Weippe has historical past, is enhancing the future

   If you are searching for a place to spend a day or two, delve into history, enjoy a look at the past and the present and thrill at the excitement of rodeo action, look to Weippe this spring and summer.

   Weippe, nestled on the eastern edge of the Weippe prairie, has an interesting and historical background dating back to before the coming of the white man into the west. Here on the high mountain prairie the Nez Perce Indians came to dig the camas bulb, so important to their daily diet.

   It was also here in September, 1805, that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their “Voyage of Discovery” encountered the Nez Perce for the first time. A stone monument commemorating this event has been placed along the highway entrance to Weippe and on the Opresik farm where the actual meeting took place. The Weippe Prairie is one of eight registered national landmarks in the State of Idaho.

   Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Poujade kept a weight station on Ford’s Creek during the early 1860’s for the miners traveling to the Pierce gold fields.

   Wellington (the Duke) Landon, who came to Weippe in 1873, operated a saloon and owned a great deal of land, a portion of which he deeded for the site of the town of Weippe. He is buried in the Weippe cemetery.

   The Weippe prairie is still a beautiful and charming upland. Farm buildings and fences are in evidence but enough open area still exists to suggest the unspoiled prairie seen by Lewis and Clark.

   Much study has been done concerning the name Weippe (Wee-yipe). The word was originally spelled Oy-ipe by General Howard in his journals. A late Nez Perce historian said the name meant “very old place.” The Nez Perce also say it may have something to do with a spring of water or camas ground.

Camas Festival May

   In May, the Weippe community hosted its Third Annual Camas Festival. When Lewis and Clark came to the Weippe Prairie they were near starvation and the Nez Perce Indians welcomed them with salmon and bread made from the camas root. The Weippe Prairie and Musselshell Meadows were considered beds for the finest camas. The bulb, properly baked and dried will keep for many years without spoiling. When baked the camas is ground up for bread and porridge.

   The Festival, held the last weekend in May, buzzes with activities. There is lots of music, a fun run, food vendors, craft demos/displays of cornhusk weaving, blacksmithing, flint knapping, spinning, weaving, and the presentation of a melodrama. There will be a flea market, a tipi raising, local history displays, art/craft sale, children’s activities and best of all lots of visiting. There will be a Dutch oven cooking demonstration featuring biscuits made with camas flour.

   The community is working together to put the finishing touches on the Weippe Discovery Center, a lasting legacy and historic record of the area’s heritage. The Center will incorporate Lewis/Clark interpretive murals, a library, technology area, conference room and college outreach center.

   Tourist facilities include groceries, cafés, gas, bed and breakfast and RV parks.

   Weippe Rodeo in August

   The Weippe prairie was also the scene of horse racing, games and other sports by the first inhabitants. That tradition is carried on each year with the Weippe Rodeo, one of the most popular small rodeos in the area and which is held annually the second weekend in August. Featured both Saturday and Sunday will be saddle bronc riding, calf roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling, bull riding, team roping, barrel racing and break-away roping. There is cow milking and a kid’s calf ride for local participants and barrel racing for the ladies. There is a festive parade at noon on Saturday and each day can begin with a cowboy breakfast at the rodeo grounds.