Looking Glass Camp

Though Nez Perce Chief Looking Glass bitterly opposed the government encroaching on native lands, he was against the idea of going to war over efforts to force his people onto the reservation. He wrongly assumed that his neutrality and peaceful existence living among his people in the Looking Glass Camp in Clear Creek would keep them all safe. But army soldiers fired a deadly barrage of bullets into the camp on July 1, 1877, then plundered and destroyed the village. The unprovoked attack led the tribal chief to abandon his neutral stance and join the resistance in a legendary flight path through Montana and north toward Canada. Today, a small fish hatchery occupies the site, located just east of Kooskia, Idaho. Follow the trail along the middle fork of the Clearwater River and learn about the ancient people who settled this land. Recreational activities abound – fishing, hiking, camping and whitewater rafting, to name just a few.