Today's Dead Indian Campground has always been a natural site to spend the night.

On the 10th we came to a hostile camp which had just been abandoned, at the base of the last mountain necessary to climb before reaching the buffalo plains at Heart Mountain....

Just as I halted to go into camp for the night one of my Scouts . . . rode past me. Went up the creek a short distance. I was about to unsaddle when I heard him raise a war whoop and three shots was fired within a few seconds. I lit into my saddle and ran my horse up there. Got there just in time to see a Nez Perce breathe his last. He had been wounded in the hip and had been left by his comrads who had evidently left here this morning.... Sumner said he rode up near where he lay and the Indian threw the robe off that covered him and raised up in a setting posture. Sumner waited no longer but jerked his pistol and shot him through the chest. The Indian fell back but Sumner gave him two more shots. One of Wilbers Scouts came up and scalped the dead Indian. Madison John stretching and drying the scalp had it stuck up on a little willow stick when Gen. Howard and his aidecamp Lt. Fletcher rode up. Howard dismounted near the scalp. I didn't want Howard to see it so I winked to Jule (a Cheyenne half breed) and while I drawed Howards attention in another direcion Jule stepped around and got his toe against the stick with scalp down in the rye grass out of sight.

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