More than 200 horse riders are retracing a portion of the route Nez Perce Chief Joseph took as he fled the U.S. Army in 1877.

The riders began in Stites, Idaho, on Sunday. They will travel 100 miles to the Bear Paw Battlefield in eastern Montana where the Army caught up to the Nez Perce.

Chief Joseph and his band refused to be confined to a reservation that was much smaller than the land promised by a treaty with the U.S. The entire route from Oregon to the battlefield site covers 1,300 miles.

Get the Story:
Riders retrace route of Nez Perce flight (AP 7/21)

Relevant Links:
Nez Perce National Historic Park - http://www.nps.gov/nepe
Nez Perce Tribe - http://www.nezperce.org
Bear Paw Battlefield - http://www.chinookmontana.com/battlefield.html

Related Stories:
Editorial: Save Nez Perce burial site from desecration (09/14)
1877 Nez Perce battle site joins National Park Service (05/25)
Nez Perce ceremony marks 1877 battle with Army (09/13)
Nez Perce Tribe vows to stop housing near cemetery (02/19)
Nez Perce Tribe commemorates 1877 imprisonment (04/21)
Nez Perce Tribe honors Chief Redheart's band (4/16)