Battle of Bear Paw - Aftermath

Aftermath

The Nez Percé had carried out an epic fighting retreat for 1,170 miles across parts of 4 states only to be halted 40 miles from safety in Canada. Joseph had impressed the entire nation with his campaign. Howard and Miles praised the Nez Percé and even General William T. Sherman praised them for their fighting ability and the relative lack of atrocities they committed. Colonel Miles had promised Joseph that his people would return to reservations in their homeland, but this promise was overruled by Sherman. The Nez Percé were sent to Kansas and Indian Territory, despite the protests of Howard and Miles. In 1885 the Nez Percé were allowed to return to Washington but Joseph was refused permission to live in his homeland in the Wallowa River Valley in Oregon.

Joseph was an eloquent spokesman for his people, well-known and respected by his old foes in the U.S. Army and by the American public. He died in 1904 on a reservation in Washington.

Today, the Bear Paw Battlefield is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. The site is located 16 miles south of Chinook, Montana on County Route 240.