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Chief Joseph

Snake River, Oregon side, June 1877

Starting with a single, haunting battlefield image, an amateur photo detective managed to reconstruct a forgotten photographer’s life and uncover a treasure of Indian portraits.

I had waited six months to see it. A long-time collector, I loved to roam the monthly swap meet in Long Beach, California near my home.

The Nez Percés led the Army a bitter 1,300-mile chase; when they surrendered, one of the last free Indian nations vanished into history.

In June, 1877, just one year after the Custer debacle, a new and unexpected Indian outbreak flared in the West.

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