In the early hours of August 9, 1877, the Seventh U.S. Infantry and citizen volunteers under Colonel John G. Gibbon attacked the sleeping Non-Treaty Nez Perce in the Big Hole Vallen in western Montana Territory. Both sides suffered heavy losses in the ensuring fight. Ultimately, neither the U.S. forces nor their native adversaries could claim victory in the two-day battle, and the Nez Perce realized that they must continue their fight for freedom.

Originally published: West Glacier, Mont. : Glacier Natural History Association, 1991.