C'Aynnim 'Alikinwaaspa, the Nez Perce name for this site, means "Place of the Manure Fire" because the Nez Perce used buffalo chips as fuel here. On September 29, 1877, about 700 Nez Perce men, women and children camped in the basin, exhausted from four months of flight and hoping to rest and hunt buffalo at a place that offered food, water, and shelter from the wind. Just two days from the Canadian border and freedom, their journey was nearing a tragic end. Early on September 30, Colonel Miles' scouts discovered the camp, and as Nez Perce warriors rushed to defend it, 400 soldiers and scouts attacked. The 7th Cavalry charged the village, the 2nd Cavalry captured the Nez Perce horses, and the 5th Infantry was held in reserve. The Nez Perce repelled the attack, but another attempt to overrun the camp came in the early afternoon, and the battle became a siege. During the six-day siege, about 200 Nez Perce, including Chief White Bird, reached Canada and joined Sitting Bull's Lakota near Fort Walsh. On the afternoon of October 5, Chief Joseph surrendered his rifle to end the suffering of women and children.