Chief Old Joseph was originally buried between the forks of the Wallowa and Lostine rivers. After the Nez Perce left the Wallowa, his grave was twice robbed. His skull was stolen by a dentist in the first robbery and displayed in his office in Baker, Oregon. In 1926 Old loseph's remains were moved and reburied at Wallowa Lake.

The Old Chief Joseph Gravesite is a 5.1-acre cemetery on the west side of Oregon Highway 82, just north of Wallowa Lake and 1 mile south of Joseph, Oregon. Old Chief Joseph was reinterred at this site in 1926. The beautiful scenic view encompasses Wallowa Lake, the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and an imposing glacial moraine.

The cemetery, a national historic landmark, is sacred and sensitive for the Nez Perce people. Old Chief Joseph's grave is marked by a tall stone marker bearing the legend, "To The Memory of Old Chief Joseph, Died 1870." The cemetery is separated from the highway by a cobble wall and gateposts built by the Umatilla Tribal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1938 -- 1940.