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Article: Nez Perce War
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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NEZ PERCE WAR
NEZ PERCE WAR,
or Chief Joseph's War, was the result of efforts by the federal government to deprive the Nez Perces of their lands in northeastern Oregon's Wallowa Valley.
Title to Wallowa Valley lands was recognized in a treaty negotiated between territorial governor Isaac I. Stevens and the Nez Perces in 1855. The treaty was signed by fifty-eight Nez Perces, including tribal leaders Old Joseph and Lawyer, who were Christian converts. In return for a cession of land and the establishment of a reservation of about five thousand square miles, the Nez Perces were promised a monetary payment and goods and services from the government. They were also guaranteed the right to ...