Excerpts from Map "Nez Perce Cross Absaroka Divide"
The story of the Nez Perce in Yellowstone during the Nez Perce War of 1877 is a poignant story of the triumph of the Nimiipuu (the people) their character, principles and will to survive against overwhelming odds. The Nez Perce story in Yellowstone is a story that has largely been untold.
Work for “Nez Perce Cross Absaroka Divide & Triumph at Clarks Fork Canyon” began in 1989 and was concluded August 19, 2006, with a final pack trip in the field looking at two possible routes Looking Glass could have used enroute from the Upper Lamar area to Hoodoo Basin. Archival research included three trips to the National Archives & the Smithsonian Institute. Additional archival research included visits to the Idaho Historical Society, Montana Historical Society, Oregon Historical Society, Fort Van Couver, the Nez Perce National Historical Park in Lewiston, Idaho, and Yellowstone National Park. Research was followed by backpacking trips, pack trips, day rides on horeseback and daylong hikes extgending over a 17 year period. The reason for this determined effort was to fully understand the routes the Nez Perce followed and why. Then and only then could one fully appreciate the obstacles the Nez Perce collectively faced from the military forces surrounding them, the elements they struggled with and the terrain that was to sap their energy and spirit before their final exit onto the Big Horn Basin area and their flight to Canada.
After years of archival research and field work, you come to realize just how significant the Nez Perce effort was. As a consequence, we can look at their trials through a different prism than we have in the past. To be sure they demonstrated courage and stamina beyond belief. But more than that we develop a sense of their desperation and determination to fight and protect their ancestoral lands, their culture, and their people. The Nez Perce story tells a story of values, principals and honor worth fighting and dying for as they did at White Bird Canyon, the Clearwater, The Big Hole, and the Bears Paw.
If you are a Teacher you can use the slide presentations along with intepretive notes to tell and show your students through the slide show the Nez Perce Story in Yellowstone. If you are an author or historican, you will appreciate the archival resources you'll find in this CD. Finally, if you are like many of us, and you just want to know more about Yellows Wolf, Chief Joseph or the other great Nez Perce Leaders, then this CD is a must. It includes documents previsouly unpblished, all told there are more 200 historical documents and photographs, as well as interpretive notes for your viewing and reading pleasure. The CD is an important contribution to the Nimiipuu story and the Nez Perce War of 1877.
