1840 - 1904

Chief Joseph, is believed to have been born in the 1840's was a Nez Perce chief who became famous for a retreat he led in 1877. In June of 1877, the United States army ordered the Nez Perce to leave their homeland in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon to a reservation in Idaho. The government wanted to open the land to white settlers. Chief Joseph and his braves won several battles against the governments soldiers but realizing his forces could never defeat such forces by themselves retreated toward the Canadian border where he hoped to join forces with the Sioux who had fled there. Chief Joseph and his braves were able to fight off government soldiers while retreating more than 1,000 miles.



In October of 1877, Chief Joseph with his braves, women, children and elderly surrendered less than 40 miles from the U.S. - Canadian border.



After being sent to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma in 1878 he spent his final years on the Colville Reservation in Washington.