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Show 46 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. Winnebago Homesteads in Wisconsin-In the annual reports of this office for the years 1895,1896, and 1897 the status of the homestead entries and selections by the Winnebago Indians of Wisconsin, the laws under which they were made, and the necessity for their investi- I gation were set forth in detail. It is gratifying to state that all except 8 of these original entries and selections, in number 680, have been finally disposed of. Of these, 7 are in a fair way for final disposition, the Indians having paid their fees for final proof. The Indian claim-ing the eighth, being absent from the State, has taken no steps to complete his entry. Since the investigation of the original Winnebago homestead entries was completed, in 1896-97, about 40 other Winnebago Indians have taken up homesteads under the act of 1875 (18 Stats., 420), and the Win-nebago act amendatory thereof approved January 18? 1881 (21 Stats., 316). These entries were made by the Indians in ofder that they might hold their rights to annuities, as provided in said acts. Final proof of these entries can not be made, of course, by the Indians until the proper time has elapsed under the public-land laws. Such proof should be completed within the statutory period-seven years from date of entry. IRRIGATION. Ctila Bend Reservation, Ariz.-Nothing has been done in the matter of supplying this reservation with water since the date of my last annual report, neither has any inforlnatiou in addition to that given therein been obtained except a report of Special Allotting Agent Claude N. Benuett, forwarded to the Department September 4, 1897, which gives a brief description of the different canals on the reservation, all of them at present of little or no use to the Indians. On the 7th of this month the office recom~nended that Inspector Graves be instructed to inves-tigate the matter and report the most feasible plan for supplying these Indians with water. Xavajo Reservation, Arizona and New Nexico.-April 9,1898, George Butler, the superintendent oE irrigation for the Navajoes was advised that the fund specially appropriated by Congress for Navajo irrigation purposes would be about exhausted at the close of the fiscal year which ended June 30 last, but that possibly $5,000 might be taken from the general irrigation fund for his work during the fiscal year 1899. He was directed to submit a plan showing the character of the work which he could probably accomplish with that sum and the benefits which would result, and to submit the proposed plans to the acting agent for the Navajoes for his consideration. July 5, 1898, the superintendent, with the hearty approval of the agent, recommended the expenditure of $3,500 in the completion of the Red Lake system of irrigation. This comprises a reservoir con-taining 618.5 acres, known as the Red Lake Reservoir, and the ditches leading therefrom, which, together with Black Creek and the ditches therefrom, are planned to irrigate 995.4 acres of land divided into five separace zraots. |