County: Teton

Authority Name:

GNIS Entry

Longitude:  1104751W

Latitude: 434310N 

Legal Description:

Elevation: 11850/3612(ft/m)

Feature Type: Summit

Origin of Name:

Peak, altitude 11,700 feet, Grand Teton National Park, Teton County ... .  Named for well-known Indian tribe which at the beginning of the last century occupied the surrounding territory.

Source: Decisions, 1890-1932

Approximately 11,800 feet in height, Nez Perce is located on the eastern front of the Teton Range. It is often mistaken for the South Teton Peak which lies behind the former. Nez Perce was named after the Nez Perce Indians. The name means “pierced noses.” These Indians, however, did not pierce there noses so the name must have been adopted by them or applied to them by the white men. The name of Nez Perce is one of the few geographic names in the Jackson Hole Region that was taken from the Indians. This mountain was formally called “Mitten Mountain.” The latter name was applied because formations on the south side of the peak resembled a hand, or so it was thought. Nez Perce may easily be recognized from its resemblance to the snout of a howling wolf thrust upward into the air.

Source: WPA

Other Names: Mitten Mountain, Nez Perce Peak, Nez Perce Mountain, Howling Dog Mountain

Alternative Spellings:

History:

Stories:

Maps:

1:24000 Quadrangle: Grand Teton

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