During my 2007 Idaho long weekend road trip, I made a short swing through southwestern Montana where I stopped at Big Hole National Battlefield, a unit within Nez Perce National Historic Park. Back in the 1870s, a band of non-treat Nez Perce did not want to live on a small reservation and began making their way across Idaho and Montana in an attempt to reach Canada.

While the band was camping at Big Hole, the U.S. Army launched a surprise attack. By usual measures, the Nez Perce won the battle, but they were severely weakened. They ... (more)