"During the month of May in 1877, General Howard of the U.S. Army ordered Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe to move onto the established reservation within 30 days. The Nez Perce would be moving from lands where their people had lived for generations. Those lands now include parts of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. The Indians were heartbroken and full of hatred for the white man and his army. (This is part two of the “Nez Perce Trail” that began in the March issue of this magazine.)

The first week of June in 1877, 800 Nez Perce people, including women and children, herded 2,000 horses across the Snake River at Dug Bar. They made their way to Tolo Lake in Idaho where they met with several other Nez Perce bands who were being forced onto the reservation. While the chiefs of those bands met to search for options, life within the camp proceeded as usual.

Earlier that year, an Indian called Eagle Robe had been killed by white men who wanted his land. Although the case went to a court, there had been no retribution and the men were set free. Eagle Robe’s son, Wahlitits, was among those camped at Tolo Lake. As young men discussed their past and future, Wahlitits decided it was time to settle a score for his father’s death. He convinced two other relatives to join him. They left camp on June 13."

Get the Story:
The Nez Perce Trail Part II (4 Wheel Drive Magazine April 2012)