Craig Donation Land Claim

The Craig Land Donation Claim is the first white settlement through the Oregon Donation Land Act

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

46°21'26.35"N 116°46'9.65"W

Significance:

The first homestead created by the Oregon Donation Land Act

MANAGED BY:

Private Property, Idaho Transportation Department, Idaho State Historical Society

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto

William Craig was born in Virginia in 1807. At the age of 18, around 1825, he joined a group of fur trappers of the American Fur Company. At a trapper rendezvous in 1838, a Nez Perce headman known as Thunder Eyes met Craig. Craig fell in love with his daughter, who the trappers called Isabel, and married her. When the American Fur Company went out of business in 1840, Craig came to Nez Perce country to settle in the Lapwai Valley in the fall of 1840.

Thunder Eyes, now Craig's father-in-law, in 1836 had allowed Henry Spalding to establish his first mission close to his village. By the time Craig arrived, Spalding's relationship with the Nez Perce had deteriorated. Craig sided with the Nez Perce in their disputes that led, in turn, to the decision in 1842 by the American Missionary Board to close down Spalding's mission. Due to the timely intervention of Marcus Whitman, the crisis was averted and the relationship between Craig and Spalding gradually improved.

While not all of the Nez Perce liked Craig, they respected his opinion and his dedication to his Nez Perce wife and family and, likewise, Craig respected the culture of the Nez Perce. In the aftermath of the killing of Marcus Whitman in 1847, Craig sheltered Eliza and Henry Spalding when it was feared that the same thing might happen at Lapwai. Craig's relationship with the Nez Perce was further cemented with his role as an interpreter in the negotiations that led to the 1855 treaty that established the Nez Perce reservation. As a reward for his services, Article Ten of the 1855 treaty allowed Craig to keep his homestead on the new reservation.

In the aftermath of the treaty, the Yakama nation went to war and Governor Isaac Stevens appointed Craig a Colonel in the territorial militia. Craig also briefly worked as a subagent for the Nez Perce. He remained in Nez Perce country and died in 1869.

Getting to Craig Donation Land Claim

A historical marker with information about William Craig's Homestead is located on the west side of U.S. Highway 95, about 8 miles south of Lapwai, Idaho. 

Driving to Craig Donation Land Claim 

From Lapwai, Idaho, turn right onto U.S. Highway 95 South. In about 4.3 miles, the highway pullout will be on your right.

Things to Do at Craig Donation Land Claim

Explore the Site

William Craig's Homestead no longer stands. The land is now privately owned and is not accessible to the public. On the highway pullout off of U.S. Highway 95, there is a historical marker that remembers William Craig, a mountain man, interpreter, and friend of the Nez Perce.