Preface
Working in Partnership with Others
Interpretive Challenges and Opportunities
Resource Protection Challenges aned Opportunities
Existing Facilities for Visitor Use and
Park Operations
Site-Specific Information
for
Nez Perce National Historical Park
and
Big Hole National Battlefield
| TOURING GUIDE TO THE SITES |
When Nez Perce National Historical Park was created in 1965, it consisted of 24 sites scattered across north central Idaho. Four of the sites were administered by the National Park Service and the remaining 20 were a mixture of other federal, local, and private sites. In 1992 an additional 14 sites were added in the adjoining states of Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Currently, agreements with the property owners are being worked out to provide for public access to each area. Before you visit these sites, check with the park staff to make sure that you do not unwittingly trespass on private property.
Road markers indicate when you are approaching one of the sites. Two crossed feathers indicate the National Park Service number for the site. A complete tour of all the sites covers hundreds of miles, so you may want to tour only segments. Most of the sites are along busy highways, so be careful as you pull off and on the road.
Managing a park that stretches across four states and hundreds of miles presents quite a challenge for park administrators. For more details about the site and management issues and action plans as outlined in the Final General Management Plan (released Sep. 1997) click on the site name for additional details. This on-line edition contains some minor revisions to the original document to reflect changes which have occurred since the document's original release.
| Site Name | Description | State |
|---|---|---|
| Confluence Overlook | Donald MacKenzie established a trading post in August 1812. The post was part of John Jacob Astor's plan to counter the work of the North West Company and of Hudson's Bay Company. The effort, however, failed and MacKenzie sold out to the British. | Idaho |
| Coyote's Fishnet | Nez Perce tradition abounds with tales of the exploits of Coyote. Once he was fishing with a large net in the Clearwater. Black Bear happened to come by and angered Coyote, who stalked out of the water, hurled his fishnet up on the hill to the south side, flung Black Bear far up the hill on the north side, and turned him into stone. Both are still visible. | Idaho |
| Ant and Yellowjacket | This legend also deals with Coyote, who tried to settle an argument between Ant and Yellowjacket. They paid no attention to Coyote, so he turned them to stone lust as their backs were arched with their jaws locked in combat. | Idaho |
| Spalding | Henry and Eliza Spalding established the first mission to the Nez Perce in November 1836. The Park's Headquarters and Visitor Center/Museum are located here. | Idaho |
| Lapwai Mission | Henry and Eliza Spalding's first house was built here. After two years, they relocated closer to the Clearwater River. | Idaho |
| Northern Idaho Indian Agency | As part of treaty agreements, the U.S. Government set up an agency to oversee the terms of the treaties. Originally located at Spalding, the agency was relocated in 1904 to the site of Fort Lapwai. | Idaho |
| Fort Lapwai | In the fall of 1862, a detachment of volunteers arrived in the Lapwai valley, south of Spalding's mission, and chose a location for their fort. This duplex officers' quarters at the southwest end of the parade ground was built in 1883. | Idaho |
| Craig Donation Land Claim | This is the site of the first claim by a white settler in Idaho. William Craig was a mountain man, an interpreter, and friend of the Nez Perce. | Idaho |
| St. Joseph's Mission | This was the first Roman Catholic mission among the Nez Perce. It was dedicated on September 3,1874, by Father Joseph Cataldo, who built it. | Idaho |
| Cottonwood Skirmishes | After skirmishes with the U.S. Army and volunteers here on July 3 and 5. 1877, the main body of the Nez Perce was able to flee to the east into the valley of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater. | Idaho |
| Weis Rockshelter | More than 8,000 years ago humans first made this their home. The locale was continuously inhabited until about 600 years ago. The site is 7 miles from U.S. 95 on a gravel road. | Idaho |
| Camas Prairie | Here, where wheat fields stretch to the horizon today, camas lilies once grew in great profusion. Camas bulbs were a major food source for the Nez Perce, and they came here every year to dig them. It was from a camp near Tolo Lake, which can be seen in the distance to the northwest, that three Nez Perce rode off on the raid that sparked the 1877 War. | Idaho |
| White Bird Battlefield | On June 17, 1877, the first battle of the Nez Perce War was fought here. Thirty-four soldiers were killed, while the Nez Perce lost none. A shelter on U.S. Highway 95 gives you a good overview of the site. A walking tour of the Battlefield is accessible via the old spiral highway. | Idaho |
| Clearwater Battlefield | On July 11 Gen. O. O. Howard crossed the Clearwater and hoped to take the Nez Perce by surprise. His hopes came to naught, and the fighting ended with the Nez Perce withdrawing. | Idaho |
| Heart of the Monster | East Kamiah is the location of the Heart of the Monster, ancestral birthplace of the Nez Perce Tribe. Audio stations tell the legend. | Idaho |
| Asa Smith Mission | In April 1839 Rev. and Mrs. Asa Smith established a mission in the Kamiah area. Unsuited to the demands of such work, the Smiths left in 1841. | Idaho |
| Lewis and Clark Long Camp | Here Lewis and Clark camped in the spring of 1806 while they waited or the snow in the mountain passes to melt. | Idaho |
| Canoe Camp | At this site, Lewis and Clark rested and built canoes with the help of the Nez Perce, out of hollowed-out logs for the final leg of their trip to the Pacific. | Idaho |
| Lenore | For perhaps 10,000 years this site has been inhabited by the Nez Perce and their ancestors. Today it is a roadside rest area and park. | Idaho |
| Weippe Prairie | This is a root-gathering place for the Nez Perce. It was here on September 20,1805, that Clark first met the Nez Perce. During the 1877 War, the Nez Perce came here after the Battle of the Clearwater and held a council to decide what to do. | Idaho |
| Pierce Courthouse | One site here marks the spot, at the north end of town, of the first gold strike by W. F. Bassett in September 1860. The other site of interest is the old Shoshone County courthouse, one block east of Main Street, completed in 1862. | Idaho |
| Musselshell Meadow | For many generations, the Nez Perce have come here to dig the bulb of the camas lily, a major food source. | Idaho |
| Lolo Trail | This historic Nez Perce trail, used by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and 1806, extends roughly from near Weippe to Lolo Pass. In many places the exact route is unknown. U.S 12 closely parallels the route. During the 1877 War the Nez Perce followed the trail to Lolo Pass and on into Montana. | Idaho/Montana |
| Lolo Pass | The U.S. Forest Service maintains a seasonal visitor center at Lolo Pass and the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station on U.S. 12, east. | Idaho/Montana |
| Buffalo Eddy | The unique petroglyphs of this area are evidence of the longevity of the Nez Perce and are important to preserve for the education of future generations. Defacing archeological property is a federal offense. | Idaho |
| Camas Meadows Battle Site | After the tragedy at Big Hole, the Nez Perce gained time by stopping the advance of the troops, stealing more than 200 of their pack mules and horses, and bringing the army's forward momentum to a halt. | Idaho |
| Hasotino Village Site | Hasotino was inhabited until the end of the 19th century and was located next to an important eel fishery. | Idaho |
| Looking Glass' 1877 Campsite | The Looking Glass Band tried to remain neutral in the conflict between the Army and the non-treaty Nez Perce. The Army did not trust them and attacked their village, destroying it and stealing hundreds of horses. Looking Glass regarded this as treachery and joined the others against the Army. | Idaho |
| Tolo Lake | The non-treaty bands congregated at this ancient council site on the Camas Prairie. | Idaho |
| Big Hole National Battlefield | On the morning of August 9, 1877, U.S. troops surprised the Nez Perce who had crossed the Bitterroots trying to evade capture. 87 Nez Perce men, women, and children were killed. The Army lost 29 soldiers and 40 wounded. The visitor center is open every day of the year except January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25. | Montana |
| Canyon Creek | After emerging from Yellowstone National Park, the Nez Perce were pursued by cavalry. In a rear guard action here, the Nez Perce were able to gain time by stopping the pursuing troops. | Montana |
| Bear Paw Battlefield | Just 40 miles short of the Canadian border, the Nez Perce were besieged by the Army and forced to surrender on October 5, 1877. They had traveled 1,500 miles in the 3-1/2 months since the first battle. | Montana |
| Dug Bar | At this traditional crossing of the Snake, Joseph and his band crossed the river in 1877 as they left their homes in Oregon for the reservation in Idaho. | Oregon |
| Joseph Canyon Viewpoint | This was one of the winter homes of the Nez Perce. Tradition holds that Chief Joseph was born in a cave along the east bank of the creek. | Oregon |
| Old Chief Joseph's Gravesite | The remains of the elder Chief Joseph were reburied here in 1926. Nearby are the graves of other Nez Perce and some settlers. The site is in the Wallowa Valley, homeland of this particular Nez Perce band. | Oregon |
| Traditional (Lostine) Homesite | In 1871 Old Chief Joseph died at this summer campsite for the Wallowa band. This landscape has changed little from the days before contact with non-Indians. | Oregon |
| Nez Perce Cemetery | In 1885,8 years after the surrender at Bear Paw, Chief Joseph and his band were allowed to return to the Northwest from Indian Territory (Oklahoma), but never to the Wallowas. Joseph spent his remaining years on the Colville Reservation and died here in 1904. | Washington |
| Nez Perce (Nespelem) Campsites | Even in exile on a reservation that was not in their homeland, the Nez Perce continued their traditional way of life, refusing to live in houses built by the U.S. government. These were their winter and summer homes and were the last places where Chief Joseph lived. | Washington |
| McBeth House | The McBeth sisters came after Reverends Spalding and Smith to continue missionary efforts among the Nez Perce. | Idaho |