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Many of Oregon's most significant historic events took place here, including the founding of the Oregon Trail. Joseph, the ancestral home of Chief Joseph, honors the Nez Perce and their fearless chief while acknowledging the prospectors during the 1860's gold rush. Today it is a hub of recreational activities, and hosts a thriving art community promoting the "old west". Much of this area, known as the Wallowa Lake State Park, embraces what many believe is the most pristine national park in the country. North America's deepest river gorge, Hells Canyon, is tucked into the far northeast corner of the state, 30 miles from Joseph.
One of the most renowned fossil collections can be viewed through the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in the southern part of this region. College towns line the mid section from Pendleton to Ontario. Interstate 84 crosses this section of the state through scenic areas from Deadman's Pass and The Blue Mountains to Hells Canyon's gateway.
Pendleton is eastern Oregon's largest town where nearly 17,000 residents maintain a western spirit, celebrating their heritage annually in September with their infamous Pendleton Round-Up. Well preserved ranches and farms scatter the region along the foothills, while their Blue Mountain Community College inspires continued vitality. Pendleton is also famed for its line of clothing made at the Pendleton Mills with their trademark lines of woolen Indian blankets, scarves and up & coming clothing lines featured in their own urban stores throughout the northwest.
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