104) Big Hole National Battlefield

Visited: Monday, July 11, 2016

I learned a fair bit about the Non-Treaty Nez Perce today.  Big Hole National Battlefield is in the middle of nowhere - Wisdom, MT is about 90 minutes drive from Butte, 120 from Missoula.  As a result, the battlefielld is remarkably preserved - there are none of the issues common to Civil War battle sites.  But the battle is a prelude to battles such as Wounded Knee.  But whereas I'd heard of Wounded Knee, I'd never hear of Big Hole - even though it was on a very similar scale.  The "battle", as it were, was primarily the killing of women and children.  It was interesting to contrast with the Wounded Knee Museum we visited; Big Hole is fairly presented, but unlike Wounded Knee doesn't seem to be aiming so directly for an emotional reaction.  I suppose, too, that Big Hole was just _a_ loss, rather than the final loss, for the Nez Perce.

Definitely a park that will stick with me.