The Indian agent, representing the United States Government, lived here side by side with the Nez Perce and was legally responsible, along with the government, for upholding treaty terms by building schools, distributing food, and protecting Indian land from encroaching settlers. This agency residence was completed in 1891. Land and gold drew increasing numbers of intruders, and by the 1860s more than 18,000 people had settled illegally within Nez Perce reservation boundaries. Successive agents could do little to ease the resulting tensions that eventually led to war, and some exploited the system for personal gain. Although agents and the Nez Perce lived in close proximity, that closeness did not create understanding, and the system failed to protect Nez Perce interests.