Federal treaty commissioners and representatives of several Columbia Plateau nations—including the nimíipuu (Nez Perce)—gather near Walla Walla to negotiate land cessions and reservation boundaries amid accelerating non-Native settlement pressure.
Nez Perce leaders sign a treaty creating the Nez Perce Reservation and reserving off-reservation rights (including hunting and fishing) while ceding a large portion of their homelands to the United States—an agreement later central to disputes over forced removal.
A second treaty is signed by some Nez Perce headmen (notably Lawyer and other pro-treaty leaders), drastically reducing the reservation. Many others reject it, and the resulting split between “treaty” and “non-treaty” bands becomes a key driver of later conflict.
The 1863 Nez Perce treaty is formally proclaimed, solidifying the reduced reservation boundaries in federal policy and intensifying pressure on “non-treaty” bands to relocate.
As U.S. authorities press “non-treaty” bands to move onto the reservation, Chief Joseph’s band crosses the Snake River during the forced-move period—one of several flashpoints in a fast-escalating situation.
Non-treaty bands assemble at Tolo Lake before moving toward the reservation; soon after, raids on nearby homesteads help trigger military mobilization and open warfare.
In the opening major fight of the Nez Perce War, Nez Perce warriors defeat U.S. Army troops at White Bird Canyon in Idaho Territory, accelerating the conflict and shaping the bands’ decision to flee rather than submit to confinement.
U.S. forces attack Looking Glass’s village near the Clearwater River. The assault helps push previously reluctant groups into alignment with the flight, broadening the conflict’s scale and stakes.
U.S. troops under General Oliver O. Howard engage Nez Perce forces near the Clearwater River. After heavy fighting, the Nez Perce withdraw and continue eastward toward the Bitterroot Mountains, prolonging the running campaign.
In Montana Territory, U.S. troops attack a Nez Perce encampment in the Big Hole Basin. The battle inflicts severe casualties—especially among families—yet the Nez Perce manage to break away and continue their flight toward Canada.
Near Canyon Creek in Montana Territory, U.S. cavalry clashes with the fleeing Nez Perce. The engagement slows the U.S. pursuit but does not stop the Nez Perce’s movement toward the Canadian border.
U.S. forces under Colonel Nelson A. Miles attack the Nez Perce camp near the Bear Paw Mountains, Montana Territory, initiating the final battle and siege only about 40 miles from the Canadian border.
After days of siege and deprivation, Chief Joseph ceases fighting and surrenders. Despite assurances given during negotiations, federal authorities ultimately refuse to allow the surrendered people to return directly to their Idaho homelands.
After years of confinement in Kansas and Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), federal arrangements finally fund removal back to the Pacific Northwest. The group is split: some are sent to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho, while Joseph’s people are sent to the Colville Reservation in Washington.
Nez Perce Treaties, Conflict, and Removal (1855–1885)
