent Orange were found in nearby Wallowa Lake. That's not the case.Read More

Lab Results Show Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Lake Free Of Herbicide Barrel Contaminants

By Erin Ross June 28, 2019

Wallowa Lake in eastern Oregon, supplies drinking water to the city of Joseph. CREDIT: AARON SCOTT/OPB

After almost 10 months of waiting, residents of Joseph, Oregon, can feel more confident drinking their water and swimming in nearby Wallowa Lake, according to lab test results released Thursday.Read More

In Eastern Oregon, Joseph Gets New Statue From Artist Drawing On Several Tribal Traditions

By April Baer June 21, 2019

Artist Doug Hyde with “etweyé·wise” (literally, “I return from a hard journey”) on Main Street in Joseph, Oregon. CREDIT: Cheryl Coughlin/Courtesy of the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture

This Saturday, artist Doug Hyde will finish installing the latest bronze statue on Main Street in the Eastern Oregon city of Joseph. The road has become a showcase for the bronze foundries dotting Wallowa County. But while many of those statues feature Native American subjects, Hyde is the first Native artist to contribute.Read More

EPA Begins Removing Herbicide Barrels From Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Lake

By Erin Ross June 18, 2019

The Environmental Protection Agency has begun removing potentially contaminated barrels from Wallowa Lake. Despite initial fears, the barrels seem to have been full of lake water, though the EPA is waiting for test results to confirm that the water and barrels are indeed clean.Read More