LCNPOW

I set out early and proceeded on through a Country as rugged as usual   passed over a low mountain into the forks of a large Creek... descended on through a beautiful Country for three miles to a Small Plain in which I found many Indian lodges, at the distance of 1 mile from the lodges I met 3 boys, when they Saw me ran and hid themselves in the grass I dismounted gave my gun & horse to one of the men, searched in the grass and found one of the boys  gave them small pieces of ribbon & Sent them forward to the village...They call themselves Cho pun-nish or Pierced noses  (Nez Perce).

Led by Old Toby, the Lewis and Clark Expedition made their way for eleven miserable days through the rugged Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains where the winter of 1805 arrived early.  The men became ill from starvation and fatigue. They were starving and cold, and all they could see in any direction was more rugged mountains. Clark wrote, "I have been wet and as cold in every part as I ever was in my life."  The  journey turned out to be one of the greatest ordeals of the entire expedition. Finding the Nez Perce Indian village near present day Weippe, Idaho most likely saved their lives.  It is near this historic meeting place where you will participate in the Lewis and Clark Nez Perce Outdoor Workshop.

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