Maybe it’s just me. But something about the 4th of July makes me want to visit a national park that day. Could be because at these 400 or so places across the nation I always find inspiration whether in the beauty of the landscape or the story that is preserved. Or both, as is the case in the Big Hole Battlefield and the Nez Perce National Historic Trail near Wisdom.

As the visitor center’s excellent exhibits about Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce search for peace and freedom in 1877 remind us, the story is sad because it was a repeat of one that happened across the west after the Civil War—Soldiers and civilians combining to dispossess Native peoples of their lands, and here at Big Hole, of their lives. It was not America at its best. But as the exhibits also stress, tellingly in the words of the past and the Nez Perce themselves, Big Hole has since become a place where we learn and can make a commitment to do better.

When you combine meaningful history lessons with a beautiful landscape, it is always inspiring. By admitting truth and preserving where that truth happened, we take yet another step towards fulfilling the promise of a more perfect Union made by our revolutionary forefathers.

Thank you Big Hole Battlefield for bringing me these reflections on the 4th of July 2025. Your dedicated work makes me so glad we have a National Park Service, and proud to be an American.