Gass Creek

Gass Creek. The Land Lewis and Clark Traveled. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the valley of Hungery Creek in late September 1805, and on their return journey in late June, 1806. Five of the party's campsites are located in this valley to the south. Here you can see the extent of the land that Lewis and Clark had to travel to reach the Clearwater River. , This 12-mile portion of the route remains much as Lewis and Clark viewed it. No marked trail exists; only with strenuous effort can one follow where the explorers traveled through the Hungery Creek drainage. Lack of game on their westward trek forced them to kill and eat a stray horse they found while traveling below. Gass Creek, a tributary of Hungery Creek, is named for Sgt. Patric Gass, an expedition member. , (side-bar on right) , This high ridgeline is also part of the route of the Nez Perce (Nee Me Poo) National Historic Trail. Stretching from Wallowa, Oregon to Bear Paw Battlefield in Montana, this trail follows the route of five groups of Nimipuu and their allies. They were being pursued by the U.S. Army in 1877 for resisting a forced move to the reservation in Idaho. After several skirmishes with the Army, the Nimiipuu chose to go east across the Bitterroot Mountains to friends on the plains of Montana. , Across the route of K'useyneisskit or 'trail of the buffalo', the 800 Nimiipuu men, women, and children traveled with nearly 2000 horses. They were pursued by General Oliver O. Howard and his soldiers. On familiar ground, the Nimiipuu were able to easily outpace the soldiers across this portion of the trail.