Joseph Canyon (Nez Perce: an-an-a-soc-um, meaning "long, rough canyon"
Geography
Joseph Canyon contains
Joseph Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, which flows into the
Snake River, a tributary of the
Columbia River. The geology is typical of the
Columbia Plateau, formed by the Columbia River Basalt Group, and the exposed canyon walls provide a striking view of
flood basalt flows and dikes. The canyon floor contains
deposited by the
Missoula Floods.
History
The canyon was named after
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, who is traditionally thought to have been born in a cave on the east bank of Joseph Creek in Asotin County.
[National Park Service, Nez Perce National Historic Park Sites. Retrieved 17 March 2008.] Prior to European settlement, the Nez Perce used the canyon bottomlands as a travel corridor from summer camp sites in the
Wallowa River to winter camp sites along the Grande Ronde and Snake rivers.
Elk,
bighorn sheep, and
mule deer were plentiful, as well as native plant foods associated with
bunchgrass habitat.
[Nez Tribe Wildlife Program, Precious Lands Wildlife Area Draft Management Plan (PDF), November 2002. Retrieved 17 March 2008.] In later centuries, the Nez Perce grazed
on the canyon
grasslands. Beginning in the late 19th century, pioneer settlers homesteaded in the area, grazing
sheep and
cattle and planting fruit
. However, the rocky terrain prohibited extensive agricultural production.
Conservation
In the late 1990s, the Nez Perce tribe acquired in the Joseph Creek
Drainage basin for conservation. The lands currently provide wildlife habitat for two federally listed threatened species, the
bald eagle and the
Rainbow trout, and may provide habitat for the threatened
lynx, Townsend's big-eared bat, and
mountain quail. Several threatened plant species are also known to exist in the area, including Macfarlane's four-o’clock and Spalding's catchfly. Non-threatened species include bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer,
blue grouse,
, and
.
Access
The
Joseph Canyon Viewpoint, at a highway pullout along Oregon Route 3, is one of 38 sites that form the Nez Perce National Historical Park. The viewpoint is located approximately north of Enterprise, Oregon, and south of the Washington border, in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest.
[U.S. Forest Service, Nez Perce National Historic Trail: Joseph Canyon Viewpoint. Retrieved 17 March 2008.]
The canyon itself is private land of the Nez Perce Tribe, and is used for ranching, hunting, and some grain crops.
==Images==
External links
