Ant and Yellowjacket

Ant and Yellowjacket is an affiliated site of the Nez Perce National Historical Park that is located on private property. A historical marker at the highway pullout tells the story of their battle, and provides a view of the rock formation that the two insects were turned into. Please respect the land owner's property rights and do not climb the hillside where the rock formation is located.

• A basaltic rock arch that looks a little like an ant and a wasp battling each other with their mandibles. The arch is across the highway from the pullout, and is approximately 6 feet tall.

Asa Smith Mission

Overview of the Asa Smith Mission.

• A highway pullout for vehicles to park with a large wooden sign with written information about the Asa Smith Mission. Sign has a brown background with a green silhouette of Idaho state on the left side with Hwy 95 with the approximate site location of the Asa Smith Mission is located in the upper left corner. A black bordered rectangle with 2 feathers and 'Site 16" is in the lower right corner of the state silhouette. On the right side of the sign there is a green mountain silhouette with a few trees and a sign coming out of the ground with the number 309 in green lettering. There is yellow text in the middle of the sign that says " Asa Smith Mission: A Massachusetts Congregationalist, Smith spent two years here learning the Nez Perce language and starting a mission. Coming here May 10, 1839 to study with Lawyer, an important Nez Perce leader, he styed to work on an Indian dictionary and to hold daily religious classes each spring and winter. After spending six months in a "mere hovel," he finished a comfortable home and started a garden of several acres. Btu he never got used to pioneer life here. Leaving Kamiah April 19, 1841, he moved to a mission in Hawaii."

Bear Paw Battlefield

The Bear Paw Battlefield is the location of the final battle of the Nez Perce Flight of 1877. Following the breakout of war in Idaho, approximately 800 Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) spent a long and arduous summer fleeing U.S. Army troops first toward Crow allies and then toward refuge in Canada. The Nimiipuu arrived at C’aynnim Alikinwaaspa (Place of the Manure Fire, now known as the Bear Paw Battlefield), a mere forty miles short of the Canadian border.

• Open grassland rolling hills with a large parking area and an outhouse.

Buffalo Eddy

Long before Europeans or Americans first set foot in this country, the Nez Perce left behind vivid evidence of their association with this land. On either side of an eddy formed by a series of sharp bends in the Snake River, are densely grouped clusters of petroglyphs and pictographs. Known as Buffalo Eddy, the unique petroglyphs contain hundreds of distinct images that possibly date from as early as 4,500 years ago.

• The rock art panels feature human-like figures, some of which appear to be holding barbells. There are also many other animal-like figures and abstract shapes. The rock art is a lighter tan color than the dark varnish of the rocks that the art were carved into thousands of years ago.

Camas Meadows Battle Sites

Overview of Camas Meadows Battle Sites

• Roadside pullout with information signs and metal silhouettes of Nez Perce warriors. The landscape is large grassland meadow.

Camas Prairie

The rolling hills and plains of the Camas Prairie mark the heart of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Rich in resources, the prairie grasslands provided forage for horse herds and camas bulbs could be harvested in abundance. With the passage of the Allotment Act by Congress in the 1880s, the amount of land on the Camas Prairie held by nimí·pu· (Nez Perce) families would shrink. Much of the land was converted to agriculture.

• From the roadside pullout, an expanse of prairie is visible. In the spring, blue Camas blooms can be seen dotting the prairie. Tolo Lake is also visible in the distance.

Canoe Camp

Where the North Folk of the Clearwater River enters the main channel of the Clearwater, the Corps of Discovery were exhausted and famished. It was the end of September 1805 and the difficult trek over the Continental Divide was finally behind them. But on this point of land over an 11-day period, they worked incredibly hard. This was Canoe Camp.

• A wooden dugout canoe is the focal point of this site. The canoe is about 20 feet long and 2 feet tall, and is made of a single tree trunk which has been slowly and methodically carved out using hot stones and metal tools. The site is located next to a large flowing river (the clearwater).

Canoe Camp Site

Overview of Canoe Camp.

• A small park site located along the Clearwater River. Manicured green grass and a variety of trees are located throughout. There is a trail that circle the interior of the park with interpretive signs with information on Canoe Camp at various stops along the trail. There is a parking lot and a public restroom available at the site.

Canyon Creek

Overview of Canyon Creek

• Stone pillar kiosk with a wooden roof. Interpretative panels on the battle at Canyon Creek are located under the kiosk. There is a fire pit in the middle. The landscape is arid with valley outstretching into the distance with two buttes on each side.

Clearwater Battlefield

The Clearwater Battlefield is one of the sites found along the Nez Perce National Historical Trail and is an important marker of the Flight of 1877. The site is privately owned, but a historical marker is on Highway 13 south of Stites, ID

• A gravel pullout with a wooden browns sign with the words "Nez Perce War" at the top. The sign is held up on the sides by two wooden posts. The sign has the state of Idaho outlined and describes the Flight of 1877. Beyond the sign is grass and a river with deciduous trees along its bank. On the opposite side of the two lane highway is a dense mostly deciduous forest area rising up a steep mountain.

Confluence Overlook

Far below the Confluence Overlook on the north bank of the Clearwater River, Donald MacKenzie established a trading post in August of 1812. The fur trading post proved unsuccessful because the Nez Perce wanted to trade food and horses but were unwilling to trap beavers. The highway pullout overlooks the confluence and valleys of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers.

• Two large wooden interpretive signs tell the history of the area. Behind them, the small cities of Lewiston and Clarkston are visible, as well as rolling wheat hills.

Cottonwood Skirmishes

Overview of Cottonwood Skirmishes

• Roadside pullout with two wooden signs with information on Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce War. There is a stone monument next to the signs in the shape of Idaho. It is surrounded by a metal fence. The landscape behind the signs is of rolling hills, telephone polls, and a large a farming community with several barns and cilos.

Coyote's Fishnet

Coyote's Fishnet is an affiliated site of the Nez Perce National Historical Park that is located on private property. A historical marker at the highway pullout tells the story of Coyote's Fishnet, and provides a view of the rock formation that the fishnet turned into.

• A paved pullout, big enough for approximately 10 cars to park. An interpretive sign is on on the side of the paved area

Craig Donation Land Claim

When the American Fur Company went out of business in 1840, William Craig settled in the Lapwai Valley. He met a Nez Perce headman known as Thunder Eyes and fell in love with his daughter and married her. William Craig's Donation Land Claim is the first place in Idaho where a white settle obtained title to a farm through the Oregon Donation Land Act. William Craig was the only white person to have official permission from the Nez Perce to live on the reservation.

• A pullout large enough for three cars. There are two sign with historical information; one is a wooden sign with an image of the state of Idaho and yellow text talking about William Craig and another is a stone carved into the shape of Idaho with text carved into it explaining the Craig Donation Land Claim.

Dug Bar

Overview of Dug Bar

• Large blue rive body flowing through a rocky hillside landscape. A mix of green grasses, rocks, and shrubby trees line the banks.

Fort Lapwai Officers' Quarters

Fort Lapwai played a key role in the events leading up to the Flight of 1877 when General Oliver O. Howard, commanding officer of the Department of the Columbia ordered Chief Joseph’s band to move from their homeland in the Wallowa’s of northeast Oregon to the new reservation in Idaho. When war broke, Fort Lapwai was the center of operations until the Nez Perce crossed the Bitterroot Mountains into western Montana.

• A two-story white wooden building stands on the site. The building has 7 stairs leading to a covered porch. On the first floor on the porch level are two separate doors surrounded by doors and windows on top and sides. To the left and right of the doors are two sets of windows. On the second level are 4 windows, two in the middle of the house connected and two to the left and right of the middle set separated by several feet of building.

Hasotino Village Site

Overview of Hasotino

• An expansive grassy field along the Snake River bordered by grassy hillsides.

Heart of the Monster

According to the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) creation story, Iceye’ye (Coyote) killed a large monster along the Clearwater River near present day Kamiah, Idaho, thus creating different tribes in the region, including the Nimiipuu. A rock formation in the area is said to represent the heart of the monster described in the legend. It is sacred to the Nimiipuu people.

• A gently sloped basalt mound, covered in grass, approximately 50 feet tall, is at this location. The mound is surrounding by fencing and has a mixture of vegetation on it. There is a dirt path that surrounds the mound.

Joseph Canyon Viewpoint

The canyon seen from this overlook was one of the winter homes of the Chief Joseph band of Nez Perce. Tradition holds that Chief Joseph was born in a cave along the east bank of the creek.

• From the overlook, there is a scenic view of mountains and heavily wooded canyonlands. Several interpretive panels on the north side of the site provide orientation to other sites of Nez Perce National Historical Park. On the south side of the parking area, a short trail leads to two pit toilets.

Lapwai Mission

Overview of NEPE Lapwai Mission Site

• A highway pullout for vehicles to park with a large wooden sign with written information about the Lapwai Mission. Sign has a brown background with a green silhouette of Idaho state on the left side with Hwy 95 with the approximate site location of the Lapwai Mission is located in the upper left corner. A black bordered rectangle with 2 feathers and 'Site 5" is in the lower right corner of the state silhouette. On the right side of the sign there is a green mountain silhouette with a few trees and a sign coming out of the ground with the number 112 in green lettering. There is yellow text in the middle of the sign that says "Lapwai Mission" "Henry Harmon Spalding established Idaho's earliest mission near here. Nov. 29, 1836, at a site chosen by the Nez Perce Indians. Ever since they met Lewis and Clark in 1805-06, the Nez Perce had wanted to find out more about the white mans ways. In 1831 a Nez Perce delegation went all the way to St. Louis, where they saw Clark again and asked for teachers. Spalding came west to answer their call: with Indian help, a house and assembly hall were built in 24 days, and it two months Mrs. Spalding started a mission school. In 1838 the mission was moved north to the Clearwater."

Lenore

Overview of Lenore

• The highway rest area consists of a large paved parking area, with several islands of grass throughout. There is no visible evidence of the village.

Lewis and Clark Long Camp

Overview of Long Camp

• Roadside pullout with a gravel parking area and a variety of trees around the border. There are 5 wooden information signs providing information on the history of the area.

Lolo Trail

In mid-September 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the historic Lolo Trail. The Corps knew the Lolo Trail would provide them a physical challenge, and they feared they would not survive the peaks without assistance. They were able to acquire as many horses as possible and enlist the help of a few guides who knew the route that lay ahead. Under the guidance of Old Toby (Shoshone), the Corps turned northward and began their ascent into the Bitterroot Mountains.

• The Lolo Trail sprawls along the Bitterroot Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains from Lolo Montana to Weippe Prairie Idaho. Large snow-capped mountain tops and canyons are visible while on the trails as far as the eyes can see. Large, dense patches and meadows of pine trees, sometimes also snow-capped, are visible along the trail as well.

Lolo Trail and Lolo Pass

Overview of Lolo Pass and Trail

• Mountain pass over the bitterroot mountains covered with green grasses and evergreen trees. Typically snow-covered during the winter months. There is a log cabin style visitor center and a large concrete parking lot.

Looking Glass Camp

The site of Looking Glass's Camp is part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Kooskia National Fish Hatchery. Here the Looking Glass band of Nez Perce was attacked while within the Nez Perce Reservation; this attack caused Looking Glass to join the Nez Perce war of 1877.

• The roadside pullout contains a large brown sign installed on the edge of a paved parking area. The 0.15 mile interpretive trail features grass, trees, and a wooden platform with a view of a wetland and a picnic table.

Lostine Campsite

At the junction of the Lostine and Wallowa Rivers is a traditional Nez Perce summer campsite where Old Chief Joseph died in 1871. This landscape has changed little from the days before the area was settled.

• Open grassland field with tall grasses covering the landscape, hill and mountains in the distance covered by dark green coniferous trees. Farming fields with wheat and other crops can be seen along the highway.

McBeth House

Overview of the McBeth House.

• An old, rugged two story cabin is surrounded by a fence made of stacked logs that zig zag around the building. The roof of the cabin is worn by the elements and has moss growing on it. The facade of the cabin is also very worn and there are 8 modern style wooden supports with metal attachments in the center keeping the structure secure. There are 3 windows and one door on the front that have been boarded up a long time ago, as they are just as weathered as the rest of the structure. The cabin and the fence are surrounding by tall evergreen trees and a blue barn with a light roof can be seen in the foreground on the right side.

Musselshell Meadow

Before the arrival of settlers and sustained agriculture and ranching, the Nez Perce frequented the prairies above the Clearwater River to gather camas. After the Treaty of 1863, Weippe Prairie was out of the reservation boundaries and with the passage of the Dawes Act in the 1880s, most of Camas Prairie became privately held farm land. Many nimí·pu· went to gather roots at the edge of the mountains, such as Musselshell Meadow. Nez Perce root diggers continue to frequent Muss

• An open prairie with tall green grasses and scattered coniferous trees. A parking pullout with a vault toliet and a sign about the area. Beyond the field are rounded mountains covered with dark green coniferous trees.

Nez Perce (Nespelem) Campsites

Overview of Nez Perce (Nespelem) Campsites

• Gently sloping field along Nespelem Creek with rolling hills extending into the distance.

Nez Perce Cemetery

Overview of Nez Perce Cemetery

• Cemetery with head stones and grave markers.

Northern Idaho Indian Agency

Overview of the Northern Idaho Indian Agency

• Large one story rustic brick building across from a green lawn with a memorial stone erected for notable community members. There is a tall fence surrounding the building and overgrown shrubs and trees hiding the front from view. The building is empty.

Old Chief Joseph Gravesite

This sacred site is dedicated to tıwi·teqıs, also known as Old Chief Joseph. Old Chief Joseph was a Nez Perce leader who refused to sell his Wallowa homeland and sign the 1863 Treaty. Old Chief Joseph was originally buried between the forks of the Wallowa and Lostine rivers. His remains were reburied here in 1926.

• A cobble stone pillar is the headstone for Old Chief Joseph. A pathway leads to the pillar. On the pillar is a metal tablet with an impression of a man and a stone tablet carved with the words "To the memory of Chief Old Joseph Died 1870"

Packer Meadow, Idaho

Nez Perce people knew where to camp and what plants to eat at this site. They shared their knowledge with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

• Wide, grassy meadow surrounded by forests of evergreen trees that look like sawteeth on distant hill.

Pierce Courthouse

Pierce Courthouse stands as a reminder of the gold rush that swept through the region in the 1860s. The namesake of the courthouse, Elias Davidson Pierce, discovered gold in the creeks above Orofino, which triggered events that have had lasting consequences for the Nez Perce. Built in 1862, the courthouse is the oldest public building in the state of Idaho.

• A wooden two story building stands along a gravel road. The wooden planks are faded in spots. There is an interpretive sign in front of the entrance door. Coniferous trees circle the left and back of the building and the gravel road is on the right.

Saint Joseph's Mission

Overview of the St Joseph's Mission.

• Rustic old mission style Catholic Church with white panel siding. There are stairs leading up to two white wooden doors for entry. The doors each have an arched window at the top. Above the doors, there are two stained glass windows without a definative design, but with a beige and white pattern and a black lined double border. There is a steeple at the stop of the church with wooden shingles and an old iron bell. The church has white panel siding. There are two large deciduous trees in front of the church--one on each side of the stairs. The location of the church is in a wooden setting with large deciduous trees all around.

Spalding

Overview of Spalding

• Visitor center with museum exhibits and a theater showing an orientation film on the Nimiipuu. Historic grounds is located down a hill from the visitor center and is situated along the Clearwater River and Lapwai Creek. The lawn is green with a wide array of trees, both evergreen and deciduous, for ample shade. There are several trails looping around the grounds and historic structures which include a wooden cabin and a wrought iron fence

Tolo Lake

Overview of Tolo Lake

• The lake is round and blue, with green shrubbery in the foreground. The lake shore in the background is lines with green trees and a beige landscape of grassland that extends up into a tree covered mountain foothill.

Weippe Prairie

Descending from the Bitterroots, the Corps reached the western end of Lolo Trail by late September 1805. They had arrived at the Weippe Prairie. Clark and seven of the men pressed ahead, arriving at the prairie on September 20th. The others arrived on the 22nd. Spanning several thousand acres, the open flatland was a relief after the crew's trek through the Rockies. The Corps were exhausted and nearly starving, so making contact with the Nez Perce was crucial.

• Large prairie with different types of grasses that are yellow, brown and green.

Weippe Prairie Site

Overview of Weippe

• Expansive prairie surrounded by a tree-line of evergreens. Prairie is full of biodiversity and is host to camas flowers that will bloom in hues that range from light to dark blue in the months of May and June.

Weis Rockshelter

Overview of Weis Rockshelter

• A large dark colored rock wall consisting of basalt with a small opening at the base that served as a home for ancestors of the Nez Perce. The rock face is hidden by an array of green shrubs and a dirt pathway leads up to the rock through the greenery. There is an information wayside panel beside the trail, providing more information on the ancient dwelling.

White Bird Battlefield

Overview of White Bird Battlefield

• A paved parking area, large enough for approximately 10 vehicles, is at the trailhead. There is also a vault toilet building at the trailhead. The trail winds through rolling prairie hills dotted with occasional trees and rock outcrops.

Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center

• Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center
• Contains a museum, park film, junior ranger program, and various maps and brochures.

• Watch the Coho Salmon Run on Lapwai Creek
• Coho Salmon have used the waterways of North Central Idaho for millennia to travel to and from the Ocean. In 1984 Coho Salmon were listed as an extinct species, but the hard work of the Nez Perce Fisheries Program has brought them back.

• See the Camas Flowers Bloom on Weippe Prairie
• The prairie has always been a traditional gathering place for the nimí·pu· (Nez Perce). Families come to dig for camas bulbs (an important staple in the nimí·pu· diet), socialize, and worship. Blooms can be seen in the springtime.

• Nez Perce Legends Tour
• Three legend sites along the Clearwater river highlighting the trickster Coyote.

• Spalding Walking Tour
• Historic area with cultural, state and national significance.