• Nez Perce National Historical Park. Front Page banner photograph is of Heart of the Monster, an ancient place where the Nez Perce creation story originates. The secondary page photograph is of Nez Perce beadwork.

    Nez Perce

    National Historical Park ID,MT,OR,WA

Rivers and Streams

Clearwater River at Spalding site, Idaho

NPS Photo

Lapwai Creek meets the Clearwater River at the Spalding site near Lapwai, Idaho.

High elevation drainage basins have produced many cold, fast-running rivers, filled—especially in aboriginal times—with salmon and other fish. Flowing through the deep, sheltered valleys in the original Nez Perce territory, they include the Clearwater (himeqisbi’me), Grand Ronde (weli’we), Imnaha (imna’ha), Salmon (naco’oxkus), and Snake (piku’nen) rivers, the last one world-famous for the chasm of Hells Canyon (saqa’nma), the deepest gorge (2,400 meters/7,900 feet) in North America. The canyon, once a part of the Nez Perce homeland, is now the border between Idaho and Oregon and the principal feature of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

 
Aquatic biologist monitoring water quality at Lapwai Creek: Spalding, Idaho

NPS photo

Aquatic biologists regularly visit Nez Perce National Historical Park to monitor water quality.

There has been considerable publicity at the end of the twentieth century concerning how Nez Perce fishing has been restricted by dam construction, commercial logging, pollution, and commercial fishing. Specific threats to water resources at Nez Perce National Historical Park’s creeks include agriculture, logging, grazing, recreation, highway runoff and urbanization. The National Park Service has recently developed a regional science-based program that deals with inventory and monitoring of natural resources. Results indicate that park creeks (including Lapwai Creek (le’plep) and Jim Ford Creek are within state regulatory thresholds.

 

Did You Know?

Original art work by Roy Anderson depicting Lewis and Clark meeting the Nez Perce for the first time.

In September of 1805 Lewis and Clark crossed into Nez Perce country. A debate ensued among the Nez Perce. Should they assist these strangers or attack them? A female Nez Perce elder, Wetxuuwíis (Wet-k'hoo-wees)urged her people to do them no harm. Her words were heeded; the expedition was welcomed.