BILLINGS — Nearly 40 members of the Nez Perce tribe gathered at the Canyon Creek Battlefield Memorial at the corner of Lipp Road and Buffalo Trail Road between Billings and Laurel on Friday to commemorate the 1877 Battle of Canyon Creek and honor those who fought in it.
The Nez Perce Flight of 1877 spanned 126 days and 1,170 miles through four states: Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. After the Nez Perce reservation was reduced to a tenth of its size, those who resisted relocation attempted to migrate east but were pursued by the U.S Army. The Battle at Canyon Creek was the second to last battle of the flight, occurring on Sept. 12, 1877. Three Nez Perce natives lost their lives.
The tribal members travel annually to various battle locations to pay tribute to their ancestors. However, Friday's event was the first time since 2003 that a commemoration has taken place there. Recent restoration projects that improved the space, like fixing the parking lot, roof, and landscape, made it possible for the event to be held there once again.
“A lot of our people have found out the history just because of these memorials, and that's what they mean to me. They've become like a pilgrimage,” said former Nez Perce tribal council member Wilfred Scott.
Scott has been honoring the battle and the tribe's history for 47 years across the country after researching and reading about the battle and discovering his wife's ancestors fought in the battles.
“Her other great-grandfather was killed at the Bear Paw Battlefield, and he's buried there,” said Scott.
Over the years, he has missed only one ceremony, proving his commitment to preserving the history of that historical battle and honoring his people's past.
“We come here to pay honors to them, to recognize them, to remind ourselves who we are, what they did for us. It's because of people like them that we are here to begin with," said Scott. "We don't come here to seek apologies for what happened to them. They wouldn't have wanted that. We have tribal traditions that we try to follow just as strictly as we can and we never want to tarnish that."
Three National Park Service members of the Nez Perce Historical Park were also in attendance for the commemoration. The park includes 39 sites and the service works to maintain them and preserve the historical aspects.
“There are people who died here. There was heroism here. There was tragedy here, but it's a nationally significant story and that's what national parks do. We look at the most significant places in the country. This site is really important and it's worthy of national recognition," said Nez Perce National Historical Park Superintendent Steve Thede.
The event has also impacted Thede personally and has resonated with him deeply.
“One of the things that the Nez Perce tribe does is they take that significance and that history from yesterday and they relate it to what's happening actually today. You could see in this event that this means something to people today, and they add that meaning that I could never add to it. That's for everybody. Everybody is welcome," said Thede. “I'm an American. Nez Perce history is part of my history as well.”
Thede also emphasized the broader implications the commemorations have of helping people foster understanding of one another despite past differences.
“Whether we like it or not, we are a conglomeration of everything that's happened in our past and our history, as well as what's happened to us personally. When we look at these kind of stories and we look at what's happened, it helps us define who we are. It helps us realize who we are, especially when we can find that common ground," said Thede.
The group will continue to Bear Paw Battlefield outside of Chinook on Saturday to commemorate the final battle of the war that took place there before the tribe surrendered on Oct. 5, 1877. That location is where Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, gave the infamous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
