its settlement by the whites that the famous Nez Perce War was fought."—Major Lee Moorhouse.
The Nez Perce War came about after this manner: "Chief Joseph,[1] who had about 500 Nez Perce Indians as his following, had laid claim to the boundary as established
WALLOWA LAKE Photo. W. A. Parker
by the treaty of 1855, especially that country west of the Snake River in Oregon and the Wallowa Valley. . . . President Grant conceded it to the Nez Perces in his executive order of June 16, 1873, but on June 10, 1875, this order was revoked, and all that part of Oregon west of the Snake River, embracing the Wallowa Valley, was restored to the public domain. In the early part of 1877, the United States decided to have Chief Joseph and his followers removed
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- ↑ A portion of the eloquent speech of the dying father is thus recorded by Young Joseph:
"My son, my body is returning to my mother Earth; and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears when asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more, and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father's body. Never sell the bones of your father and your mother.
"I pressed my father's hand and told him I would protect his grave with my life. My father smiled and passed away to the spirit land. I buried him in the valley of the Winding Waters. I love that land more than all the rest of the world. A man that would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal."
