Gass Creek

In late September 1805 and again on their return in late June, 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the valley of Hungery Creek, where five of the party's campsites lie to the south. From here they had to cross a 12-mile stretch to reach the Clearwater River, and this portion of the route remains much as they saw it. No marked trail exists, and following the explorers' path through the Hungery Creek drainage requires strenuous effort. A lack of game on their westward journey forced them to kill and eat a stray horse they found below. Gass Creek, a tributary of Hungery Creek, is named for expedition member Sgt. Patric Gass. This high ridgeline is also part of the route of the Nez Perce (Nee Me Poo) National Historic Trail, which stretches from Wallowa, Oregon, to Bear Paw Battlefield in Montana and follows the route of five groups of Nimipuu and their allies. In 1877, they were pursued by the U.S. Army for resisting a forced move to the reservation in Idaho. After several skirmishes, the Nimiipuu chose to go east across the Bitterroot Mountains to friends on the plains of Montana. Along K'useyneisskit, or trail of the buffalo, 800 Nimiipuu men, women, and children traveled with nearly 2000 horses while being pursued by General Oliver O. Howard and his soldiers, but on familiar ground the Nimiipuu easily outpaced them across this portion of the trail.

Idaho · United States