Preface

Introduction

Working in Partnership with Others

The Purpose of the Park

Why is the Park Significant?

Telling the Park Stories

Park Overview

Interpretive Challenges and Opportunities

Resource Protection Challenges aned Opportunities

Existing Facilities for Visitor Use and Park Operations

The Plan

Implementation Concepts

Site-Specific Information

Appendix A: Legislation

Planning Team Members

References

Table of Contents

WHY THE PARK IS SIGNIFICANT

The planning team's expression of the overarching sentiment behind the purpose and significance of the park:

Nez Perce National Historical Park offers for all Americans an important perspective about our history as a people. It is not the view from the Gateway Arch looking west; it is a view from a homeland looking out, witnessing the march of history and change, yet continuing today and tomorrow to commemorate and celebrate Nez Perce culture and traditions. It is a park about a people, for all  people.

Park significance tells why the park is special -- why it is so important that it belongs in the national park system. Statements of significance clearly define the importance of the park's resources as they relate to the park's purpose. Knowing the park's significance helps set resource protection priorities, identify primary park interpretive themes, and develop desirable visitor experiences.

• The park preserves a continuum of at least 11,000 years of Nez Perce culture. Its archeological record, museum collection, cultural landscapes, and structures are of national significance. The park contains historical and cultural landmarks that are of legendary significance to the Nez Perce people. The Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail commemorates a significant event in the history of the Nez Perce people.

• Nez Perce National Historical Park offers a unique opportunity for visitors to gain an understanding of present-day Nez Perce culture within and outside the Nez Perce homeland and to learn about important events of the past.

• Past and present Nez Perce culture were shaped by the geography and the rich and varied resources of the Nez Perce homeland.

• The park includes parts of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the Lolo Trail, both of which were used by other cultures. The Nez Perce country, Nez Perce National Historical Park sites, and other Native American cultures overlap but also differ in many ways.

• The park contains burial sites and sacred sites; it is also a focal point for current Nez Perce culture and allows for the continued traditional use of resources. The park honors the rights retained in the 1855 and 1863 treaties and will fully apply all applicable laws, executive orders, policies, and treaties related to the protection of cultural properties and sacred sites.

TELLING THE PARK STORIES

The primary park stories, or interpretive themes, are overview statements that tell visitors about the significance of the park and cover information that is basic to visitor understanding of the park. Interpretation is a process of education that is designed to stimulate curiosity and convey messages to the visiting public. All interpretive efforts, both media and personal services, should relate to one or more of the themes, and each should be addressed by some part of the overall program.

The following three primary interpretive themes have been identified for Nez Perce National Historical Park. Numerous subthemes and topics will be identified as the plan is implemented.

• The Nez Perce people developed a distinct culture through more than 11,000 years of interaction with the environment and landscape of their traditional homeland.

• The Nez Perce people and their culture have undergone and continue to undergo many changes as a direct result of their cooperation and conflict with Euro-American culture and the United States government.

• The treaty of 1855, the treaty of 1863, and the war of 1877 had severe consequences for the Nez Perce people, and they illustrate the difficult historical relationships between the United States and the indigenous cultures of North America.

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