The Last Indian War (Nonfiction)

Despite the somewhat misleading title (for example, the Apache Wars ended in the 1880s), this is an excellent study of the relations between whites and the Nez Perce tribe, with emphasis on the 1877 war. Of all our Indian conflicts, the Nez Perce War was probably the saddest and most unnecessary. The greed of whites led to governmental injustices that, in turn, drove this peaceable tribe to resist. This unfairness of fate makes the Nez Perce story so interesting and sad. And their 1,500-mile