OCR Text |
Show No. 44. ! I . > UliYTAH INDIAN AGENOY, Utah TIPertory, August 1,1869. )I Sm : I have the honor to submit my annual report of the operations of the Uintah agency. In my last report I stated that it had been proved by actual trial that the point selected for; the agency farm was at too great an altitude to be cultivated to the best advantage. Late and early frosts rendered the maturing of crops a matter of uncertainty.. On owmion of your visit to the agency soon after, a point was selected for s new farm about one hundred miles fwther down the river, and at an altitude probably three thousand feet lower than the site &st chosen. Work was at once commenced on the new farm. Bome laud was plowed before winter in readiness for the spring crops. As soon as win-ter set in we commenced to get,out timber for needed buildings, and during the winter erected five houses of the dimensions following: One house, 16 by 24 feet; one house, 18 by 30 feet; one house, 22 by 32 feet; one house,, 16 by 20 feet; one house, 12 by 18 feet j also, two outbuild-ings, for pigs and chickens, eaoh 8 by 12 feet. A11 the buildings are substantially constructed of logs, hewed and squared, with board floors, good doors, roofs, windows, and chimneys. These buildings were all constructed by the laborers employed during the summer to workupon the farm. As soon as the weather would permit in the spring, work was resumed upon the farm. The. soil at the new loca-tion was excellent, but was principally covered with a thick growth of bushes and sage bmsh. The, Indians labored most efficiently in clear-ing the land, and in all the labors upon the new farm. Choice laud to the amount of one hundred and ten acres was seleoted at several differ- I ent points near the agency buildings, cleared, plowed, and put into crops. Many of the Iudiaus most advanced in habits of industry were assigned ~ small tracts, of which they took exclusive charge. The grasshoppers have not at all troubled us the present season, and the crops of every kind are excellent. The one hundred and ten acres under cultivation are in crops substantially as follows: ! So fiuer site for an Indisn farm could bo fouud than our present lcwa tiou. TlieW are ulnrlr t l l ~ u a l ~odf sa cres of ~riuvte xcellent land which Cmps. Wheat .., ............................................................... corn ..................................................................... potatoes ................................................................. Turnips ............................................................. Oa t s.~. ................................................................. Vegetables, Bc ....................................................... TOM ............................................................... can be irrigated at trifling expense; wood and timber are very conve-nient, and I have never seen fiuer grazing land for cattle. Thousands of cows could range through the mountains and valleys, keeping in ex-cellent condition throughout the year, without hay during the wi$er. - The Indians are greatly pleased with the appearance and prospects of their new home. Our most pressing need at present is stock. If the sum of five thousand dollars per year could be jndiciously expended for stock cows and young cattle, to to the Indians for the next fire rears, and the same progress be made meanwhLle iu agriculture as has Aarea Boahels. --- z$:c;! So 1,750 20 B 8 110 3,000 290 -...-....... - .......... 6,WO 480 1,000 89,980 |