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Big Hole National Battlefield

On August 9, 1877 gun shots shattered a chilly dawn on a sleeping camp of Nez Perce.  By the time the smoke cleared on August 10, almost 90 Nez Perce were dead along with 31 soldiers and volunteers. Big Hole National Battlefield was created to honor all who where there.

The Camp Trail is open but the Siege Trail is closed due to ice and mud.

 
Bear Paw Battlefield landscape

Bear Paw Battlefield

Located 16 miles south of Chinook, Montana on Highway 240, the battlefield commemorates the final conflict of the Nez Perce War of 1877. Following the breakout of war in Idaho, nearly 800 Nez Perce spent a long and arduous summer fleeing U.S. Army troops first toward Crow allies and then toward refuge in Canada. Forty miles short of the Canadian border and following a five-day battle and siege, the Nez Perce ceased fighting on October 5th, 1877, in which Chief Joseph gave his immortal speech: “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
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Nez Perce and his horse at Big Hole National Battlefield

Nez Perce National Historical Park

Nez Perce National Historical Park is a park about a people, for all people. It is not one place but many. Today 38 sites in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington commemorate the legends and the history of the Nez Perce and their interaction with others. As you travel from site to site you will come to sense the rich and diverse culture of the Nimiipu.  
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Clouds

Weather at Big Hole

The weather at Big Hole National Battlefield can be extreme. Please check the weather when planning your trip.

 
Nez Perce National Historic Trail Logo

Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Big Hole and Bear Paw Battlefields are many stops on the Nez Perce National Historic Trail.  To find out more about this over 1,100 mile trail please visit this site.
 

Write to

PO Box 237
16425 Highway 43 West
Wisdom, MT 59761

Phone

Visitor Information
(406) 689-3155

Fax

(406) 689-3151

Climate

Weather is from Wisdom, MT
Communities Surrounding Big Hole National Battlefield
Note: The times listed below are approximate driving times to the park.
Wisdom, MT (13 min. ) Pop. 114
Sula, MT (38 min. )
Gibbonsville, ID (38 min. )
Jackson, MT (42 min. )
Conner, MT (50 min. )
 North Fork, ID (50 min. )
Wise River, MT (1 hr.  0 min. )
Carmen, ID (1 hr.  10 min. )
Salmon, ID (1 hr.  17 min. ) Pop. 3,122
Polaris, MT (1 hr.  24 min. )