Encounters in Yellowstone: The Nez Perce Summer of 1877

On August 23, 1877, a scout named Jack Bean watched 600 Nez Perce Indians head into the new Yellowstone National Park. Bean rushed 60 miles to the nearest telegraph office to tell the army where the Indians were going. He didn’t take time to warn tourists who were visiting the park that was then a roadless wilderness. The Indians flight for freedom is a touchstone of the history of the American West, so most people know about their 1,200-mile running battle with the army that ended just for...