Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce [Hardcover]

Martin Stadius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press

Stadius tells the story of the Nez Perce people - the Nee-Me-Poo. In 1877, the "Dreamer" (non-Christian) faction of the tribe, under pressure from land-hungry whites to move to a reservation, fled their homeland in eastern Oregon and central Idaho. The Nee-Me-Poo led pursuing troops on a four-month, 1,100-mile chase that ended tragically only forty miles short of Canada. Today, the route of the Nee-Me-Poo retreat is a National Historic Trail, part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park, with sites in four Western states.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkable personal quest. Martin Stadius sets off to truly tell the story of the Nez Perce, the Real People. He follows the trail through the archives and over every mile of their odyssey, a journey both exhilarating and heartbreaking. This is blue-highways, tramp-the-weeds history at its best."—Elliott West, Professor of Native American Studies, Univ. of Arkansas

(Elliott West )

"Martin Stadius gives the reader a vivid account of the feelings he got while traveling the rugged 1,200 mile retreat route taken by Chief Joseph and his people over terrain which remains little changed today. For anyone interested in the incredible saga of the flight toward freedom by the courageous Nez Perce, this is a "must-read" book."—Bill Gulick, author of Chief Joseph Country

(Bill Gulick )

"Stadius'' writing style is arresting, as he splices together historical events with his travels along the Nez Perce National Historic Trail. . . Dreamers is an important book, if only to help us understand another part of the Pacific Northwest''s history. Though studius and research-filled, Dreamers does not read like a dry, dusty textbook. Instead it brings alive an important and tragic chapter of our region''s past."—Tri-City Herald

(Tri-City Herald )

About the Author

Martin Stadius is a native of the West with more than twenty years experience in the book business and lives in Portland, Oregon. He began his study of the Nez Perce war in 1992, after reading about the new National Historic Trail, and visiting White Bird, where the first battle of the conflict was fought.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 437 pages
• Publisher: Caxton Press; First Edition edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870043935
• ISBN-13: 978-0870043932
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,564,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On the road with Stadius, November 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce (Hardcover)

Dreamers is an excellent account of the Nez Perce flight for freedom as they are chased by all the stars of the American military. Beginning with Gen. Howard (infamous already for the disaster at Chancellorsville during the Civil War, cameo appearances are made by Gens. Sherman, Sheridan, and Miles. Stadius retraces the path of the Nez Perce from the Willowas, to the Battle at Whitebird, and then the run through the Idaho Panhandle into Montana, through Yellowstone and back up trough Montana. There is a balanced mix of personal accounts of civilians, soldiers, and Nez Perce that makes this a rich historical account. This, coupled with Stadius's own journal account of retracing the Nez Perce Trail and how it looks today makes this a most enjoyable book. It reminds me of William Frassanito's style of taking old Brady photographs and determining exactly where they were taken by revisiting the sites. The reliance on written and oral histories and Stadius's gift of describing the terrain and geography enlivens this book, to the point that I am already planning stages of traveling over parts of this trail. Occasionally Stadius will inject some of his opinions, but overall I most appreciated the contrast of experience from participants and not some attempt at political correctness or personal sermonizing. History as it should be written is what Dreamers is most about. It starts slow, but after Howard starts pursuing across the Lolo pass, I couldn't put it down. I bought this book at the U. of Idaho bookstore when the author was doing a signing, let it sit on the shelf for 7 months, and finally stuck it in my brief case to read on a cross country flight. The return flight has never seemed so short. I highly recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars With a library and knapsack in his VW microbus . . ., September 21, 2000

By 

James Stripes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce (Hardcover)

Martin Stadius has put together a narrative of travel along the Nez Perce trail, and through the stacks of books and articles that have been written about that episode in US history. He navigates both trails well. His blend of personal narrative and historical analysis does a good job of sorting facts from myths, and offers often compelling description of the landscape.

Some of what I like about this book: Stadius took some good pictures along the route and put them in this book. He spent the obligatory time in Pullman, Washington poring through the McWhorter papers. He listened well to one of the most knowledgeable people alive today concerning the Nez Perce war--Otis Halfmoon, National Park Service Ranger--and gives a good description of that Nez Perce man's storytelling ability. He reveals a sense of ethics in his exploration of places and sources. He recognizes the incompetence of the would-be poachers he saw fishing in a "no fishing" section of Yellowstone Park.

My first thought when I saw this book was that it would be another urbanite's tour through Indian country (like Ian Frazier's _On the Rez_). But as Stadius follows the Nez Perce trail, he deftly weaves together natural history, perceptive observation, good manners, and an inquisitive spirit tempered by respect for the sacred. His prose keeps running smoothly in a manner akin to his miracle bus because he's willing to get out and wade a creek before attempting to drive through, and knows his limits. That scene from the book could stand as a metaphor for his journeys through the pasts and places along the Nez Perce trail.

This book will not have the enduring power of McWhorter's accounts that are based on first hand testimony. But in our time it is one of the better books on the subject.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Following The Trail, January 15, 2000

By 

Mary L. Dennie (Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce (Hardcover)

I reccomend this book for any one wanting to learn more about the Nez Perce Trail. I found this book very interesting.I have driven parts of the trail myself and found this book to be so factual. The authors respect for the Native American Culture shines through. It is a very interesting book of historical importance. I found myself reading the book with a road Atlas by my side.