Loading map...

1990 Map of Joseph

Name: 1990 Topographic Map of Joseph
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Joseph serves as the focal point of this northeastern Oregon landscape, positioned at the northern tip of the deep Wallowa Lake. The map reveals a transition from the agricultural irrigation networks of the north, including the Moonshine Ditch and numerous unnamed ditches, to the steep alpine terrain of the south. High peaks like Chief Joseph Mtn and Mount Howard tower over the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Wallowa National Forest. Local community life is documented through markers like the Liberty Grange and the High Sch.

Resource extraction and remembrance are etched into the geography, from the Royal Purple Mine and Transvaal Mines in the southern mountains to the three distinct burial sites: Joseph Cem, Chief Joseph Cem, and Prairie Creek Cem. The hydrological importance of the region is evident in the flow of the Wallowa River and Prairie Creek, supporting both the state park at the lake's southern end and the settlement's infrastructure.