Located at the south end of Wallowa Lake, Joseph, OR and its 1054 permanent residents, welcome you to one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in Oregon.
I’ve already written about the lake but the small town of Joseph is equally as enchanting. While it avoids the smaltzy tourist trap feel, it has everything needed to cater to those tourists. There are restaurants and stores and bakeries and a museum and a tribute to the Nez Perce who once inhabited this area. I only saw one “gift shop” but we didn’t go in. The abundance of restaurants assures that everyone will find something to their liking. We spent a couple of nice afternoon at the Embers Brew Pub. The food was excellent and they boast 17 different micro brews on tap. Can’t tell you anything about those as the strongest thing we drink is Diet Coke but others seemed to be enjoying the fare. There is outdoor seating here and dogs were welcome. We were glad of that as I got my fur fix while wolfing down an excellent pizza. They also provide free and FAST internet.
Joseph has a thriving artistic community and bronze seems to be the medium of choice. There are foundry tours available but we did not take advantage of that. The town is adorned with many bronze statues at varying intervals.
Near the center of town is the Nez Perce Homeland Exhibit. Although small in physical size, the exhibit is larger than life in the impact the photos and printed matter have on those with an open heart. The goal of this project is to build a long house and a gathering place for the Nez Perce in this area. It is certainly worth the time to stop and have a look. The exhibit is free though donations are accepted.
It would take a heart of stone to explore this exhibit and remain untouched by the images observed.
Joseph is a town rich in history and art and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent in this charming village. Here are a few snapshots of the area in and around Joseph.
I liked the contrasting colors on this pic so it gets its own space outside of the slide show!!
Next time, we visit the grave of Old Chief Joseph and take a ride out to see the Joseph Overlook on Hwy. 3.
