Nez Perce

After our ‘bit of a bummer’ day, we woke up ready and excited for a NEW DAY!

We ate some breakfast, loaded up, and hit the road once again.

Nez Perce National Historical Park

First stop today, White Bird Battlefield! This is apart of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. Have I mentioned how much we love experiencing all the national parks? We really do. I love being in nature and immersing myself in beautiful scenery as well as learning and trying to understand our history in the places that it happened. It’s the best.

An interesting thing about the Nez Perce Park is that the park covers four different states {Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington} and has 38 different sites! WHAT?! All of these different sites are in an effort to tell a different part of the story of the Nez Perce people. To visit all of them would be quite a feat – but we did visit two sites!

White Bird Battlefield

FIRST…some history! Though I am sorry to say, it is sad history.

White Bird Battlefield is where the first battle of the Nez Perce Flight of 1877 took place. Troops moved into the canyon to attack the Nez Perce encampment when they encountered a peace party of six Nez Perce riding towards them. An unknown civilian shot twice during the peace party and the battle began. The U.S. Calvary ended up with heavy losses and the Nez Perce fled to find safety knowing that a retaliation would come.

The NP website described a trail along the bottom of the canyon where the battle took place but we found this a little misleading. The website said, “short, interpretive trail” but the trailhead said it was a strenuous three-mile loop with venomous snakes, poison ivy, and high cliffs!

When we were getting the kids out of the car to go, a local came by to use the bathroom and warned us about going. He said the snakes were really bad and that basically he did not think it was a good idea with our little group.

So we walked just a little bit down the trail and came back. Mostly so we felt a little validated in getting the kids all out and ready to go!

BUT there is an overlook here – right off the highway! – that lets you look down on the scene of where it all took place. This had several informative signs and I think was actually better than the trail would have been anyway. I think it made it more interesting to the kids to show them what happened and where – and by overlooking it all – we could!

It also did open the door to some sad and hard discussions though. Jacob just couldn’t wrap his mind around why the Nez Perce couldn’t stay there and why wars happen. I don’t blame him.

Being at this site reminded me a lot of when we visited Little Bighorn Battlefield up in Montana. I’ve really tried to view things from both sides, but I will admit, I sympathize with the side of Native Americans a lot more.

But it was interesting to have that conversation with Jacob and see it through his eyes. Children see things so simplistic and sometimes I think we would do a lot better to follow their lead and not let other agendas muddle the water.

Visitor Center

About an hour further up the road is the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center. This is the park headquarters and I was so glad it was on our route!

It is in the Spalding area which is full of historical sites, but we stayed within the area around the visitor center.

The visitor center was so great and informative! They have a film as well as a good size collection of clothing, tools, weapons, and ceremonial objects on display. They even have a canoe!

This visitor center was really great for kids. They had lots of furs that the kids could touch and feel and guess what animal they belonged to. They also had games and other tools from the Nez Perce tribe that could be touched and played with. AND they also had a great table where they could trace and color pictures and symbols used in the Nez Perce tribe.

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It really made things come alive for them and I loved that! It was perfect for Jacob and Sarah and Benjamin kept himself busy by hoarding four appaloosa horses that were for sale from the bookstore in his stroller.

I definitely walked away having learned more and I think the rest of the family did too.

“I never said the land was mine to do with as I choose. The one who has the right to dispose of it is the one who has created it.”

hinmato wyalahtqit (Chief Joseph)

To wrap up this day we headed to our final destination – COEUR D’ALENE!