Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Big Hole is a unique corner of the state with virtually all the attractions Montana
is known for: big skies, vast agricultural lands, towering mountains, historically significant
sites, world-class fishing, and rugged but charming small towns.
Among the most moving historic sites in the state, the
Big Hole National Battlefield
(Hwy.
43, 10 miles west of Wisdom, 406/689-3155,
www.nps.gov/biho
,
9am-6pm daily summer,
10am-5pm fall-spring, free) is an important stop for visitors interested in the state's Nat-
ive American history and, more specifically, the flight of the Nez Perce. The site bears the
ghosts of the battle on August 9, 1877, between Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce, often re-
ferred to as the nontreaty Nez Perce, who were fleeing the U.S. Army and their own home-
land in the Wallowa Valley in Oregon rather than be sent to a reservation, as the U.S. gov-
ernment insisted. Thinking they were safe once they had crossed the border from Idaho into
Montana, the Nez Perce set up camp on the picturesque stream to celebrate their freedom
and rest after the rugged journey. Thanks to the invention of the telegraph, the Army was
able to learn of their movements and catch up to them during the night. The Nez Perce lost
an estimated 60-90 people, many of them women and children, in the early morning am-
bush, and Col. John Gibbon lost 29 of his soldiers. Visitors learn the often tragic details as
they amble around the well-preserved battlefield.
