PRESTON, Idaho — A sacred site, once taken and turned into cattle grazing pastures, is now being restored to its natural state, thanks to hundreds of volunteers and what has now become a $14 million effort led by the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Federal grants, along with many individual and corporate donors, have funded the work thus far.

The Bear River Massacre site, where as many as 500 Shoshone — many of them women and children — were killed in 1863, is undergoing a major transformation. Tribal leaders said the land, which was once rich with wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife is being returned to its original form — not just to honor the past, but to heal it.

“Our ancestors are still buried here,” said Brad Parry, vice chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshon

See Full Page