Chief Joseph Silver Bar

Part 2 of this series focuses on this bar featuring Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe.

In 1877, his tribe was forced off of their land by the US government, then pursued by the army. For about 3 months, the Nez Perce held off the army, winning several battles and suffering minimal casualties, despite being ridiculously outnumbered. They even started to turn the tide of public opinion, as several newspapers of the day published pieces rooting for the underdog tribe, and turning Chief Joseph into a bit of a celebrity.

Eventually though, the pursuit took its toll on the Nez Perce, and they surrendered. It was this surrender that spawned Chief Joseph's famous line, "I will fight no more forever". The latest historical evidence suggests that he probably never actually said this exact line, but the sentiment remains. Faced with impossible odds, and forced into a no-won situation, rather than see his people wiped out, he decided to preserve what he could of their heritage.

Reflecting on this event later in life, he said that his tribe could have continued fighting and probably escaped, if they had left behind the wounded and elderly. But he refused to do this, preferring to keep the tribe together, whatever their fate. If anyone is deserving to be immortalized on a bar of silver, certainly it's this guy.

The back is the same as all the other bars in this series.