Big Hole National Battlefield ⓘ

Big Hole National Battlefield marks the site of the battle that occurred on August 9 and 10 during the Nez Perce Flight of 1877 . In early August, over 800 nımí·pu· (Nez Perce), and more than 2,000 horses, traveled peacefully through the Bitterroot Valley after crossing Lolo Pass into Montana. Their leaders believed the military would not pursue them into Montana, despite many having premonitions that suggested otherwise. When the nımí·pu· arrived at ?ıckumcılé.lıkpe (known today as Big Hole National Battlefield) on August 7, they were unaware that the military was close behind them. U.S. troops launched a surprise dawn attack on the sleeping nımí·pu· encampment on the morning of August 9.

Explanation of the Numbers: The numbered sections outline significant phases of the Battle of Big Hole during the Nez Perce Flight of 1877:

The official brochure and map for Big Hole National Battlefield is available in several formats by visiting our Park Brochure page.

hímı.n maqsmáqs (Yellow Wolf) described that night: “The warriors paraded about camp, singing, all making a good time. It was the first since war started. Everyone with good feeling. Going to buffalo country! . . . War was quit. All Montana citizens our friends.” Meanwhile Colonel John Gibbon reported “All laid down to rest until eleven o’clock. At that hour the command . . . of 17 officers, 132 men and 34 citizens, started down the trail on foot, each man being provided with 90 rounds of ammunition. The howitzer [cannon] could not accompany the column. . . . Orders were given . . . that at early daylight it should start after us with a pack mule loaded with 2,000 rounds of extra [rifle] ammunition.”

hú.sus ? ewyí.n (Wounded Head) told what happened before dawn August 9: “A man . . . got up early, before the daylight. Mounting his horse, he . . . crossed the creek, when soldiers were surrounding the camp . . . he was shot down. The sound of the gun awoke most of the band and immediately the battle took place.” Corporal Charles Loynes recalled, “We received orders to give three volleys [low into the tipis], then charge—we did so. That act would hit anyone, old as well as young, but what any individual soldier did while in the camp, he did so as a brute, and not because he had any orders to commit such acts.” hímı.n ? ılpílp (Red Wolf) described the chaos: “The women, all scared when the soldiers charged the camp, ran into the water, the brush. Any place where they could hide themselves and children. Many were killed as they ran.” pıná.?wınonmay (Helping Another) explained what she did: “I hid under some willow brush, lying like this [flat on side]. A little girl lay close, my arm over her. Bullets cut twigs down on us like rain. The little girl was killed. Killed under my arm.” The soldiers were then given the order to burn the tipis.

“These soldiers came on rapidly. They mixed up part of our village. I now saw [tipis] on fire. I grew hot with anger,” recalled hímı.n maqsmáqs (Yellow Wolf). “Those soldiers did not last long. . . . Scared, they ran back across the river. We followed the soldiers across the stream. . . . the soldiers hurried up the bluff.” Amos Buck, a civilian volunteer, told: “Here we began to throw up entrenchments. The Indians quickly surrounded us and were firing from every side, while we were digging and firing.”

Colonel Gibbon recalled: “Just as we took up our position in the timber two shots from our howitzer on the trail above us we heard, and we afterwards learned that the gun and pack mule with ammunition were . . . intercepted by Indians.” wewúkıye?ılpílp (Red Elk) also described the capture: “We saw the warriors closing in on the cannon. Three men, one from above and two below . . . None of the three stopped from dodging, running forward. The big gun did not roar again.”

Some warriors kept the soldiers and volunteers besieged while others raced back to camp. “I started back with others to our camp,” explained hímı.n maqsmáqs (Yellow Wolf). “I wanted to see what had been done. It was not good to see women and children lying dead and wounded. . . . The air was heavy with sorrow. I would not want to hear, I would not want to see again.”

The nımí·pu· buried their dead and prepared to move. Most warriors went with the camp to protect it. The battle continued and some warriors stayed behind, including hímı.n maqsmáqs (Yellow Wolf), who told: “The night grew old and the firing faded away. Soldiers would not shoot. . . . We did not charge. If we killed one soldier, a thousand would take his place. If we lost one warrior, there was none to take his place.” Near dawn they saw a man ride up to the soldiers. “We did not try to kill him. . . . The soldiers made loud cheering. We understood! Ammunition had arrived or more soldiers were coming. . . . We gave those trenched soldiers two volleys as a ‘Good-by!’ Then we mounted and rode swiftly away.”

The battle at Big Hole was a turning point in the Flight of 1877. The nımí·pu· no longer considered "all Montana citizens our friends." Between 60 and 90 nımí·pu· men, women, and children were killed during the battle, with an unknown number wounded, some killed or injured by Bitterroot civilians who the nımí·pu· recognized. Of the military and civilian volunteers, 31 were killed, 38 wounded.

After the battle, the nımí·pu· fled south, crossing back into Idaho over Bannock Pass, before heading east towards Yellowstone National Park. They attempted to avoid towns and ranches, but when they did encounter settlers, the nımí·pu· no longer trusted them. The military caught up to the nımí·pu· for the first time after this battle on August 20 at Camas Meadow, west of Yellowstone National Park.

The avian community of Big Hole National Battlefield is as rich and as varied as the landscape it occupies. The Park serves as a permanent home to many bird ( wi’twit ) species, a summer breeding area for others, a place to rest and refuel for long-distance migrants, and a place for some species to spend the winter.

Over 80 species of birds were recorded in a 1999 bird inventory at Big Hole National Battlefield. Two winter residents of note recorded in this study were the American tree sparrow ( Spizella arborea ) and the common redpoll ( Carduelis flammea ). Other frequently spotted species include: bald eagle (saqanta’yx, Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), rough-legged hawk ( Buteo lagopus ), northern pygmy-owl ( Glaucidium gnoma ), long-eared owl ( Asio otus ), Hammond’s flycatcher ( Empidonax hammondii ), and Say’s phoebe ( Sayornis saya ). In addition, the presence of black-billed magpie ( Pica hudsonia ) is likely associated with adjacent ranch lands.

The willow flats along the river support concentrations of veery ( Catharus fuscescens ), northern waterthrush ( Seiurus noveboracensis ), Lincoln’s sparrow ( Melospiza lincolnii ), and yellow warbler ( Dendroica petechia ). The lodgepole pine forest on the mountain slope consist of typical forest species including: Townsend’s solitaire ( Myadestes townsendi ), hermit thrush ( Catharus guttatus ), golden-crowned kinglet ( Regulus satrapa ), Clark’s nutcracker ( Nucifraga Columbiana ), and western tanager ( Piranga ludoviciana ), among others. The sagebrush-steppe of the bench and mountain slope is represented by key sagebrush and/or grassland associated species such as the Brewer’s sparrow ( Spizella breweri ), vesper sparrow ( Pooecetes gramineus ), and savannah sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ).

Key management issues at Big Hole National Battlefield associated with birds include adjacent agricultural and ranching land use, potential for cowbird parasitism, past fire suppression in the forested area, and the invasion of exotic species. Because of the diversity of habitats at this site, it supports a variety of bird communities, each with their inherent management issues. Visitors are required to stay on maintained trails to limit disturbance to nesting birds. Bird feathers are important to the Nez Perce. Collection of feathers within the park is punishable by law.

Traditional nımí·pu· (Nez Perce) culture was closely tied with the natural world, and plants had great importance materially and spiritually. Understanding nımí·pu· relationships with plant communities can contribute to the overall understanding of nımí·pu· culture. This includes subsistence, technology, medicine, spirituality, settlement patterns, travels, social organization, and relationships with other groups historically and today.

Plants contributed to traditional nımí·pu· culture in both material and spiritual dimensions. Plant foods provided over half of the dietary calories, with winter survival depending largely on dried roots, especially kouse ( Lomatium spp.) and camas ( Camassia quamash ). Techniques for preparing and storing winter foods enabled people to survive times of colder winters with little or no fresh foods. nımí·pu· textiles were made primarily from dogbane ( Apocynum cannabinum ), tules ( Scirpus acutus ), and western redcedar ( Thuja plicata ). The most important industrial woods were redcedar, ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ), Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ), willow ( Salix exigua ), and hard woods such as yew ( Taxus brevifolia ) and syringa ( Philadelphus lewisii ).

Euroamerican settlement in the nımí·pu· homeland drastically restricted Nez Perce access to traditional plant resources. In the nineteenth century, missionaries and the United States government advocated that the nımí·pu· people abandon their traditional ways and become sedentary farmers. Agricultural development, aggressive weed species, extensive grazing and land alterations have eliminated and further impacted persisting populations of traditional food plants. nımí·pu· people were forced to adopt a Euroamerican diet because of restrictions on their movements and degeneration or destruction of traditional food plant habitats. Nevertheless, many contemporary nımí·pu· people include traditional foods in their diet today and sites such as Big Hole Battlefield still support native ecosystems.

Big Hole National Battlefield is home to a wide array of animal species, including amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. The flowing Big Hole River attracts and sustains a variety of wildlife, where visitors may spot mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ), moose ( Alces alces ), and elk ( Cervus elaphus ). From the mighty elk to the tiniest ant, this diverse ecosystem highlights the importance of protecting species of all sizes.

A 2002 study confirmed the presence of 31 mammal species within Big Hole National Battlefield, alongside four species of herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians). Notably, both the western toad ( Bufo boreas ) and the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) are considered “species of special concern” by the Montana Natural Heritage Program.

While the bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) occasionally appears in the park, it is not a year-round resident. Other sensitive species that may be spotted at Big Hole include:

Great gray owl ( Strix nebulosa ) and Boreal owl ( Aegolius funereus ): Both prefer forested habitats and are known to be elusive.

Each species found in the Big Hole Valley plays a vital role in the park’s ecosystem. Here are some notable species and their nımí·pu· (Nez Perce) names, highlighting the cultural and environmental significance of these animals to the area.

Bear Paw and Big Hole National Battlefield, both Montana park sites within Nez Perce National Historical Park, were once the home of large herds of bison ( Bos bison ), which the Nez Perce traveled to hunt. One nımí·pu· (Nez Perce) name for the Big Hole Valley was “place of the buffalo calf.” Pronghorn antelope ( Antilocapra americana ) are now the most common large mammal, but mule deer and white-tail deer ( Odocoileus hemionus; Odocoileus virginianus ) may be found along stream channels where brush cover is available. Whitetail jackrabbits ( Lepus townsendii ), desert cottontail ( Sylvilagus audubonii ), ground squirrels ( Spermophilus lateralis ), coyotes ( Canis latrans ), and badgers ( Taxidea taxus ) are common.

Another name for the Big Hole Valley was “place of the ground squirrels.” To this day, visitors walking along the trail to the encampment area often see numerous ground squirrel holes and piles of discarded burrow soil.

Other mammals found in this conifer/alpine meadow ecoregion are gray wolf ( Canis lupus ), elk ( Cervus elaphus ), moose ( Alces alces ), black bear ( Ursus americanus ), mountain lion ( Puma concolor ), beaver ( Castor canadensis ), and porcupine ( Erethizon dorsatum ). Some small mammals include flying squirrel ( Flaucomys sabrinus ), marten ( Martes Americana ), and woodrats ( Neotoma cinerea ).