Itinerary: Nez Perce Trail
One of the
most tragic and heroic chapters of the American West occurred in the summer
and early fall of 1877, when Chief Josephs band of 750 "non-treaty"
Nez Perce Indians were ordered to turn over their land in the Wallowa country
of north-eastern Oregon and move onto a small reservation. Conflict ensued and
the Nez Perce engaged in an epic flight, by foot and horseback, through present-day
Idaho, Wyoming and Montana in a futile effort to escape to Canada. The Nez Perce
had only 250 warriors among them but fought in some 20 battles and skirmishes
against a total of more than 2,000 soldiers aided by numerous civilian volunteers
and
Indians of other tribes. Their route went through three states, dictated by
topography and skillful strategy. The Nez Perce traveled over 1,500 miles before
they were trapped and forced to surrender at Montanas Bear Paw Mountains
in October of 1877. They were stopped just short of the Canadian border where
safety awaited them. General William Tecumseh Sherman called the saga of the
Nez Perce "the most extraordinary of Indian wars."
Surviving Nez Perces were sent to
several years of exile in present-day Oklahoma before they were allowed to return
to reservations in the Northwest, where their descendants still live.
Starting in present-day Spalding,
The Nez Perce National Historic Park visitor center features a museum, movie
and tours to better acquaint the visitor with the Nez Perce Culture. Near present-day
Kamiah, visitors can observe the significant cultural site of the "Heart
of the Monster." The actual trail loops and cuts northeast across the Idaho
panhandle along the Lolo Trail on the banks of the Lochsa River ( U. S. Hwy
12) and enters Montana through Lolo Pass near present-day Missoula. The band
turned sharply south, fleeing down the Bitterroot River Valley until they encountered
Col. John Gibbons troops and fought a battle that is commemorated by the
Big Hole National Battlefield Monument and Visitors Center, Route 43 near
Wisdom.
Entering Yellowstone Park from the
west, the Nez Perce encountered some of the earliest tourists and prospectors
and two white men were killed. The Nez Perce exited Yellowstone two weeks after
they entered, narrowly missing an encounter with their enemy, General William
Tecumseh Sherman, East of Yellowstone, the Nez Perce plotted a mas
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