Steptoe Battlefield is a four-acre, day-use park in Rosalia. This is the site on May 17, 1858, where Lt. Col. E.J. Steptoe led 159 American soldiers in a running fight with a large band of Spokane, Palouse and Coeur D'Alene Native Americans. The American soldiers beat off a series of attacks until night halted the battle. With ammunition almost gone and facing disaster, Lt. Col. Steptoe and his men retreated with their wounded and under the cover of darkness to Fort Walla Walla. The park features a monument with interpretive signs in memory of the battle between a band of Palouse, Spokane and Coeur D'Alene Native Americans and 159 American soldiers.

Park hours/updates:

The park is open year round.

Summer: 6:30 a.m. - dusk Winter: 8 a.m. - dusk

Wildlife Mammals Birds Fish & Sea Life. Badgers. Bobcats. Chipmunks. Coyotes. Deer or Elk. Marmots. Moose. Rabbits. Raccoons. Chukars. Crows or Ravens. Doves or Pigeons. Ducks. Geese. Grouse. Gulls. Hawks. Herons. Hummingbirds. Jays. Ospreys. Owls. Pheasants. Quail. Turkeys. Woodpeckers. Wrens

Environmental Features Physical Features Plant Life

Ponderosa Pine. Maple. Berries. Carnivorous Plants. Moss or Lichens. Thistle

A 25-foot granite memorial erected by Esther Reed Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution in 1914 marks the authentic site of Steptoe Battlefield. This battle, the last defeat of the U.S. Army by Native Americans was fought in May 1858 with Lt. Col. Steptoe in command.