On the way from Cody, Wyoming to the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park the drive takes you to Dead Indian Summit Overlook, part of the Dead Indian Pass associated with the , Native America tribe. The summit is at 8,071 elevation in Wyoming on the Scenic Byway, Highway 296. It crosses the near Dead Indian Gulch, Dead Indian Mountain and Dead Indian Mesa all part of the through a series of switchbacks. "The Nez Perce (/ˌnɛzˈpɜːrs/; autonym: Niimíipuu, meaning "the walking people" or "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States for at least 11,500 years." The history behind the name "Dead Indian" is froth with controversy, sadness and again later the discovery of gold. The Nez Perce Indians struggled to maintain their ancestral homeland from imposing white settlers. As attacks increased, many of them retreated to the Absaroka Mountains. They retreated because they were driven from their homes. During late summer of 1855, it has been described an act of vengeance and retribution between settlers and the Nez Perce Indians. The ensuing attack was on peacefully gathered Indians by settlers which led to many dead Indian bodies. The region became known as Dead Indian Prairie, which included a road, pass and mountain. In 1993 the road officially became Dead Indian Memorial Road but remains controversial issue.

Sources: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wyoming/dead‐indian‐pass‐overlook‐wy/, https://mailtribune.com/lifestyle/legend‐of‐dead‐indian‐memorial‐ road, https://www.geowyo.com/dead‐indian‐hill.html, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review‐g60442‐d8608264‐Reviews‐ Dead_Indian_Summit_Overlook‐Cody_Wyoming.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Indian_Pass, https://www.summitpost.org/dead‐indian‐ peak/741412, https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=3253, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Joseph, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=NE015, http://npshistory.com/publications/nepe/feasibility‐rpt.pdf, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart‐news/little‐house‐prairie‐was‐built‐native‐american‐land‐180962020/ and https://kobi5.com/news/dead‐indian‐memorial‐road‐name‐will‐remain‐unchanged‐64151/. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Dead Indian Summit Overlook