Bear Paw Battlefield

Bear Paw Battlefield, a national historic landmark, is about 16 miles south of Chinook, Montana, along Cleveland Road (County Highway 240). This battlefield is the site of the attack upon, siege, and eventual surrender of the nontreaty Nez Perce at the end of their 1877 flight. The White Bird Band succeeded in escaping to Canada, but after Chief Joseph's surrender, the rest of the Nez Perce were exiled first to Kansas and later to Oklahoma.

The locations of events that occurred during the 1877 attack, siege, and surrender form the primary historical resources of the site, as well as a landscape that remains relatively undeveloped.

A self-guiding trail guide is available that has text keyed to numbered stops along the trail. An NPS ranger and a seasonal interpreter are assigned to the site. Ranger guided walks are available in summer.

The Blaine County Museum in Chinook, Montana, has devoted one of its exhibit rooms to the Bear Paw Battle. A sophisticated 20-minute audiovisual presentation on the war of 1877 is also available in the museum's auditorium.