History:

The town of Joseph, Oregon was first recorded in the United States post office directory in 1879. It was either named after the older chief of the Nez Perce tribe or the younger Chief Joseph of the same tribe. Young Joseph was named after his father Old Joseph, who was one of missionary H.H. Spalding's first converts. Spalding gave him the Biblical name, and later baptized him at the Presbyterian mission at Lapwai in 1839. The Indian name for the town was Hah-um-sah-pah, meaning "big rocks lying scattered around."

The town was first called Lake City, but the United States postal authorities refused to establish the post office under that name, since there was already another office in the state with that name.

Matthew Johnson was postmaster in 1879, and also ran a small store, partially supplying the needs of a few settlers who were then in the immediate area. Around that same year F.D. McCully secured an abandoned land claim and erected a general store. His store was so successful that he partitioned his homestead claim into city lots and donated them to other artisans and merchants. Ryer Olsen erected a small blacksmith shop. He was followed in 1880 by another blacksmith, Robert Roberts. The following year there was considerable immigration of farmers and stockmen into the upper valley. McCully filed a plat in 1883 designating his land as the town of what is now Joseph. Joseph became Wallowa County's first county seat in 1887. The first bank, hotel and drug stores in the county were in Joseph.