Nez Perce Tribe acquires Joseph, Ore., property

The Nez Perce Tribe recently purchased 148 acres in Joseph, Ore., that was formerly the site of a traditional village.

According to a news release from the tribe, the parcel known locally as the Hayes Property, is called Am’sáaxpa, or Place of the Boulders, in the Nez Perce language. It sits behind the Chief Joseph Rodeo Grounds. The Wallowa River runs through it for three-quarters of a mile, and the purchase includes various water rights. It consists of farm and riparian land with pristine views of the nearby Wallowa Mountains, according to the news release.

“This has been a pro-ject in the works for some time, and there were several people involved in making this purchase a reality,” said Shannon Wheeler, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. “This purchase is a wonderful step in the reestablishment of a Nez Perce presence in the homeland of our people. We know our ancestors are smiling to see us returning home.”

Wheeler and Executive Committee Secretary Rachel Edwards were in Joseph to complete paperwork for the purchase Wednesday.

The property is overlooked by a ridge that was a council site for Chief Joseph. Joseph and his band of about 400 people, including 60 warriors, were forced out of the Wallowa Valley and onto the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho in the spring of 1877. They crossed the Snake River at Dug Bar in Hells Canyon and were camped on the Camas Prairie when tensions spiraled into the War of 1877. Joseph and his band were never allowed to return to Wallowa County.

According to the news release, purchase of the property allows the tribe to continue its efforts to preserve its footprint there.