Nez Perce War of 1877

Entries on This Tour

1. Spalding Visitor Center, Nez Perce National Historical Park

Nez Perce National Historical Park stretches across four states and includes 38 sites. Of these, the Spalding Site and Visitor's Center is one of the leading destinations. In 1838, the Rev. Henry Spalding established a mission near this location. The federal government established a Bureau of Indian Affairs office here in 1861. In 1935, the state of Idaho reserved funds to preserve the site and Congress created the Nez Perce National Historical Park thirty years later. Today the site is the home of a visitor's center and museum that display artifacts dating back hundreds of years.

2. The Nez Perce Trail Entry 1: Battle of White Bird Creek

The Nez Perce were the last major tribe to be driven from their land by the U.S. government. Chief Joseph led the tribe in the decision to move peaceably from their ancestral lands in Wallowa County in present-day Oregon to the Lapwai Reservation in present-day Idaho. On the eve of their scheduled departure twenty of their youth avenged the wrongful deaths of their brethren and killed about twenty settlers. The seven hundred fifty member tribe, two hundred of which were warriors, embarked on a 1,200 mile journey to find refuge while fleeing the pursuing U.S. Army. At the Battle of White Bird Creek a civilian with the U.S. Army shot and killed a Nez Perce representative carrying a truce flag. At the Battle of the Clearwater, about one hundred fifty Nez Perce held back General Howard’s forces while the rest of the tribe slipped past and began their journey on the Lolo Trail. When the Nez Perce reached their allies, the Crows, on their reservation in present-day Yellowstone National Park, the Crows refused them refuge, fearful of consequences from the U.S. government. The Nez Perce then fled toward refuge in Canada until the U.S. Army converged upon them forty miles from the border at the Battle of Bear Paw. There, the Nez Perce surrendered. The Battle of White Bird Creek, following several skirmishes, was the first battle of the Nez Perce War of 1877. Forced off their land by the 1863 treaty that was signed by only a fraction of the Nez Perce but applied to all, the Nez Perce of Wallowa Country prepared begrudgingly to move to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho. Despite orders from their chiefs, several Nez Perce youth extracted revenge for the murder of their people by neighboring white settlers by killing twenty of the neighboring whites on the eve of their departure. Fearing repercussions, the Nez Perce fled to White Bird Creek where they sent a Nez Perce carrying a truce flag to negotiate with the pursuing U.S. Army. A civilian accompanying the army shot the Nez Perce representative who carried a truce flag. Betrayed and threatened by the death of their comrade, the Nez Perce strategically attacked the numerically superior U.S. Army at White Bird Creek on June 17, 1877. There, the U.S. Army suffered heavy casualties, but the Nez Perce suffered only a handful. After turning back the forces under General Howard, the Nez Perce decided against pursuing them in their retreat and instead crossed the Salmon River to avoid further military skirmishes. When General Howard crossed the Salmon River in pursuit, the Nez Perce avoided them again by returning to the Camas Prairie, then moving to the south fork of the Clearwater. Unlike the U.S. Army, the Nez Perce had suffered almost no losses.

3. The Nez Perce Trail Entry 2: Battle of the Clearwater

The Nez Perce were the last major tribe to be driven from their land by the U.S. government. Chief Joseph led the tribe in the decision to move peaceably from their ancestral lands in Wallowa County in present-day Oregon to the Lapwai Reservation in present-day Idaho. On the eve of their scheduled departure twenty of their youth avenged the wrongful deaths of their brethren and killed about twenty settlers. The seven hundred fifty member tribe, two hundred of which were warriors, embarked on a 1,200 mile journey to find refuge while fleeing the pursuing U.S. Army. At the Battle of White Bird Creek a civilian with the U.S. Army shot and killed a Nez Perce representative carrying a truce flag. At the Battle of the Clearwater, about one hundred fifty Nez Perce held back General Howard’s forces while the rest of the tribe slipped past and began their journey on the Lolo Trail. When the Nez Perce reached their allies, the Crows, on their reservation in present-day Yellowstone National Park, the Crows refused them refuge, fearful of consequences from the U.S. government. The Nez Perce then fled toward refuge in Canada until the U.S. Army converged upon them forty miles from the border at the Battle of Bear Paw. There, the Nez Perce surrendered. On July 12th at the Battle of the Clearwater the Nez Perce met General Howard’s forces. Most of the army’s movements occurred on a broad plateau immediately east and southeast of Stites. The Nez Perce took refuge in the ravines where they built stone rifle pits, barricades, and a smoking lodge that are still visible today, although generally collapsed. One Nez Perce burial occurred here. After realizing that General Howard would continue to pursue them, the Nez Perce reevaluated their plan and instead decided to move east to visit their Crow allies in Yellowstone National Park, Montana. Upon entering Montana, the Nez Perce encountered a small military force from Missoula that failed to hinder their progress to Lolo Creek. Twenty-four brave Nez Perce blocked General Howard’s six hundred solider advance and one hundred additional Native warriors pinned him down in the rifle pits for a day. The entire Nez Perce camp moved slowly past General Howard and entered the Lolo Trail toward Montana as their one hundred and fifty Nez Perce occupied his attention.

4. The Nez Perce Trail Entry 3: The Lolo Trail and Lolo Pass Visitor's Center

Lolo Pass is a trail that crosses the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains between Montana and Idaho. A National Historic Landmark and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was here in September 1805 that the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled westward on their journey towards the Pacific Ocean. Their successful completion of this part of their journey generated widespread acclaim more than any other portion of the expedition. A newly-remodeled visitor's center was completed in 2003 that includes interpretive exhibits about the Lewis and Clark Expedition as well as the Nez Perce. The pass received notoriety once again during the Nez Perce War of 1877. Nez Perce chiefs, including Chief Joseph, led their tribe, which included cattle, across the pass from Idaho into Montana territory trying to escape the U.S. Army, which had been attempting to forcefully remove the Nez Perce out of their traditional homeland. The tribe and army fought a battle not long after on August 9-10 and both sides suffered casualties, though it was worse for the Nez Perce who suffered from 70-90 deaths while the army lost 31 soldiers. The tribe continued to head northwards towards Canada before surrendering in September. The Nez Perce were the last major tribe to be driven from their land by the U.S. government. Chief Joseph led the tribe in the decision to move peaceably from their ancestral lands in Wallowa County in present-day Oregon to the Lapwai Reservation in present-day Idaho. On the eve of their scheduled departure twenty of their youth avenged the wrongful deaths of their brethren and killed about twenty settlers. The seven hundred fifty member tribe, two hundred of which were warriors, embarked on a 1,200 mile journey to find refuge while fleeing the pursuing U.S. Army. At the Battle of White Bird Creek a civilian with the U.S. Army shot and killed a Nez Perce representative carrying a truce flag. At the Battle of the Clearwater, about one hundred fifty Nez Perce held back General Howard’s forces while the rest of the tribe slipped past and began their journey on the Lolo Trail. When the Nez Perce reached their allies, the Crows, on their reservation in present-day Yellowstone National Park, the Crows refused them refuge, fearful of consequences from the U.S. government. The Nez Perce then fled toward refuge in Canada until the U.S. Army converged upon them forty miles from the border at the Battle of Bear Paw. There, the Nez Perce surrendered. The Nez Perce traveled the Lolo Trail to reach their Crow allies in Yellowstone National Park. The Nez Perce traversed about one hundred of the Lolo Trail, which partially follows present-day U.S. Highway 12. The Nez Perce historically used the Lolo Trial to hunt buffalo, which allowed them to fair significantly better than the soldiers that pursued them. The U.S. Army crossed the mountains to the Salmon River where they found the river impassable. In response, they traded for packhorses and hired a Native American guide to lead them across the mountains. The soldiers, tired, ill-fed, and repeatedly beaten by the Nez Perce, struggled in the early snow along steep ridges. The Nez Perce and U.S. Army trod upon the pass that the Lewis and Clark party crossed on September 15, 1805. Although the Nez Perce caused many solider fatalities through self-defense, they sought to live in peace with their Crow allies; the Nez Perce hadn’t strayed from the Lewis and Clark expedition’s description—a peaceful tribe with strategic warriors. Visitors can retrace the route that the Nez Perce took over the Bitterroot Mountains in 1877 on U.S. Highway 12 or on a primitive dirt road known as the Lolo Motorway (Forest Road 500).

5. The Nez Perce Trail Entry 4: The Nez Perce enter Yellowstone

Near or at this general location on August 23, 1877, Nez Perce warriors fleeing federal troops entered into Yellowstone National Park in search of refuge with their allies, the Crow. Fearing the consequences of protecting the Nez Perce from the US Army, the Crow refused sanctuary and the army pursued and nearly captured the Nez Perce in Yellowstone at several moments during a two-week pursuit that saw a number of atrocities committed by and against the Nez Perce. Congress established the National Park in 1872 and the Nez Perce encountered two groups of adventurists and considered kidnapping them and using them as leverage. The Nez Perce were nearly trapped in Yellowstone's canyons but were able to leave the area by traveling along Crandall Creek to reach the northwest boundary of the park. From there, they attempted to reach Canada. The Nez Perce were the last major tribe to be driven from their land by the U.S. government. Chief Joseph led the tribe in the decision to move peaceably from their ancestral lands in Wallowa County in present-day Oregon to the Lapwai Reservation in present-day Idaho. On the eve of their scheduled departure, twenty of their youth avenged the wrongful deaths of their brethren and killed about twenty settlers. The seven hundred fifty member tribe, two hundred of which were warriors, embarked on a 1,200-mile journey to find refuge while fleeing the pursuing U.S. Army. At the Battle of White Bird Creek, a civilian with the U.S. Army shot and killed a Nez Perce representative carrying a truce flag. At the Battle of the Clearwater, about 150 Nez Perce held back General Howard’s forces while the rest of the tribe slipped past and began their journey on the Lolo Trail. When the Nez Perce reached their allies, the Crows, on their reservation in present-day Yellowstone National Park, the Crows refused them refuge, fearful of consequences from the U.S. government. The Nez Perce then fled toward refuge in Canada until the U.S. Army converged upon them forty miles from the border at the Battle of Bear Paw. There, the Nez Perce surrendered. The Nez Perce fled from the pursuing U.S. Army to what is now Yellowstone National Park to seek refuge with their allies, the Crows. However, when the seven hundred fifty Nez Perce arrived, the Crows were afraid of the U.S. Army’s retaliation if they sheltered the object of their pursuit and refused to give them sanctuary. The Nez Perce then set their sights on urgently fleeing to Canada like Sitting Bull had before them. If captured by the U.S. Army, the Nez Perce faced relocation on the Lapwai Reservation, and the Nez Perce youth, who killed twenty settlers of Wallowa Country, faced severe punishment.

6. Battle of Canyon Creek Historical Marker

A historical marker was dedicated at this location to commemorates the Battle of Canyon Creek on September 13, 1877. In this battle, the Nez Perce Indian tribe was intercepted by the United States 7th Calvary. In the months leading up to the battle, Nez Perce who did not sign treaties challenged the authority of those agreements, leading to a confrontation and the tribe's decision to flee from US troops. The Nez Perce sought aide from the Crow Tribe and the Lakota tribe, but both denied their request for fear of reprisal. In response, the Nez Perce turned north and tried to flee to the safety of Canada while the 7th Cavalry pursued them. The Battle of Canyon Creek ensued near this location when the 7th Cavalry caught up to the tribe.

7. The Nez Perce Trail Entry 5: Battle of Bear Paw

The Nez Perce were the last major tribe to be driven from their land by the U.S. government. Chief Joseph led the tribe in the decision to move peaceably from their ancestral lands in Wallowa County in present-day Oregon to the Lapwai Reservation in present-day Idaho. On the eve of their scheduled departure twenty of their youth avenged the wrongful deaths of their brethren and killed about twenty settlers. The seven hundred fifty member tribe, two hundred of which were warriors, embarked on a 1,200 mile journey to find refuge while fleeing the pursuing U.S. Army. At the Battle of White Bird Creek a civilian with the U.S. Army shot and killed a Nez Perce representative carrying a truce flag. At the Battle of the Clearwater, about one hundred fifty Nez Perce held back General Howard’s forces while the rest of the tribe slipped past and began their journey on the Lolo Trail. When the Nez Perce reached their allies, the Crows, on their reservation in present-day Yellowstone National Park, the Crows refused them refuge, fearful of consequences from the U.S. government. The Nez Perce then fled toward refuge in Canada until the U.S. Army converged upon them forty miles from the border at the Battle of Bear Paw. There, the Nez Perce surrendered. At the Battle of Bear Paw, the Nez Perce’s journey ended, forty miles from refuge in Canada for those Nez Perce who didn’t escape between solider camps. The Nez Perce were largely able to hold back the attack by General Nelson A. Miles, but were unable to extricate their entire band to travel the forty miles that separated them from their freedom in Canada. After a five-day battle and siege, the Nez Perce—for the first time in four months—ceased to fight on October 5, 1877. It was here that Chief Joseph delivered the speech that would immortalize him in American culture, “I Will Fight No More Forever.” Chief Joseph negotiated a treaty with General Miles permitting the Nez Perce people to relocate to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho. Visitors can walk upon the battlefield year-round during daylight hours. The Blaine County Museum offers an audio/visual presentation narrating the last days of the Nez Perce’s journey to freedom.

8. Blaine County Museum

The Blaine County Museum offers a variety of exhibits related to local history and paleontology. The museum has the honor of serving the National Park Service as the interim interpretive museum and visitor's center for the nearby Bear Paw Battlefield. This battlefield was the location of the final battle of the Nez Perce War of 1877.

This Tour is a Digital Story Map.

Nez Perce War of 1877

Created by Clio Admin on November 9th 2016, 12:29:08 pm.

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The Nez Perce originally occupied about 17 million acres spanning present-day Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Rather than accept a new treaty that most Nez Perce leaders did not sign, Chief Joseph led 750 Nez Perce on a prolonged journey to secure a new homeland. As many as 2,000 US troops pursued the tribe, leading to several battles and a journey that spanned three states and 1,200 miles. This "virtual tour" includes several of the most important sites along that route.

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Native American History

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Nez Perce War of 1877

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