Big Hole National Battlefield Big Hole U.S. Department of the Interior

Cover: “ Escape from the Big Hole” PAINTED BY JOHN F. CLYMER.

Chief Looking Glass, Col. , a an experienced war- decorated Civil War rior familiar with the veteran and com- COVER: “NEZ PERCE ESCAPE FROM THE BIG HOLE,” BY JOHN F. CLYMER, COURTESY OF MRS. JOHN F. CLYMER; ALL OTHERS NPS buffalo country of mander of the 7th Montana, was chosen U.S. Infantry, suf- to lead the Nez Perce out of danger, Looking Glass did not post fered a leg wound As the siege continued, The military's losses at the start of their in the battle. He flight. He was later guards. Unknown to the Nez Perce, a sec- applauded the Nez some of the - were also high, with killed at the Battle of ond military force—162 men of the 7th Perce's stand at the riors began withdrawing to help Chief 29 dead and 40 the Bear's Paw. U.S. Infantry out of and four Big Hole, calling it Joseph and others to care for the injured, wounded, but the “a gallant struggle.” other western Montana forts under the bury the dead, gather their horses, and soldiers knew that they had greatly command of Col. John Gibbon—had joined break camp. Others remained to keep the damaged the fighting ability and the the chase and was advancing toward them. soldiers under fire while the Nez Perce morale of the Nez Perce people. De- families headed south, leaving much of spite the tragic events that occurred n the summer of 1877 five bands of Gibbon's scouts spotted the Nez Perce women, and children were shot indiscrim- their belongings and many of their dead on the battlefield, both sides demon- Nez Perce Indians consisting of 800 tipis on the afternoon of August 8. Before inately. The soldiers soon occupied the behind. Finally, on August 10, in the early strated acts of heroism and human Ipeople, including 250 warriors, began dawn on the 9th most of the soldiers and upper end of the camp, while the Nez morning of the second day of fighting, the kindness. Seven enlisted men were a 1,170-mile journey from northeastern 34 civilian volunteers were forming a skir- Perce warriors, urged on by Chiefs Look- remaining warriors fired parting shots and awarded the Congressional Medal of Oregon and central over the Bitter- mish line behind a screen of willow brush ing Glass and White Bird, quickly took left to join their people. The battle was Honor, and those officers who survived root Mountains and through the Montana along the west bank of the North Fork of defensive positions and prepared a coun- over. received brevet promotions. For many Territory. Though they were herding more the Big Hole River, within 200 yards of the terattack. Their deadly shooting eventu- of the soldiers and volunteers the hor- than 2,000 horses and carrying whatever Nez Perce camp. Here they waited tensely ally forced Gibbon's men to retreat back General Howard's troops arrived the next rors of what they had seen at the Bat- Above left: This colorful coat, given to 2d Lt. Lowell possessions they could manage, the Nez for first light to attack. The attack started across the river to a point of pines pro- day and found Colonel Gibbon wounded tle of the Big Hole would haunt them Jerome by , is said to be one of the jack- Perce made this long and difficult trek in prematurely, however, when a Nez Perce jecting from Battle Mountain. In the tim- and his command out of action. In a mili- for the rest of their lives. ets worn by Chief Joseph at the Battle of the Bear's Paw. Above right: Army fatigue blouses of this 1872 less than four months. Army named Natalekin went out to check his ber the troops dug in for a siege and were tary sense the Nez Perce had won the bat- pattern are believed to have been worn by some of troops under Gen. Oliver O. Howard had horses and stumbled onto the concealed pinned down for the next 24 hours. tle, but the "victory" was a hollow one. the enlisted men of the 7th Infantry during the Bat- tle of the Big Hole. E orders to place the five non-treaty bands soldiers and volunteers, who shot and Sixty to ninety members of the tribe had L N T I of Nez Oerce on a small reservation in cen- killed him. When the troops crossed the During the attack, some of Gibbon's men been killed. Only about thirty of these T A B A T This buffalo drinking horn belonged N tral Idaho. The Nez Perce had hoped to river and fired into the village, some of had been struggling to haul a 12-pounder were warriors; the rest were women, chil- U Twin Trees to Wounded Head (Husis Owyeen), a O M Nez Perce warrior who derived his elude the soldiers, but they were forced the Nez Perce scattered quickly while mountain howitzer through the dense dren, and old people. The Nez Perce now Initial Escape attack name from the wound he received to stop and face their pursuers several others were slow to awaken. In the con- lodge-pole pine forest. They managed to realized the war was not over and they in the battle. Wounded Head carved times. The battle with the highest number fusion of the faint pre-dawn light, men, place it on the hillside above the siege must flee for their lives. a notch in the horn for each Nez Soldiers Perce he found dead at the Big Hole. of casualties during this epic odyssey took area just as the sol- WOODS under siege His figures were 10 women, 21 chil- dren, and 32 men for a total of 63. place in the Big Hole Valley of southwest- diers were dig- treat E Re ern Montana. The N ging in. The crew NEZ PERCE L I CAMP was a tragic turning point of what came T fired two rounds A r e to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877. T T before a group of Counterattack iv T. C. Sherrill was one Capture R A le of the 34 civilian volun- B N Nez Perce horse- This Model 1873 Rice trowel bayonet was of howitzer o H teers from the Bitter- U discovered on the battlefield during The Nez Perce arrived in the lush Big Hole men, galloping for- ig Withdrawal root Valley who fought O archeological investigations in 1991. It B rk in the Battle of the Big Valley on the morning of August 7, and M ward, captured the was an experimental device designed eek Fo Twin Trees Cr h Hole. He became the to serve also as a hatchet and il rt their trail leader, Chief Looking Glass, gun, dismantled it, ra No first caretaker of Big T North entrenching tool, which is how it k 0 0.3 Kilometer chose an old camp site at which to set up and scattered its e Hole battlefield, under was used at the Battle of the Big e r the U.S. Forest Service, Hole. Colonel Gibbon later claimed C 0 0.3 Mile their tipis. Believing that they were far BIG HOLE NATIONAL parts.. y serving from 1914 that “if it hadn't been for them b enough ahead of Howard's soldiers to be Ru Army movements shown in BLUE through 1916. none of us . . . would have lived Nez Perce movements shown in RED BATTLEFIELD to tell the tale.”

Overlook Big Hole National Battlefield Today About Your Visit r ive Monument e R Big Hole National Battle- Nez Perce Camp The bat- ol Howitzer Capture Site Big Hole National Bat- the national battlefield. field memorializes the tle began here when sol- H The steep walk up to the ig tlefield is 10 miles west Montana laws apply in Nez Perce men, women, diers surprised the sleep- B Nez site where Nez Perce war- of Wisdom, Mont., on the national forest. rk o and children, the soldiers ing Nez Perce. Like other F Perce riors captured Gibbon's Mont. 43. From Butte, Hunting and fishing on Howitzer of the 7th U.S. Infantry, tribal places in Idaho, Wash- Siege th howitzer takes about 20 Capture Site Area r Camp Mont., take I-15 south- private land is by per- and the Bitterroot Volun- ington, and Oregon, this o minutes and provides a Trail N Site west to Divide, then to mission only. teers who clashed at the area is Sacred Ground. It spectacular view of the Wisdom on Mont. 43; Battle of the Big Hole. symbolizes the strength battlefield and the Big al from the west, Mont. Fuel, food, and lodg- and spirit of the Nez Perce, on il Hole Valley. ti Tra 43 intersects U.S. 93 at ing–although limited– Stop first at the visitor and serves as a reminder Na p e il am erc ra C the State line between can be found in nearby center, which overlooks of their heavy losses in z P T ce A Word of Caution Coy- Ne ric r the battlefield. A 26-min- their struggle for freedom. to Pe ote, deer, elk, moose, Salmon, Idaho, and Wisdom. More complete His ez ute video program and a A guide booklet to the N and other animals native Hamilton, Mont. From services are available in museum of photographs, Nez Perce Camp is avail- Visitor Center to the park are harmless Dillon, take I-15 south Butte or Dillon, Mont., k quotations, and personal able along the trail. e at a distance, but can be three miles to the Wis- to the east, and Hamil- re dom exit, then to Wis- ton, Mont. or Salmon, items belonging to some l C dangerous if startled or ai of the battle participants Siege Area The soldiers Tr approached too closely. dom on Highway 278, Idaho, to the west. k provide orientation to were besieged here for e Always keep a safe dis- then west on Mont. 43. re the park and its story. nearly 24 hours. The C tance. Pets are not al- For More Information There is also a sales and trenches they dug still by lowed on trails or in the Ru There are picnic tables Big Hole information desk. remain. They remind us of visitor center, and must at the lower parking lot. National Battlefield the desperate struggle be under physical con- Camping and overnight P.0. Box 237 The visitor center is open the soldiers waged here 43 trol at all times. The park facilities are available in Wisdom, MT 59761 daily from 8 a.m. to 5 to survive and of the Nez To 93 is open to cross-country nearby campgrounds. 406-689-3155 p.m., with extended Perce efforts to pin down skiing, but be prepared www.nps.gov/biho hours in the summer. It is the soldiers while their North for severe winter weath- 0 0.3 Kilometer Fishing is permitted in closed January 1, Thanks- families escaped. A guide er conditions. giving, and December 25. booklet to the Siege Area 0 0.3 Mile the national battlefield Visit www.nps.gov to is available along the To Wisdom and the adjacent nation- learn more about other Trails begin at the lower trail. Restrooms Picnic area Wheelchair- 10mi al forest as provided by parks in the National 16km parking lot and lead to accessible Montana law. No hunt- Park System. several points of interest: Trailhead Telephone Howitzer capture site. Site of Nez Perce Camp. ing is allowed within parking The Nez Perce War

A Long Journey to Surrender The Battle of the Bear's Paw, from a sketch by a Harper's Weekly artist.

The traditional homeland of the Nez Perce was tribe) refused. The five bands who refused to as much of their far-ranging livestock as they to trap the elusive Nez Perce. Then on July 11 in the western part of , had the Canadian border, the Nez Perce were sur- that place where Oregon, , and Idaho participate became known as the “non-treaty” could, took all the possessions they could pack, Howard's forces met the Nez Perce near Clear- been ordered to join the pursuit of the Nez prised by army troops under the command of meet. Mistakenly called Nez Perce (pierced nose) Nez Perce. struggled across the swollen Snake and Salmon water River where they fought for two days Perce. Chief Looking Glass, unaware of Gibbon's Col. Nelson A. Miles. The chiefs rallied their fol- by French-Canadian trappers, these powerful, rivers, and made their way to a camp within a with neither side winning. Finally the Nez Perce forces, slowed the pace of travel even though lowers, but after five days of fighting and inter- wealthy, semi-nomadic people grazed horses on The non-treaty bands remained in their home- few miles of the reservation. The Nez Perce had withdrew, leaving behind many of their sup- some of the chiefs and warriors urged haste. mittent negotiations, and the deaths of four the valley grasslands, gathered edible roots on land for several years. In 1877, however, increas- almost met the 30-day deadline when, on June plies and tipis. The result: disastrous losses at the Battle of the chiefs (including Looking Glass, who had re- the prairies, fished for salmon, and hunted buf- ing demands for settlement and mining caused 15, three vengeful young warriors attacked sev- Big Hole. placed Lean Elk as leader), Chief Joseph surren- falo east of the Bitterroot Mountains. the Indian Bureau to order all Nez Perce bands eral white settlers who earlier had cheated or It was now clear to the non-treaty Nez Perce dered to Miles. They had traveled almost 1,170 to move onto the smaller reservation. Gen. Oliver killed members of their families. Other warriors that they could not escape from the army in Ida- After the Big Hole, the Nez Perce, now under miles. In the mid-1800s, calling it their “Manifest Des- O. Howard was instructed to make sure the order soon joined them, killing 17 settlers in two days ho Territory. In council, the five bands agreed to Lean Elk's leadership, headed south to Shoshone tiny,” settlers, stockmen, and gold miners began was obeyed. In mid-May Howard issued an ulti- of raids. Fearing retaliation, most of the non- follow the leadership of Chief Looking Glass, country where they hoped to pick up warriors Of the nearly 800 non-treaty Nez Perce who had moving onto Nez Perce lands. Desiring peace, the matum that the Nez Perce must be on the reser- treaty Nez Perce fled to White Bird Canyon, where who persuaded them to leave their homelands to replace those lost in the battle. Some young started the trek, only 431 remained to surren- tribe agreed to a treaty in 1855 that confined vation within 30 days. they could defend against a surprise attack. and head east to Montana and join their allies warriors began raiding ranches along the way. der. Of the rest, some had been killed in battles them to a spacious reservation that included the Crow in buffalo country. They would follow The Nez Perce again defeated Howard's men at enroute, over 200 had succeeded in reaching much of their ancestral land. The treaty prom- Chief Joseph, one of the non-treaty spokesmen, When General Howard learned of the killings, the Lolo Trail, which Nez Perce hunters had used Camas Meadow, Idaho, then headed through , and some were hiding in the hills. In ised that non-Indians could live on the reserva- probably reflected the general reaction of most he sent a force of 99 cavalrymen and 11 civilian for centuries. The Nez Perce wished only to find Yellowstone National Park. Col. Samuel D. Stur- the end, it was the loss of fighting men, as well tion only with the Nez Perce's consent. of the non-treaty Nez Perce when he asked for volunteers to quell the uprising. At White Bird a place where the army would leave them alone gis' 7th Cavalry tried unsuccessfully to block as the emotional blow at the Big Hole, that more time. “I cannot get ready to move in 30 Canyon on June 17 the troopers were routed by and where they would be far enough from set- their path at Clark's Fork Canyon. On Septem- broke the Nez Perce's power to resist. But gold was discovered on the reservation in days,” he said. “Our stock is scattered and Snake a poorly armed and smaller group of warriors tlements to avoid further clashes. ber 13 the Nez Perce defeated Sturgis' troopers 1860. Settlers and miners, wanting more of the River is very high. Let us wait until fall, then the and suffered heavy losses. at Canyon Creek. When the Nez Perce reached The Nez Perce War was a result of cultural con- Nez Perce's land, forced a new treaty in 1863 river will be low.” General Howard refused the By early August, the non-treaties had crossed Crow country they found that their old allies flicts. As the United States expanded westward that reduced the reservation to one-tenth its appeal and threatened to use force if the dead- During the following month, the Nez Perce at- the Lolo Trail and reached the could not help them, and knew that they must the settlers felt it was their “Manifest Destiny” original size. Those chiefs whose lands lay within line was not met. tempted to avoid the army, their journey marked in Montana. They decided they were now among now try to join in Canada. to take the land. The Nez Perce hoped only to the diminished reservation reluctantly signed the by small encounters and skirmishes. General friendly settlers, and General Howard was far preserve theirs. The war seemed unavoidable. It treaty, but those whose lands fell outside the Reluctantly, the non-treaty chiefs persuaded their Howard summoned troops from up and down behind. But a second force, under Col. John Finally, on September 30, near the Bear Paw is a dramatic example of the price paid in human new reservation boundary (about a third of the people to obey the ultimatum. They rounded up the West Coast to begin an encircling movement Gibbon, who commanded the 7th U.S. Infantry Mountains of Montana, just 40 miles south of lives for the westward expansion of our nation.

North “I Will Fight No More Forever” 0 10 50 100 Kilometers Fort Walsh BRITISH Sitting Bull’s Camp 0 10 50 100 Miles R ALBERTA COLUMBIA General of the Army William T. Sherman called O C A N ADA W

h the Nez Perce War of 1877:

i t UNI T ED STATES e one of the most extraordinary Indian M B “ i C il r k d wars of which there is a record. R ’ iv s er E s The Indians . . . displayed a courage c COLVILLE a K p INDIAN RESERVATION e and skill that elicited universal praise; a September 30–October 5 where Chief Joseph and M rias Ri they abstained from scalping, let cap- others were exiled in 1885 ver Y tive women go free, did not commit B BEARS PAW I indiscriminate murder of peaceful MONTANA MOUNTAINS T families . . . and fought with almost T Cow Island Landing ver E Ri scientific skill. . . .” September 23 ouri Fort Benton iss R M M WASHINGTON R E

O n River C

Su R E The Nez Perce also impressed Col. Nelson Miles

O The Palouse tribe is closely relat- P Fort Shaw (below), who considered them “a very bright and ed to Nez Perce in language and T O Gibbon departs July 28 Z culture. The Husis Kute Band of E energetic body of Indians; indeed, the most intelli- N M Palouse was drawn into the war M IL gent that I had ever Y ES along with the Nez Perce. O T seen. Exceedingly self BON A U GIB U E Co R reliant, each man lum N July 26 T b T N seemed to be able to i HUSIS KUTE O a A BIG SNOWY BAND OF PALOUSE I Fort Missoula Camp Baker N do his own thinking, R N LITTLE BELT i r HOMELAND N and to be purely v ve S Judith MOUNTAINS e i Lolo Pass T MOUNTAINS R r Gap rwater Rive O democratic and inde- e a r e O l Y k C selshell R pendent in his own NEZ PERCE R s iv E u e na M r S S Fort Lapwai R L T I ideas and purposes.” INDIAN R L G R E A U He also believed Chief RESERVATION LOOKING GLASS T V T T S Sturgis departs August 12 1863 BAND HOMELAND I Joseph (top) the Cottonwood Skirmishes B A Miles departs September 18 July 4–5 ablest Indian on the r July 11–12 e v continent. Battle of Canyon Creek i Tolo Lake R Hol one When the Nez Perce finally surrendered, it June 2–14 Big e R wst Riv September 13 BAND HOMELAND iv I llo er e e e u was more from exhaustion trying to elude forces under Gen. Oliver O. r Y g

Only the route of the Joseph Gibbons n d Howard (above) than from defeat. Their desperation is echoed in the words n Battle of White Bird Canyon Pass o Band is known. The Toohool- a e T B June 17 B Battle of the Big Hole N Fort Ellis n Chief Joseph reportedly spoke to Colonel Miles: W h r hoolzote and White Bird o e A p r WHITE BIRD August 9-10 t E v Little Bighorn Battlefield “Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the V L e e r s i bands arrived at Tolo Lake in A L s v S e O i BAND a iv w R 1876 L W o R lm A R sun now stands I will fight no more forever” L J r o n early June. E A HOMELAND o e l r Y n at l e R e o i V S lw h k v l JOSEPH BAND e ti Y g a i r E S B HOMELAND n k S Bannack r R A A o WALLOWA PPROXIMATE 1855 F H B OREGON TREATY BOUNDARY S s A k MOUNTAINS E YELLOWSTONE r R a A l A NATIONAL O C PPROXIMA D Bannock Pass TE NEZ P K ERCE HOMELAND L E Targhee Pass PARK M A H I R r M rk e V h Fo v A A Nort i IDAHO L O R

Nez Perce War of 1877 L N E U e Y n N G o

T sh A E Nontreaty U.S. Army line I o N S Battle of Camas Meadows h Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail fol- Nez Perce route of march Birch Creek August 20 S August 15 lows the route of the Nez Perce War. The 1,170- The route taken by General mile trail begins at Wallowa Valley, Oregon, travels Howard in his pursuit of the through Big Hole National Battlefield, and ends at Nez Perce is not shown. It Bear Paw Battlefield, Montana. Several of the Nez generally followed the Nez Perce route. Perce War sites are preserved and interpreted by Nez Perce National Historical Park, the U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies.

Scenes from the Nez Perce surrender, Harper's Weekly, 1877.