The Nez Perce Indian Nation was comprised of hundreds of separate bands. Chief Timothy, along with Red Wolf, ruled the Alpowa Band, whose camp was located where Alpowa Creek meets the Snake River. A Nez Perce Indian Christian convert and friend of the white settlers, Chief Timothy is credited with saving the lives of Col. Steptoe's Dragoons after their defeat near Rosalia in 1858 by leading Steptoe's survivors under cover of darkness through warring Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes, Yakamas, and Palouses. Timothy was involved in some manner with nearly all the major events of the early missionary and pioneering periods of Eastern Washington. In honor of Temuut'su, the Washington State Department of Transportation has preserved the Chief Timothy Bridge, built in 1923, as a lasting tribute to a true friend of the early settlers of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.