Materials span from the time of the War in 1877 and, with the inclusion of correspondence from a member of the Fisher family, extend into 1988.
This collection documents activities and relationships of Stanton G. Fisher, a turn-of-the-century pioneer who spent most of his life in various towns in southern Idaho, particularly in relation to his participation in the Nez Perce War. It includes Nez Perce War memorabilia, such as a handwritten letter from the war; maps of Idaho and the troop movements; photographs and a cartoon, of people and places related to the War. Literature written on the topic is also included, incorporating documents from various magazine clippings, a University of Idaho dramatic production, a small publication pieced together from firsthand accounts, a series of short stories written by one of the scouts, and newspaper articles referencing the war and its scouts. The collection also includes personal documents related to Stanton G. Fisher and his youngest son, Don C. Fisher, such as a trail diary kept by Stanton G. Fisher in 1888; several handwritten essays and a typed manuscript relating adventures he heard or experienced; correspondence between Don Fisher and friends of his father; an envelope from Don Fisher's niece, Freda Terry; a receipt bearing Don Fisher's initials; and census papers from 1880, 1910 and 1930 noting various members of the Fisher family.
Stanton Gilbert Fisher (1840-1915) was an American pioneer best known as a civilian scout for the United States Army during the 1877 Nez Perce War. Fisher was born on July 10, 1840 in Jefferson County, New York. He and his family moved to a farm in Dodge County, Wisconsin in 1850. In 1860, Fisher – a jack of all trades – moved to California to try his hand at his first career, mining.
In 1867, Fisher bought an interest in a trading station at Ross Fork, Idaho, which was absorbed by the Fort Hall reservation the following year. Fisher worked as trader and postmaster for two years before selling the outpost and then participating in the Native Americans' annual buffalo hunt at the Yellowstone River in Montana. Upon returning to Idaho, he was hired to pursue a band of Indians that had attacked several miners. While tracking the Indians, Fisher contracted typhoid fever, which rendered him partially deaf for the rest of his life. Within a few years, he again sold the Fort Hall trading post and took up ranching. In 1875, he married Sarah A. Peck, with whom he had four children.
The Nez Perce War of 1877 took Fisher away from his ordinary life and swept him into the excitement of war and fame. He put together a company of "civilian scouts," of which he was appointed chief, and led them across Idaho and Montana in pursuit of the Nez Perce Indians. His experience with Indians aided him greatly in this endeavor – in fact, many of his scouts were Indians themselves. The military relied heavily upon him and his men and for the rest of their lives, the scouts received great honors for the work they did.
Fisher returned to Fort Hall in 1882. In 1883, he purchased his old trading post and moved his family back to Ross Fork, though for some time he retained a trading post he had founded in Pocatello, Idaho. He was once again appointed postmaster. Despite these investments, he continued to travel in pursuit of work; in 1888, he kept a journal of his journey to a mining camp in Custer County, Idaho.
In 1889, Fisher was appointed Indian Agent for the Fort Hall reservation, a responsibility he fulfilled while serving as Deputy Sheriff for Bingham County until 1895, when he was appointed Indian Agent for the Nez Perce Indians at Fort Lapwai. In 1899, he departed again to pursue work as a miner in Grangeville, where he lived for the remainder of his life until his death on July 29, 1915.
Collection is open for research.
Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
Some of the materials in this collection were digitized and added to the digital
This journal was composed as Fisher traveled across Idaho. The journal was written for his daughter Nellie May, to whom he mailed the document upon his arrival at his destination. The journal was kept from April 14 to June 9, 1888. (16 pages, there appear to be pages missing)
This document is a handwritten account of a number of stories concerning the early years of Fort Hall, Idaho. Stanton G. Fisher established a trading post there in 1867. During his time in the area, Fisher was told many tales about events that had happened in the region, which he recorded in this essay. (39 pages)
This essay relates a story Fisher heard about a young man and a doctor who tried to save the life of a young Indian. (22 pages, pages missing)
In this narrative, Fisher recalls difficulties he had maintaining a trading license and selling his lower Pocatello trading post in the mid 1880s. (29 pages)
Fisher wrote this story about his 1871 experience tracking a group of outlaw Indians. (10 pages)
Postmarked envelope included.
Addressed to Mr. Fred Rice in La Quinta, CA, perhaps a member of the La Quinta Historical Society.