Join the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association at our 18th annual summe series at the Stanley Museum: expanding your understanding and appreciate of the Sawtooth & Salmon River country since 1972.

A Very Rough Country: Reexamining the 1879 “Sheepeater Campaign” presented by Gayle Dixon

Locating a 700-page transcript from an 1880 US Army court-martial case, along with additional research, revealed details about the US Army’s expedition into Idaho’s Middle Fork Salmon region. The expedition was ordered after the 1879 murder of Chinese miners on Loon Creek and is often referred to as the “Sheepeater War.” Join us to learn about Gayle’s findings.

During her career as an archaeologist for the Payette National Forest, Gayle Dixon monitored historic sites in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. A number of these sites were tied to the 1879 US Army Expedition often referred to as the “Sheepeater Campaign.” After retiring from the Forest Service, Gayle began doing research to answer questions she had about the 1879 events. Her work uncovered a number of records that shed light on what took place during the Army’s expedition that led to the removal of Indigenous people living in and around Big Creek.

Find details about the whole series here: https://discoversawtooth.org/sawtooth-series