Friends of Bear Paw, Big Hole & Canyon Creek Battlefields

Battlefield Archeology

We are pleased to provide you Mr. Douglas Scott's full reports of the archeological survey conducted at Bear Paw and the dig at Big Hole Battlefield. Both projects were conducted in the 1990s and 2000.

Mr. Scott has made available his report for Bear Paw, which we present here. We are awaiting final NPS approval before presenting Scott's report on the Big Hole Battlefield archeology.

Mr. Scott, now retired from the NPS, was Great Plains Team Leader for the NPS Midwest Archeological Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. He pioneered the use of metal detecting in the study of battlefield archeology with landmark projects at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and Washita Battlefield National Historic Site.

Mr. Scott, and his team's research open a wholly new door for interpreting the history of the Nez Perce War of 1877. The Friends of Bear Paw, Big Hole & Canyon Creek Battlefields thank Superintendent Tami DeGrosky and Mr. Scott for permission to publish these reports.

We must advise you that taking artifacts from these battle sites is a Federal offense with guilty parties receiving hefty fines and years in jail. If you find artifacts during your visit, please notify the National Park Service so they can deal with it.