Western Montana Getaway: Big Hole Battlefield offers trip back in time

The visitors center: at Big Hole Battlefield is a starting point for guests at the historic site.
Courtesy Photo

By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian

On a crisp August morning in 1877, close to 750 nontreaty Nez Perce Indians were camped along the North Fork of the Big Hole River.

They'd fled their homes in Idaho in the face of demands from the U.S. Army that all Nez Perce move onto a reservation a fraction the size of their traditional homeland.

The Nez Perce knew they'd crossed into Montana Territory and thought they were safe. Just before daybreak on Aug. 9, 1877, a force of soldiers and civilian volunteers under Col. John Gibbon of the U.S. 7th Infantry attacked the village while most of the Nez Perce slept. After a heated battle inside the camp, the Nez Perce warriors forced the attackers to retreat to a nearby wooded hill.

The warriors held the military there while the older men, women and children in the camp buried the dead and fled.

The Battle of the Big Hole lasted less than 36 hours. Between 60 and 90 Nez Perce men, women and children died, most during the initial attack on the sleeping camp. Twenty-two soldiers, a civilian guide and five civilian volunteers were also killed.

From the Big Hole, the Nez Perce continued their flight. After several skirmishes with federal troops, the U.S. Army forced most of the Nez Perce to surrender near the Canadian border in October 1877. About 150 escaped into Canada.

Today, nearly 40,000 visitors a year visit the battlefield on northern end of the Big Hole Valley.

As they walk along the trails that wind through the pine and mountain meadows, visitors can still see the hurried trenches dug by harried troops seeking cover from the accurate crossfire of Nez Perce marksmen. Closer to the creek 53 teepee frames offer a glimpse into how the camp appeared that early morn.

"The hats and feathers that once marked the battlefield are gone now," said Robert West, a Big Hole Battlefield Park ranger. "Some people, including some Nez Perce, thought the hats and feathers were borderline cartoonish ... they were a nightmare to maintain."

The hats and feathers have been replaced by numbered trail markers which visitors use on a self-guided tour of the site.

There are a couple of short trails to choose from. The 1.2-mile long Nez Perce Camp trail leads to the site where the Indians were camped that fateful day. The Siege Trail is a one-mile round trip that takes visitors to the area where soldiers and Bitterroot volunteers dug in while being fired on by Nez Perce warriors.

The Big Hole National Battlefield features a visitor's center where the award winning film "Weet'uciklitukt: There's No Turning Back, Battle at Big Hole" that offers people an introduction to the Nez Perce War of 1877.

"We really do have the ability to tell this story in three different dimensions," West said. "The best way by far is go out on the battlefield where you hear the water and feel the change in season. It's a real visceral experience."

Each year on the Saturday nearest the date of the actual battle, upwards of 200 Nez Perce converge at the site in commemoration of the event. This year's remembrance takes place on Aug. 11.

"We typically have a good turnout each year for that event," West said. "It's free and open to the public. It is a moving cultural experience for people traveling through western Montana."

It's a good idea to be prepared for mosquitoes and unusually cold weather in any trip to the Big Hole Valley where residents are fond of saying there are 10 months of winter and two months of rough sledding.

The Big Hole National Battlefield is a National Historic Monument that's open seven days a week, year-round. For more information, call 689-3155.

Getting there
The Big Hole National Battlefield is located 10 miles west of Wisdom on Highway 43. From Missoula, take Highway 93 south through the Bitterroot Valley to Lost Trail Pass. Turn east on Highway 43 and drive 17 miles to the battlefield.

Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 523-5259 or at pbackus@missoulian.com