The ridgeline above has long been a route of passage for many travelers in joy and sadness, peace and war. For the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) it was K’useyneisskit, or “road to the buffalo,” and for the Selish (Salish) it was Nap-to-nee-sha, or “road to the salmon.” Lewis and Clark followed this “Indian road” across “the most horrible mountains.” From earliest times, people traveled across it from the rivers of the west to the plains of the east and along it from high mountain gathering areas to fishing grounds. It served as a key link in a vast trade network carrying buffalo, salmon, shells, and bows from ocean to ocean. In more recent times, visitors searched for gold, cleared trails, and built roads across it. It has also been known as the Lolo Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, and the Nez Perce Trail, while its history continues amid the vast mountains and clear rivers that surround it.