An advance party of seven men encountered the Nez Perce Indians on the prairie outside what is now Weippe on Sept. 20, 1805. The rest arrived Sept. 22. It was a welcome meeting for the travelers after the arduous trek over the Bitterroot Mountains where they had found little game to feed the party. The Nez Perce shared buffalo, salmon, roots, berries and bread made from the camas root.

In addition to food, the Lewis and Clark Expedition learned from the Nez Perce about the water route down the Clearwater River, then the Snake River to the Columbia and on to the Pacific Ocean. The party spent about two weeks with the Indians recuperating from their journey across the mountains, learning about the Nez Perce culture and being taught how to construct canoes. Those canoes were used to transport the men the rest of the way to the Pacific.

When the Corps of Discovery returned from the Pacific in the spring of 1806, the explorers spent about a month with the Nez Perce waiting for the snow on the Bitterroots to melt so Lolo Pass was passable. During their time with the Nez Perce, they learned respect for the genteel nature of the Indians and for the quality of their horses the Nez Perce Appaloosa.

Weippe Prairie, a National Historic Landmark administered by the National Park Service, is part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. There are two main Visitor Centers, one at Park Headquarters in Spalding, 11 miles east of Lewiston and the other at Big Hole National Battlefield, 10 miles west of Wisdom, Montana.

For further information about see the web site: An advance party of seven men encountered the Nez Perce Indians on the prairie outside what is now Weippe on Sept. 20, 1805. The rest arrived Sept. 22. It was a welcome meeting for the travelers after the arduous trek over the Bitterroot Mountains where they had found little game to feed the party. The Nez Perce shared buffalo, salmon, roots, berries and bread made from the camas root.

In addition to food, the Lewis and Clark Expedition learned from the Nez Perce about the water route down the Clearwater River, then the Snake River to the Columbia and on to the Pacific Ocean. The party spent about two weeks with the Indians recuperating from their journey across the mountains, learning about the Nez Perce culture and being taught how to construct canoes. Those canoes were used to transport the men the rest of the way to the Pacific.

When the Corps of Discovery returned from the Pacific in the spring of 1806, the explorers spent about a month with the Nez Perce waiting for the snow on the Bitterroots to melt so Lolo Pass was passable. During their time with the Nez Perce, they learned respect for the genteel nature of the Indians and for the quality of their horses the Nez Perce Appaloosa.

Weippe Prairie, a National Historic Landmark administered by the National Park Service, is part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. There are two main Visitor Centers, one at Park Headquarters in Spalding, 11 miles east of Lewiston and the other at Big Hole National Battlefield, 10 miles west of Wisdom, MT.

For further information about see the web site: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/lewisandclark/wei.htm.

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