It is a lonely, windswept corner of the northern Montana plains, within sight of mountains to the south and west and a scant, forlorn 40 miles from the border. This shallow depression in the undulating grassland doesn't advertise itself, and all that signifies its import are a few understated memorial placards and the offerings of recent visitors.

It is the Bear Paw, where on Oct. 5, 1877, Chief Joseph surrendered his band of the Nez Perce tribe after an epic four-month, four-state, 1,500-mile fighting exodus from their ancestral home in Oregon's Wallowa Valley. Bound for the safety of Canada, weary and spent from their many Pyrrhic victories over the U.S. Army, the harried remnants of Joseph's people succumbed to surprise attack and superior force after a six-day siege.

It is where Joseph, surrendering to Col. Nelson Miles, said, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more, forever."

And one of my relatives might have been there.

I hadn't planned on visiting the Bear Paw, one of my last unexplored destinations on the Nez Perce Trail, but some busted Yellowstone camping plans left me at loose ends for a few days, and I was eager to hit the road in the Big Sky state.

In 1986, Congress passed an amendment to the National Trails System Act of 1968 to authorize creation of the Nez Perce National Historic Trail, tracing as closely as possible the route taken by Chief Joseph and nearly 800 followers, including about 250 warriors, from what were then known as the "non-treaty" bands of the Nez Perce tribe. It is theoretically possible to walk the entire 1,170 miles, two-thirds on private land, but over the years I have found it easier to drive many of the roads that parallel the trail and connect with points of interest that are, since 1965, officially administered as the Nez Perce National Historical Park.

The saga of the Nez Perce isn't as well known as it should be, but it has the ring of familiarity about it. Friends to whites from the time of Lewis and Clark, the Nez Perce were as peaceful a nation as ever resided on this continent, but by the 1870's they were the victims of repeated predation by treaty violating settlers and a larcenous and indifferent U.S. government which stole the heart of their ancestral lands in the Wallowa Valley.

Festering personal grievances exploded on June 13, 1877, when three young Nez Perce took revenge on some of the most notorious white settlers. Soon after, a larger band of warriors raided ranches and farms in the Salmon River Valley area, killing several settlers. None of this was sanctioned by Chief Joseph, but it was clear to him that the die had been cast; his band's only chance of salvation lay in leaving the Wallowa Valley and seeking refuge in Montana with his allies, the Crows, or in Canada with Sitting Bull's Sioux.

As it had been less than a year since Custer's chilling demise at the Little Bighorn, the country was disinclined to allow a band of armed Indians free rein outside reservation lands, so the Army immediately mobilized to stop Joseph's band.

It wasn't up to the task. The historically peaceable Nez Perce outgeneralled, outshot and outfought every unit thrown at them until the numbers game eventually overwhelmed them at Bear Paw.

Joseph's retreat crossed some of the most mountainous, difficult and spectacular country in the American West, reason enough for the casual traveler to learn a little history while on the road. And it's a history of battle: the major points of interest — White Bird Creek, Clearwater Creek, Fort Fizzle, Big Hole, Camas Meadows, Yellowstone, Canyon Creek Field and, finally, Bear Paw — mark the many skirmishes, near skirmishes and flat-out bloodletting endured by both Indian and soldier during that summer and fall of 1877.

There are usually two sides to every story, and regarding many of the Indian Wars there were, but in the case of the United States Army's attacks on Joseph's band, it is hard to credit anyone but the Nez Perce.

If it's the beginning you're looking for, start in the Wallowa Valley at Joseph, Ore. The park's headquarters, museum and a visitor center are located at Spalding on Highway 95, about 10 miles east of Lewiston, Idaho. More than half of the 38 interpretive sites in the Historical Park are located in the small area encompassing the intersection of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

The first conflict was at White Bird Creek. On June 17, 1877, more than 100 troopers from the First Cavalry attempted to intercept the fleeing Nez Perce. An Indian truce party was fired upon, leading to a melee that cost the Army 34 men — with no Nez Perce losses — because of superior Nez Perce marksmanship. Today an interpretive shelter overlooks the site of the battlefield on U.S. Highway 95, milepost 227, about 15 miles south of Grangeville, Idaho.

After regrouping, the Army pursued and on July 11 again attacked with artillery and Gatling guns at the Clearwater River. Though the battle was something of a standoff, the Nez Perce were able to leave the Army behind on the battlefield. An interpretive site is located on Idaho Highway 13, about two miles south of Stites.

The retreat began in earnest along the Lolo Trail, traveled 70 years earlier by Lewis and Clark and utilized by the Nez Perce in their annual buffalo hunts, but not before another — this time bloodless — confrontation at what has come to be known as "Fort Fizzle." A small detachment of soldiers from the 7th Infantry, supported by about 150 civilian volunteers, threw up a log barricade across the Lolo Trail near the Clearwater River in hope of stopping Joseph. The Nez Perce were not to be deterred, however, and in a parlay they made clear to the defenders both that they would not be stopped and that they meant no harm to the local inhabitants. Resistance crumbled, and on July 28 the band simply traveled around the barricade and moved on without a fight. Unfortunately, this was not to happen again.

Today U.S. Route 12, The Lewis and Clark Highway, generally follows the Lolo trail about 100 miles over the Bitterroot Mountains by way of the treacherous Lolo Pass. This is a spectacular and often lonely drive, and there is a seasonal visitor center at the pass.

Attempting to evade the pursuing soldiers, Chief Joseph turned south, following the Bitterroot River for about 100 miles on a route now covered by U.S. Highway 93 in Montana. Crossing the continental divide at what is now known as Chief Joseph Pass, the band turned east for about 25 miles on a route tracked today by Montana Highway 43 and, thinking themselves out of harm's way, camped and rested in a valley known as the Big Hole. Joseph reassured his people, "War is quit."

They could not have been more wrong. Col. John Gibbon and elements of the Seventh Infantry had followed, camped a few miles away and, in the early morning hours of August 9, launched a surprise attack on the Nez Perce camp. After taking losses, the Nez Perce quickly recovered and drove Gibbon's men to a defensive position, where marksmen kept the soldiers pinned down while the main body of the band escaped. Though it was a thorough Nez Perce victory, both sides suffered grim casualties.

The Big Hole National Battlefield, complete with visitor center and ranger assistance, was the first Nez Perce site I visited some years ago, and my interest was especially keen, since I had recently learned that a first cousin several times removed might have been in the battle. Family legend, which I was unable to confirm, told that Sam Steiner, a 21-year-old Bohemian Jewish immigrant from New York, was a 7th Infantry cook during the campaign.

Naturally enough, the thought of cousin Sam fighting the Nez Perce inspired mixed feelings. The campaign itself was nothing to be proud of, even if that wasn't the fault of ordinary soldiers. On the other hand, the thought of Jewish troopers fighting in the Indian Wars shattered stereotypes across the board.

An impressive site, the Big Hole battlefield is as remote today as it was in 1877, with self-guided walking tours of both the Nez Perce encampment and the siege area. The rangers are knowledgeable and helpful. One even had a partial 7th Infantry roster; Sam's name wasn't on it.

Again fleeing south toward Yellowstone National Park, then just five years old, the band crossed back over the continental divide, most likely at Bannock Pass, all the while pursued at a distance by the Army under the command of General O.O. Howard. The conflict became increasingly bitter: the Nez Perce raided local farms and ranches for supplies, killing those who resisted, and General Howard's forces killed and scalped a group of Nez Perce elders who had been left behind the main group.

The first road approximating the route is Montana Highway 278, just east of Big Hole, which runs southeast for about 70 miles before joining Interstate 15, which can be taken another 100 miles or so to Dubois, Idaho. An alternate route would be via Idaho Highway 28, reached by smaller roads running south from Bannack, Mont.

Chief Joseph's and General Howard's forces clashed again at Camas Meadows, not far from Dubois, when the Nez Perce attacked and ambushed the Army, liberating 200 pack animals and stopping Howard's momentum.

Crossing the continental divide yet again, this time through the Targhee Pass, the Nez Perce traversed the fledgling Yellowstone National Park, briefly holding hostage a group of tourists, and turned north.

Aided by superior forces and the telegraph, the Army confronted the band on September 13 at Canyon Creek Field, between Billings and Laurel, Mont. This time the Nez Perce took heavy losses, both in men and horses, but the main band was again able to escape. The battlefield itself is preserved in Canyon Creek Battlefield National Historical Park, eight miles north of Laurel.

The Bear Paw lies some 200 miles north of Billings. For the most part it is open prairie country, skirting forests and smaller mountain ranges, including the Judith, Little Belt, Snowy and Bear's Paw ranges. It is "big sky" country incarnate. Following the exact Nez Perce trail would be difficult, but there are several routes that will give a driver an idea of what Joseph and his people faced on the last leg of their exodus.

The easiest route might be the arrow-straight U.S. 87 and 191 north from Billings, crossing the Belknap Indian Reservation connecting to the battlefield.

I chose instead to head north from Interstate 90 at Big Timber, taking U.S. 191 and Montana 236 through Judith Gap and Lewistown until the pavement turned into a gravel road at Hilger. This was as spectacular a stretch of rural highway as I have seen, taking me through a broad valley between the Snowy and Little Belt ranges and giving me glimpses of passing Montana summer thunderstorms in the distance. After 15 miles of gravel road, I reached the Missouri Breaks country and the river itself, a formidable obstacle even today.

Joseph's band crossed the wide Missouri at Cow Island, after a brief skirmish. From the river the prairie gives way to gentle foothills whose sparsely wooded tops look for all the world like a collection of bad haircuts. The road, still gravel, then crosses the treeless Bear's Paw Mountains, spills out again onto the prairie near Cleveland, and meanders another 20 or so miles to the battlefield site.

It was a beautiful day in late July, but I was the only visitor at the Bear Paw Battlefield National Historical Park, and that suited me. The site contains a 1.25-mile self-guided tour of the battlefield and several memorial stones and placards.

It was hard not to be both sad and angry at the Bear Paw. So much death, and for no good reason. It was not our nation's finest hour, in spite of the "victory." The good guys lost.

After almost a week's bloody fighting Joseph surrendered 480 of his people to Colonel Miles, but not before more than 100 in Chief White Bird's band eluded Army outposts and actually made it to Canada.

Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce were ultimately returned to the Northwest, but Joseph was never again allowed to see his beloved Wallowa Valley. He died in 1904 at the Colville Reservation in Washington.