Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Site

Located in Rosalia, the Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Site recognizes the battle led by Colonel Edward Steptoe in 1858. In the years prior to the battle, European settlers took over tribal land, increasing tensions between the Cayuse, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Walla Walla and Yakama tribal nations and the U.S. government. The standoff led by Steptoe was meant to intimidate the coalition of tribes to cede the land; however, Steptoe and his troops found themselves severely outnumbered and were forced to retreat. In 1914, the Heritage Site was established near the location that Steptoe and his troops made their final stand by the Esther Reed Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and in 1950, the area surrounding and including the site became a state park. Engraved on the monument is a claim that Chief Timothy of the Nez Perce helped the U.S. soldiers flee to safety. Over 25 years later, in 1976, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.