Annie and I spent last weekend in Joseph, OR, a small town at the base of the Wallowa Mountains. It was an amazing weekend. We stayed at Chandler's Inn, a bed and breakfast near the outskirts of town, and were greeted by deer every morning. Saturday, we rode the tram up to the top of Mt. Howard and spent hours wandering the trails, enjoying the spectacular views and all the wildlife, then had a nice dinner at Terminal Gravity Brewing. Sunday, I went to mass at St. Katherine of Siena in Enterprise, and then we checked out Wallowa Lake, Old Chief Joseph's gravesite, and learned about the history of the area.
The only thing that marred the trip was the land's history, which reminded us of how appallingly we treated First Nations people. The town of Joseph, OR, for example, is named after Young Chief Joseph, a leader of the Niimi'ipuu (Nez Perce) tribe who originally inhabited this land and son of Old Chief Joseph. The Niimi'ipuu maintained a longstanding peace with white settlers until a gold rush prompted the government to 're-negotiate' their treaty. Joseph and his tribe fought their forced removal from their ancestral home; and when they were eventually forced to surrender to the US Army, Joseph became an outspoken critic of the suffering of his people, who to this day haven't been allowed to return.
Enjoying the natural beauty of the Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa Lake, all the rivers and streams, and the abundant wildlife that flourishes there, it's hard not to also mourn the Niimi'ipuu's loss.
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