The Bear River Massacre Site marks the tragic event on January 29, 1863, where Colonel Patrick Connor and his troops attacked a Northwestern Shoshone winter encampment. Resulting in the deaths of 250 or more Native Americans, it stands as one of the worst disasters and deadliest massacres of indigenous people in the American West. The location was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation is leading ecological and cultural restoration project at Wuda Ogwa (also known as Boa Ogoi or the Bear River Massacre site) in southeast Idaho to heal their ancestral lands and honor those who perished there.
Watch the Bear River (Wuda Ogwa) Massacre Site Ecological Restoration video to learn more.
- Cultural Revitalization: Plans include building a stone amphitheater and a cultural interpretive center to educate the public and share Shoshone history.
- Ecological Healing: Removing invasive plants like Russian olive trees and noxious weeds, and replanting native trees and shrubs like willow and cottonwood.
- Hydrology & Wildlife: Reshaping the river bends, restoring wetlands, mimicking beaver activity with man-made structures, and bringing back native fish like the Bonneville cutthroat trout.
Tour Information
- Located in the middle of the bottom of the valley.
- Located at the top of the north hill.
- A painting depicting the Bear River Massacre is displayed in the Preston Post Office, located at 55 E Oneida Street.
Smithsonian Story: The Search Is On for the Site of the Worst Indian Massacre in U.S. History
Address
2945 US-91, Preston, ID 83263
GPS
42.140723672993, -111.91164653391
Telephone
