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MONDAY, JULY 29, 2002

The Billings Gazette today includes an account of a summer 1877 battle that never happened between the Nez Perce Tribe and Army soldiers.

There were fears among non-Indians that the Nez Perce would attack. Talks were held between the tribe and the Army, mediated by a Salish chief.

The Army demanded the tribe give up its weapons and horses and return to Idaho, where they had fled. But the tribe said now.

When the tribe finally encountered the Army, there was no attack. Instead, the tribe went around the soldiers along an unguarded mountain ridge.

The ridge then became known as "Fort Fizzle."

Get the Story:
Long road to surrender: 1877 fight that never was (The Billings Gazette 7/29)