Along U.S. Highway 12 and the Clearwater River lies the creation site for the Nez Perce Tribe.

The Heart of the Monster is where the creation story of the Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce, takes place, which began when Iceye’ye, or Coyote, killed a monster that was eating all the animals. Coyote tricks the monster into eating him and cuts out his heart, which becomes the rocky mound known as the Heart of the Monster. Coyote then creates the Native American tribes, including the Nimiipuu.