No scheme behind the Indians’ fate

Regarding “Seeing Ghosts on the Nez Perce Trail” (May 11): The point lost among all the hand-wringing over the plight of the Indian is that no other scenario was possible. American Indians weren’t keen on integration and sharing. Their land was their land, God-given, and that’s that. And the settlers did what settlers do: settle what hasn’t been settled yet. There was no grand scheme to make or break treaties. They were made by necessity and broken by necessity.

When the Nez Perce warriors started killing settlers, the Army had to react; the settlers had to have protection. Author James Dannenberg says, “The good guys lost.” If they had won, you’d be vacationing somewhere else.

Steven Foster

Palms