Reservation Lands

I got a very cool map the other day.  It shows how much of the land on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation is acctually owned by Indians.  The reservation boundary is outlined in red.  The lower left portion outside the red line is not part of the Nez Perce Rez.  Only the colored plots inside the red boundary are indian lands.  The rest is owned by people other than Nez Perce Indians.

I am only working on a small portion of the reservation, Lawyer Canyon.  Here is the portion of this map I have been researching historic property records.

The pink and green plots are Indian.  The blue is State Trust Land.  The rest is private ownership, primarily farmers.

Getting Set Up to Begin Work

For the first week we stayed at the Ranch in the Lodge while we set up our house up on the Camas Prairie 30 miles away.  I will move back down to the Ranch in the Canyon after I finish the research up on the prairie in Grangeville, Idaho, the Idaho County Seat and in Nez Perce, Idaho, Lewis County Seat.

The Camas Prairie is up on the top of these cliffs, 1500 feet higher than the bottom of the Canyon.


Our house at the Bird Farm up on the Prairie is finally set up and we have moved in.

Front of House

View out the back of the house toward the main Farm buildings.

Cali heading into the house.  She will help me hunt birds for dinner.  One of Redneck Joe's dogs from down on the Ranch.

  Getting a solid Internet connection was one of the challenges to getting set up in the house on the Bird Farm.  Matt, the Manager of the Bird Farm put this dish on the top of his house and hooked up a powerful outside router and antenna, so I have a good connection since yesterday.  Driving the 30 to 40 miles down to the Ranch to use the Internet has made for a difficult week.

I will begin at the Idaho County Courthouse on Monday going through Court and Property records.  I will cover all records since the 1860s from the entrance to Lawyer Canyon to where Highway 162 crosses the head of the canyon.  There the Lawyer Creek valley is only 200 feet deep.  This 20 miles +/- of the Lawyer Creek drainage is what I am planning to consider as the boundary of Lawyer Canyon proper.

Lawyer Canyon

Releasing Quail in Lawyer Canyon on the Flying B Ranch

Chad Weber (Kennel Manager, Hunting Guide)

 We have been staying at the Flying B Ranch

Today I went with Chad to release 250 Quail on the Ranch.  They were very happy to be free and they found resident quail friends right away. 





Chad grew up in central Kansas hunting and fishing for as long as he can remember.  Following his fathers footsteps as an avid outdoorsman, Chad knew that someday he would make his passion his livelihood.  Chasing pheasans, quail, deer, turkey and waterfowl is a passion.  Working for numerous outfitters in Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, and now Idaho, Chad has guided for many species including  birds and big game. 

This bird took a while to decide where to go.

I

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