Nez Perce War

The Nimiipuu name for the canyon is Lahmotta, area with little snow, and it was a winter home of White Bird's band, the Lamátta, who took their name from it. Their leader, piyóopiyo x̣ayx̣áyx̣, had been among the most determined opponents of the 1863 land sale. The soldiers who fled the field left rifles and ammunition behind, and the Nimiipuu gathered them up and carried them into the fights at Cottonwood two weeks later. White Bird himself never surrendered: he slipped away from Bear Paw to Canada and died at Pincher Creek in 1892.

What the plaque says

Nez Perce War Near the base of this hill, over 100 cavalrymen and volunteers met disaster in the opening battle of the Nez Perce War. Rushing from Grangeville on the evening of June 16, 1877, Captain David Perry planned to stop the Indians from crossing Salmon River to safety from pursuit. At daylight the next morning, he headed down the ravine below you. Some sixty to eighty Indians wiped out a third of his force and the survivors retired in disorder. No Indians were killed. 294 Text prepared by the Idaho Historical Society Marker made & installed by Idaho Transportation Department

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• White Bird Battlefield — 1.5 mi
  Six Nimiipuu men rode out under a white flag. A shot came from the soldiers' side, and the Nez Perce War began.

More markers nearby

• White Bird Grade — steps away
• Salmon River — 3.6 mi
• Camas Prairie — 5.8 mi
• Mount Idaho — 12 mi