Nez Perce National Historical Park

Eliza Spalding

Henry Spalding

How did Montana's Bear Paw Mountains get their name?

Nez Perce people welcomed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark here in 1805 and again in 1806. They fed them, allowed them to stay, and shared information about the geography and people of the area. Two Nez Perce men they met here guided Lewis and Clark’s party from Weippe Prairie to The Dalles.

The Camas Citizen Science Monitoring Program was developed by the National Park Service Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN) Inventory and Monitoring Program in collaboration with Nez Perce National Historical Park. This project seeks to engage high school volunteers as "Citizen Scientists" in the long range scientific monitoring of camas lily populations.

Camas Restoration at Nez Perce National Historical Park

The Corps of Discovery encountered the Nez Perce people in late September 1805. They were exhausted from the grueling trek over the Bitterroot Mountains and the sight of the friendly Nez Perce must have been somewhat comforting. Among the Nez Perce leaders who offered guidance was Walamottinin, or Twisted Hair. William Clark described him as “a Cheerful man with apparant siencerity.”

Early May was the time when the Nez Perce people dug cous roots. The Native people called it “shappelell,” and the men of the Corps thought the root resembled a small sweet potato. It’s also known as biscuitroot or desert parsley. The women and children of the tribe searched for cous roots on dry, rocky hillsides. As with most roots, they were careful not to harvest the largest one found – to make sure more cous grew the next year.

In the 1970s, Elizabeth Penney Wilson recorded interviews in nimipuutímt, the Nez Perce language. You can hear the profound love she has for her language. Despite being forced to attend the Carlisle Indian Boarding School over 2,000 miles, Elizabeth spent her life helping to preserve her people’s language and traditions. Her efforts helped produce a modern Nez Perce dictionary that is crucial for connecting the Nez Perce people of today to the language of their ancestors.

Fissure volcanoes erupt from elongated vents (fissures) rather than a central vent. The lava flows in Craters of the Moon National Monument were erupted from fissures.