Courtney Miller

Courtney Miller

Nez Perce Podcast

The Nez Perce National Historic Park is comprised of 38 individual sites that are located throughout Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Together, these sites incorporate ten thousand years of rich Nez Perce history.Beginning with the story sites of the Nez Perce people, and followed by theirencounters with the Lewis and Clark expedition, the arrival of Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries, the Treaty Period and the Struggle of 1877, and finally the present day, the various sites speak to the continuum of experiences of the Nez Perce that stretch back to the beginning to time.

To begin, the story sites resound in the exceptional topography of Nez Perce country, which is filled with unique landforms and places that have, since the beginning of time, defined the Nez Perce. Because of this, prominent landmarks located throughout Nez Perce land are often accompanied by stories that continue to speak of the culture, history, and language of the tribe. The legend of the Ant and the Yellow jacket, for example, can be both heard and viewed through visitation to its site. According to the legend,one day, the leader of the yellow jackets was sitting on a rock eating a salmon when the leader of the ants walked by. The ant became jealous and proclaimed that the yellow jacket did not have permission to sit there and that he wanted the rock for his own. They then began to fight loudly, which attracted the attention of Coyote. Coyote, a teacher to the people, asked them to cease their dispute. They ignored Coyote’s request, however, and continued to fight even more loudly. Coyote, in order to demonstrate what happened to those who did not listen, turned them to stone right where they stood. The site of this legend is located at a pull off at the junction of Hwy 12 and Hwy 95, near the park’s headquarters.If you look closely, you can see the mouths of the ant and the yellow jacket fused together as a basalt rock outcropping.

Much later in Nez Perce history, the Lewis and Clark expedition ventured upon the land that had always been inseparable with the Nez Perce people. In the fall of 1805 and in the spring of 1806, a relationship formed between the two groups. Ultimately, the Nez Perce generously offered the expedition assistance in the form of food, transportation, and guides. Lewis and Clark sites to be visited today include the Spalding Visitors Center in Spalding, Idaho; Wieppe Prairie in Wieppe, Idaho; Canoe Camp in Orofino, Idaho; Long Camp in Kamiah, Idaho; Lolo Pass and Trail, located in Lolo, Idaho and Western Montana; and, perhaps the best known, Big Hole National Battlefield in Wisdom, Montana.

Next began the arrival of Protestant and Catholic missionaries to Nez Perce country. Beginning in the 1830s and continuing throughout the 19th century, Christianity was introduced to the Nez Perce. Though its presence was accepted by some and rejected by others, Christianity continues to be present on the Nez Perce reservation today. The beginning of the Mission Era was marked by the arrival of Rev. Henry Spalding and his wife Eliza, who remained with the Nez Perce until 1846. Following Rev. Spalding’s lead, Father Joseph Cataldo arrived in the 1860s, at which point he established the St. Joseph mission, which remained active until the 1950s. The most tangible and predominate reminders of this era can be viewed at the Spalding site in Spalding, Idaho..

The nineteenth century also marked the beginning of the Treaty Period. Prompted by the resolution of a long dispute between Great Britain and the United States over what was then known as Oregon country, settlers began to flood the Oregon Trail in 1846. This, in turn, triggered the treaty process. In 1855, after more than a week of tense negotiations, the Nez Perce agreed to cede 7.5 million acres of land while still maintaining the right to fish and hunt in their “usual and accustomed places.” Unfortunately, following the discovery of gold on Nez Perce land, the U.S. government, unendorsed by the Nez Perce people, shrank the 1855 reservation by 90% and allowed squatters and trespassers to remain. Sites representative of this are include Pierce Courthouse near Orofino, Idaho; Old Joseph’s Gravesite at the base of Lake Wallowa, Oregon; and Camas Prairie in Northeastern Oregon.

Finally, fueled by the Treaty Period, the Struggle of 1877 was described by one Nez Perce elder as “our people’s painful and tragic encounter with Manifest Destiny.” The Struggle of 1877 describes a series of altercations between certain Nez Perce bands, their allies, and the U.S. army in the summer of 1877. Sites from this era are commemorated, preserved, and protected as a reminder of the tragic losses and sacrifices that continue to resonate in the hearts and minds of the Nez Perce people, and include White Bird Battlefield in Idaho County, Idaho and Canyon Creek, located west of Billings, Montana.

To learn more about the Nez Perce National Historic Park and the history and culture of the Nez Perce people, visit the park’s website at or stop by the Spalding Visitor Center, located at 39063 US hwy 95, 11 miles east of Lewiston, Idaho.