Books about Wallowa County, Oregon
Here we offer a selection of local interest books and maps of the area. Please drop us a line if you don't see what you're looking for.
Wallowa Valley History & Images ~ Regional Natural History ~ Bear Creek Press
Nez Perce History
Beyond Bear’s Paw: The Nez Perce Indians in Canada by Jerome Greene
The author of Nez Perce Summer has written a comprehensive history of the Nez Perces who took refuge in Canada after the war of 1877. 24.95 University of Oklahoma Press
The Nez Perce
Indians and the Opening of the Northwest ~ Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.
Is there any chapter in American history more dramatic than that of the Northwest from the time of Lewis and Clark to the tragic defeat of Chief Joseph in 1877? Heroic- and not so heroic - characters abound: explorers, fur traders, miners, settlers, missionaries, ranchers, Indian chiefs and their tribespeople. Now, when interest in Lewis and Clark and the American Northwest has never been higher, come the first complete and unabridged paperback edition of Alvin Josephy's masterwork. $21.00 Trade paperback.
I Will Fight No More Forever by Merrill D. Beal is a history of the Nez Perce War based on the military records of those involved in the conflict. 17.95 paperback
Hear Me, My Chiefs!: Nez Perce History and Legend ~ Lucullus V. McWhorter
These peaceable and prosperous people were oppressed, persecuted, misunderstood, and badgered, yet avoided war until fateful forces pushed them into it. McWhorter was devoted to the Nez Perce and spent years interviewing, researching, then recording their legends and history. This their complete record as told by the Indians themselves. $19.95 Trade paperback.
Yellow Wolf: His Own Story ~ Lucullus
V. McWhorter & Yellow Wolf
Yellow Wolf was one of the last surviving participants of the Nez Perce War. This is his story of the hitherto unrevealed Indian strategy and policy in that conflict as told to L.V. McWhorter, his friend for decades. Many researchers consider this book a classic -- one of the first to tell the story of those tragic times from the Native American perspective. $16.95 Trade paperback.
Saga of Chief Joseph ~ Helen
Addison Howard
A good biography of Joseph which includes the time before and after the war of 1877. $16.95 Trade paperback
Nez Perce Summer, 1877: the US
Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis ~ Jerome A. Green & Alvin M. Josephy,
Jr.
Extremely well-researched account of the war of 1877 by one of the foremost experts in frontier military history. It is the first book to incorporate research from all known accounts of Nez Perce and US military participants. $24.95 Trade paperback
Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce ~ Martin Stadius
The author follows the Nee-Me-Poo route today and tells the story of the war and flight towards Canada from the perspective of all involved in this historic event. $24.95 Hardcover (cloth)
Nez Perce Nation Divided: Firsthand Accounts of Events Leading to the 1863 Treaty ~ Dennis Baird $50.00 hard cover
Chief Joseph and the Flight of the
Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy by Kent Nerburn
Here is the story of the 1,800-mile journey made by Chief Joseph and eight hundred Nez Perce men, women, and children from their homelands in what is now eastern Oregon through the most difficult, mountainous country in western America to the high plains of Montana where they surrendered just 40 miles from the Canadian border.
Nerburn reveals the true, complex character of Joseph, showing how the man was transformed into a myth by a public hungry for an image of the noble Indian and how Joseph exploited the myth in order to achieve his single goal of returning his people to their homeland.
Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce is a grand saga of a pivotal time in our nation's history. Its pages are alive with the presence of Lewis and Clark, General William Tecumseh Sherman, General George Armstrong Custer, and Sitting Bull. Its events brush against the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, the great western pioneer migration, and the building of the telegraph and the transcontinental railroad. $15.95 trade paperback
Following the Nez Perce Trail by
Cheryl Wilfong
The Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail traces the route taken by the 800 Nez Perce men, women, and children from May to October 1877. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, this unique book chronicles the heartbreaking retreat of Chief Joseph and his people and offers an essential guide for anyone wishing to follow all or part of the Trail.
The Nez Perce Trail stretches for 1,500 miles from Wallowa Lake, Oregon, through Idaho and Yellowstone Park, ending at the Bear Paw Battlefield, near Chinook, Montana. This historical guidebook splits the Trail into thirteen segments, each with its own chronology and travel plan, with alternative routes for "mainstream," "adventurous," and "intrepid" travelers. The routes include maps, GPS coordinates, and recommendations for side trips. Period photographs and firsthand accounts from those who first traveled the trail-the Nez Perce, soldiers, settlers-bring history to life. $29.95
Children of Grace: The Nez Perce War of 1877 by Bruce Hampton $19.95 Univ or Nebraska Press
Using authoritative sources, Hampton, a Native American history scholar, presents an objective account of the Nez Perce war and offers a glimpse into the lives of the Indians struggling to maintain their homeland and way of life. Prior to 1877, the Nez Perce were a peaceful and wealthy band. Misled by the white man's promises and faced with encroachment, a renegade band massacred 18 settlers. Fearing retribution, over 750 Nez Perce Indians began their flight toward Canada, followed by several army regiments. This war would eventually last several weeks, cover 1200 miles through three states, involve numerous battles, cost over $930,000, and result in the loss of many lives before the Indians would be forced to surrender only miles from their destination.
Chief Joseph: Guardian of the People (American Heroes Series) by Candy
Moulton
This is a carefully researched and lovingly written account of the leader of the Nez-Perce in the latter part of the 19th century. Joseph is famous for his "I will fight no more forever" speech, but not famous enough for the leadership and guidance he gave his people as he tried desperately to save their land for them. Not a war chief but a leader responsible for the safety of the families under his care, Joseph sought peace and fair treatment from the American army and the American government. He found neither. After the military surrender in 1877, Joseph worked for the 27 remaining years of his life to return his people to their land and their land to his people. He did not succeed. Not until 1997 was some of their original territory returned to them. Moulton's smoothly written prose leads the reader through the tragedy of this tribe and leaves the reader with nothing but respect for the strength and nobility of its leader. from KLIATT $12.95 trade paperback
Selling Your Father's Bones: America's
140-Year War Against the Nez Perce Tribe by Brian Schofield
This account of the Nez Percé's trials is a painful tale well told. British journalist Schofield writes a history of this Columbia River Valley tribe down to its present-day remnant, confined to a modest Idaho reservation. Casting a wide net, he also describes white settlement in the northwest, emphasizing its devastation of wildlife, soil, rivers and forests. The Nez Perce's troubles began in the 1850s when the U.S. began insisting the tribe make room for white settlers. The author recounts 20 years of coercion and broken treaties until, in 1877 the tribe was ordered out of its homeland entirely. In defiance of the ordered confinement to a Christian reservation, Nez Percé leaders led their people on a heroic flight across Idaho and Montana, inflicting humiliating defeats on pursuing soldiers, but ending in a tragic surrender. America evicted the tribe in favor of that legendary frontier icon, the homesteader, but, ironically, the area is too dry for small farms. Today it consists largely of ranches, timber reserves and irrigated factory farms dependent on government-subsidized water. This is a colorful, action-packed frontier history in which, many will feel, the bad guys won. 352 pages. $26.00
The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story Elliott West
A distinguished scholar of American history makes a significant contribution to Oxford's excellent series Pivotal Moments in American History in this definitive analysis of the United States' 1877 war with the Nez Perce. West (The Contested Plains) integrates a broad spectrum of sources to depict the fate of a people whose history of friendship with the U.S. dated to 1805. The Nez Perce were caught up in the questions posed by the Civil War and the period of expansion that followed: "who would be the Americans and what obligations would bind them together?" Such questions influenced Idaho and Oregon, where the Nez Perce lived, as much as Massachusetts and Virginia. The 1877 war, the Nez Perce's epic journey to reach the Canadian border, American conquest and Indian exile is the heart of the book, and West tells it brilliantly. No less compelling is his account of the Nez Perce taking up farming and making and selling Indian trinkets, developing their image as "beloved losers" and negotiating their return home-on white terms, but with honor and integrity upheld. 416 pages, 40 b&w illustrations, maps, maps. $17.95 Paperback
Nez Perce Country by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.
With an introduction by Jeremy FiveCrows
The rivers, canyons, and prairies of the Columbia Basin are the homeland of the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce, or Nimiipuu, inhabited much of what is now north central Idaho and portions of Oregon and Washington for thousands of years. The story of how western settlement drastically affected the Nimiipuu is one of the great and at times tragic sagas of American history.
Renowned western historian Alvin M. Josephy Jr. describes the Nimiipuu's attachment to the land and their way of life, religion, and vibrant culture. He also chronicles the western expansion that displaced them, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 and followed by the influx of traders and trappers, then miners and farmers. Josephy traces the ill fortune of the Nez Perce as their homeland was carved up by treaties, creating an atmosphere of hostility that would culminate in the Nez Perce war of 1877 and conclude with Chief Joseph's famous pronouncement: "I will fight no more forever." 196 pages $14.95
The Nez Perces in the Indian territory: Nimiipuu survival by J. Diane
Pearson, Patricia Penn Hilden
Following the Nez Perce War of 1877, federal representatives promised the Nimiipuu who surrendered with Chief Joseph repatriation to their Pacific Northwest homes. Instead, they were driven into exile. This book tells the story of the Nimiipuu captivity and deportation and offers an in-depth analysis of the resistant Nez Perce, Cayuse, and Palus bands during their incarceration. Focusing on the tribes' eight years in exile, J. Diane Pearson describes their arduous forced journey from Montana to the Ponca Agency in Indian Territory. She depicts their everyday experiences in a captivity marked by grueling poverty and disease to weave a compelling story of tragedy and heroism.
Impeccably researched, with insights into the prisoners' daily lives, The Nez Perces in the Indian Territory is the only comprehensive record of this phase of Nez Perce history. 383 pages, $34.95
Nez Perce History - For young readers
Joseph Chief of the Nez Perce, by Dean Pollack was written in 1950 and has remained a classic biography for young people. 7.95 paperback
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces by Bill McAuliffe is a photo-illustrated biography for 6 to 8 year olds. 6.95 paperback
Thunder in the Mountains: The Story of the Nez Perce War by Ronald K. Fisher. 14.95 paperback
The American Girls Collection has a series based on the life of a Nez Perce girl living in 1764: Meet Kaya, Kaya’s Escape, Kaya’s Hero, Kaya and Lone Dog, Kaya Show the Way, Changes for Kaya 6.95 each
Wallowa Mountains and Hells Canyon
The Wallowa Mountains: A Natural History Guide by Keith Pohs
The Wallowa Mountains are among the most spectacular in the state of
Oregon. This comprehensive introduction to the natural history of the Wallowas
covers for the first time the climate, geology, flora, and fauna of this
exceptionally interesting and diverse mountian range. Expertly written by
geologist Keith Pohs, this guide is a fascinating resource for anyone wanting
to learn more about this truly unique and beautiful area. $14.95 paperback
Hiking Oregon's
Eagle Cap Wilderness ~ Fred Barstad
Lace up your boots and head into Oregon's remote Wallowa Mountains. Explore this wonderland of more than fifty glacial lakes, miles of streams designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers, hundreds of soaring peaks, and open meadows with elk, deer, bighorn sheep, coyote, black bear, and cougar. Climb Aneroid, Chief Joseph, and Matterhorn Mountains; hike the Eagle River, Cliff Creek, and Deadman Canyon; or visit Razz, Blue, and Bonny Lakes. Veteran hiker and outdoor writer Fred Barstad will introduce you to these trails and many more. Whether you are planning a day hike or an extended backpacking trip, you'll find trails suited to every ability and interest in Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness. Second edition - April 2002. $16.95 paperback.
Hiking Hells Canyon and Iaho's Seven Devils Mountains ~ Fred Barstad This guide provides trail information suited to both novice and experienced hikers, whether they are embarking on a day trip or a long-distance excursion. The book rates each hike, offers a trail map, and gives directions for getting there. Seventy-four trails are listed, grouped by geographic location. A glossary, a hiker's checklist, and rules for low-impact wilderness recreation are also included. Barstad grew up in Oregon, and has been hiking these trails for nearly 40 years. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR 2001 Edition. $18.95 Paperback.
Imus map of Eagle Cap Wilderness ~ $7.95
Imus map of Oregon ~ $9.95
Hiking the High Wallowas and Hells Canyon: 18 Hikes in Northeast Oregon edited by Frank Conley, $12.00
Home Below Hells Canyon
~ Grace Jordan
During the depression days of the early 1930s the Jordan family--Len Jordan (later governor of Idaho and a US senator), his wife Grace, and their three small children--moved to an Idaho sheep rance in the Snake River Gorge where they were short on "modern" conveniences and long on hard work and self-sufficiency. In this classic of pioneer literature, Grace Jordan tells the story of their life in the deepest chasm of North America. $17.95 Trade paperback
Massacred For Gold by R. Gregory Nokes A well researched account of the Chinese massacre in Hells Canyon in 1887 18.95The Wallowas: Coming of Age in the Wilderness ~ William Ashworth
Part mountaineering adventure story and part spiritual memoir, The Wallowas recounts a young man's search for the challenges and the solace that wilderness offers. As a student, William Ashworth discovered the Wallowa Mountains in northeast Oregon and they became an obsession. His weekends and vacations were dedicated to exploring this rugged country - roughly the size of Los Angeles and home to 126 peaks, each over 8,000 feet high. In language vivid and precise, Ashworth describes attempts to ascend Eagle Cap, Pete's Point, Sacajaweja, and the Matterhorn. Climbing and camping in summer rain and winter blizzards, he faces the challenge of the Wallowa high country and the humility it teaches. The book tracks the author's coming of age in the wilderness - from a need to conquer mountains to an awareness of the redemptive qualities found in these wild places and the need to preserve the last of them. $17.95 Trade paperback
HELLS CANYON ROMANCE by Murielle McGaffee Wilson is the story of the years years of the author's life, from Riggins, Idaho, to teenage years living on a ranch in America's deepest canyon. Set against the Depression of the 1930's, Murielle's story illustrates the resourcefulness of rural culture. $17.95
Wallowa Valley History and Images
Bit, Spur, and Saddle Makers of Wallowa County Oregon
by Denny Kehl
A beautifully illustrated look at talented local makers of cowboy gear past and present. 35.00
Historic Downtown Enterprise - A walking tour guide to historc buildings in the town of Enterprise. Photos and historic information. $8.00
Oregon's Wallowa Valley - Thirty-four page booklet with lots of photos and facts about Wallowa County. $10.00
Hells Canyon and the Middle Snake River by Carole Simon-Smolinski - A beautifully-presented natural and human history of the deepest of all American gorges. $65.00 hardcover
Wallowa County Photo Club Calendar - Twelve months of awesome images in this high-quality wall calendar. $13.95
Discover the Adventure Wallowa Valley DVD - A tour of the Wallowa Valley with a side etrip to the Imnaha Canyon Country. $19.95
Hells Canyon Scenic Byway DVD - A tour of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway - An All American Road. $19.95
Wallowa Valley Screen Savers, Volumes I, II & (NEW FOR 2009) III - Each with over 30 images from the area. $19.95 each.
AROUND THE CATS BACK, a story based on the diaries of two young girls whose parents homesteaded on the Cat's Back area of Wallowa County. $16.25
GRACE BARTLETT:
Long-time Wallowa County historianGrace Bartlett is the author of three books of local history:
THE WALLOWA COUNTRY, 1867-1877, a history with photographs of the first decade of white settlement. $12.50 hard cover
FROM THE WALLOWAS, a collection of essays about people and places around the county. $16.00 paperback
WALLOWA, LAND OF WINDING WATERS, a booklet of important geographic, natural and historic facts about the county. $4.50
Irene Locke Barklow:
GATEWAY TO THE WALLOWAS
An amazing collection of hundreds of personal and public stories beginning with the Nez Perce through the dawn of the 21st century, tracing the paths and methods of travel in the Wallowas. Includes over 360 historical photographs, maps, and illustrations. $39.95
SCHOOL DAYS IN THE WALLOWAS, a large hardcover history of the 92 schools which once existed here. Contains lots of photos and family names. $50.00
Mark Highberger:
MARK HIGHBERGER has a selection of books he's written and published through Bear Creek Press. In addition he authored EXPLORING OREGON: A Travelers Guide to Wondrous places - If you call Oregon home, or just visiting, reading Mark Highberger's descriptions of some of the state's most wonderful places will allow you to see them in a way the everyday visitor might not. His perspective on nature and history, and his love for our great state, will open your eyes, your mind, and your heart to Oregon's inherent beauty and fascinating past.
And a second travel guide: OREGON, AN EXPLOER'S GUIDE, - This fully-updated second edition of the most comprehensive guide to the state steers travelers to the many attractions to be found along its scenic coastline, up spectacular peaks, through sagebrush deserts and wildflower valleys. Explore hidden ghost towns down deserted highways; tour the agricultural riches of the Willamette Valley; visit historic sites along the Lewis & Clark Trail; take in the cultural attractions of Portland; and sample the region's best lodging and dining choices. $19.95.
Regional Natural History
In Search of Ancient Oregon - Ellen Morris Bishop
Geology is an extremely visual subject, and In Search of Ancient Oregon is a beautifully photographed, expertly written account of Oregon's geological story. Written by a professional geologist who has spent countless hours in the field exploring and photographing the state, In Search of Ancient Oregon is a book for all those interested in Oregon's present and past landscapes, plants, animals, and climates. Extraordinary photographs and the author's clearly written explanations make this book unique and essential for those curious about our own contemporary landscape. This book tells the tale of how Oregon's diverse landscapes, climates, and wildlife evolved - and what we may expect in the future. $29.95 Timber Press Paper
.
Wildflowers of the Inland Northwest: Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta by Ralph Faust, Peggy Faust
A format for easy carrying on field trips with 216 wildflowers identified, illustrated and in color. Organized by flower color and number of petals. This book combines a little history, practical applications, and fun information about wildflowers. This well-indexed and easy to use book is a welcome addition for anyone interested in identifying and learning about wildflowers of the Inland Northwest. $15.95 Paperback
Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest by Robert Parish, Dennis Lloyd, Ray Coupe
Over 675 species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, ferns, mosses and lichens commonly found in the region from the crest of the Rockies to the Coast Mountains, including the interior of Washington and Idaho. Detailed species descriptions are combined with concise drawings and color photographs to make plant identification easy. $19.95 Paperback
The Prairie Keepers: Secrets of the Grasslands ~ Marcy Houle
Tucked away in the far corner of remote northeastern Oregon lies the ruggedly beautiful Zumwalt Prairie - a seemingly peaceful land of waving grasses that has become a symbolic battleground in the war between ranchers and environmentalists over the use of our country's rapidly vanishing natural habitats. It is home to one of the highest concentrations of native buteo hawks in North America. Marcy Houle, a wildlife biologist and student, comes to the Zumwalt to discover what attracts and sustains the buteos in such startling abundance. What she finds could overturn all accepted notions on both sides of the land-use debate. Important, exhilarating, and even funny, The Prairie Keepers is compelling nature writing. Drawing together a wealth of anecdotes, both animal and human, Houle portrays an ecosystem of incredible beauty and diversity, as well as a model that can save the last of the native prairies for us all. $19.95 Trade paperback.
Hiking Oregon's Geology ~ Ellen Morris Bishop with John Eliot Allen
Fun, easy-to-use guides to hiking and understanding the dramatic geologic formations of these regions.
$16.95 Trade paperback