Welcome to...
Friends of the Big Hole,
Bear Paw, and Canyon Creek Battlefields
About Our Organization...
The Friends of the Big Hole, Bear Paw and Canyon Creek Battlefields (Friends) was established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2003.
Its primary purpose is to assist the Nez Perce National Historical Park in preserving the story of the Nez Perce Indians (Nimiipuu, meaning “The People”), the flight of Chief Joseph and his non-treaty followers to avoid forced resettlement on a reservation in northern Idaho, and their engagements with the United States Army in 1877.
The flight of the Nez Perce, as referred to non-treaty Nimíipuu, was led by a council of elders. Each member possessed unique skills and experiences that allowed their clan of between 450 and 700 individuals and hundreds of horses to elude the US Army from mid-June 1877 until their surrender on 5 October 1877. As the saga unfolded, while Chief Joseph became the most visible leader of the council, Looking-glass and Toohul-hul-suit played pivotal roles in devising strategies to protect and provide for their followers.
US Army troops were commanded by General Otis Olivar Howard, and General Nelson A. Miles. Captains Edward S. Godfrey and Myles Moylan would be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Historians generally classify three of major engagements in the so-called Nez Perce War as ‘battles.’
The work of the Friends and this website focus on these three battles.
Origins of the events leading to the flight and battles
Pioneers making the 2,100-mile trek on the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon endured five to six months of severe hardships and the loss of loved ones. After successfully traversing the blistering heat of and lack of water in Wyoming and southern Idaho, they entered northeastern Oregon, an area with rich, sweeping grasslands, clean water, timber and minerals.
Some who had survived the ordeal decided to settle here rather than enduring the challenges involved in fulfilling their original plans. Over time, they were joined by others drawn to the area by gold strikes in the 1850’s.
Tragically, their new home was the sacred territory of the Wallowa Band of the Nimiipuu were sociable and helped the newcomers, just as they had assisted Lewis and Clark and John Jacob Astor. However, as the onslaught of settlers squatters continued, conflicts inevitably arose, tensions escalated, and, by 1877, coexistence became impossible.