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Show REPORTS CONCERNING INDIANS IN WASHINGTON. 355 BEPOBF OB SUPEPIXTEJDEST OF OOXAY SCHOOL UmTm G o 0-Y AGBNCYUT, AH, August 15, 1905. Since my last report the school has improved in many respects. The farm has been mueh Improved by proper eultiyatiqn, the gronnds leveled, and the loose stones hauled off' an orchard of 170 trees set out whieh promlses to do well; the brick bulldings repaired and coated with paint, and ma& inside improvements made. With all this the grounds and buildings have taken on a very homelike appearance. Literary.-The aehooiraom work has been hampered b the same disadvantage under whieh it has always labored-nly one teacher for all grades, a es, and sines. Considering this, the pupils d ~ dve ry good work. The turiooghing of empyoyees May 31 stopwd the work intended to be done on the sehooi gardeotng. Industrial.-This part of the work has been carried on mueh more satisf%ctoril than duping prerioua years. he installation of the water system in art last year didaway with the drudgery of hauling water from the river and gave time ?or the teaching of more tiseful things to the bo s Repairs on buildings, leneqs. farm work, and impropement d grounds hare ke t the !nhustrlai teacher and hls detali busy. The girls were ~nstrueted In cooking, launtering, sewing, and housework, and made creditable progress. Health.-The health of both children and employees has been excellent, there behg but one serious ease of sickness during the yenr a ease of pneumonia epused by the boy going into the river while the water was yet very (eold. This, bowever, d ~ dno t prove fatal. Empl0pees.-The constant chnqglqg of emphyeea has worked a great hardship on the 8eho01. In this isolated region it is very d~ffieult to obtain competent temporary efo-ployees, while permanent employees get a mistaken impression of the aehool by some dls-couraglng reports made.when things were not m as good condition as now; henee the trouble in dllldg the positions. Steps are now being taken to sbandon this school and sell the buildin s and farm far a town site. The union of this school with the Uintah boarding sehook will be a great advantage in many reapeets. The new sehool plant anticipated will be a great improve-ment over the two small plants now in use, the buildings of which are not in the least modern. O~ CARM . WADDDGLE, wBl(ntmdellt. REPORTS CONCERNING INDIANS IN WASHINGTON. BEWBT OF AGENT FOR COLVIJLE AGENCY. MILES, WASH., August 29, 1905. The jurisdiction of the agency has covered a very large territory, including the Colville and S W a n reservations, in Washington; the Cceur d'Alane Reser-vation, In Idaho; the allotted lands of the north half of the Oolville Reservation, opened to settlement in 1W0, as well as the homesteads and allotments of the Wenatchi Indians to the southwest; the Chelans and Okinagans on the west, and the Kalispels to the northeast of the agency proper, besides numerous de-tached Indians not under any particular agency. To reach many of the settle-ments, wagon journeys of from 50 to 250 miles or more are necessary, and it would be a physical Impossibility for an agent to give personal attention to the various interests of this extensive domain. Fortunately the Cceur d'Aiene Reservation has, by Congressional enactment, been detached from the Colville Agency, to date from July 1, 1905, and this will give considerable relief from responsibility, though Cceur d'Alene affairs have necessarily had hut little more than nominal attention from the agent hereto-fore. The Cceur d'AlSne Indians have fine lands, which they have made good use of, their farms, buildings, and improvements comparing favorably with those of their white neighbors. The Colville and Spokan reservations, particularly the former, are more isolated, with no means of communication other than ordinary or bad moun-tain roads; yet improvement, though slow, is assuredly made, and when these Indians have the advantages arising from contact with bona fide white settlers orogress will be much more rapid. The Spokans have fine crops this year, and will probably furnish all the grain and hay needed for the agency and Fort Spokaqe boarding schwl, besides which they supply the wood fuel, amount-ing to more than 900 cords. The Colville Indiana are barred from participation in these benefits by reason of distance and impracticable mountain roads; hut they are self-supporting, and serious cases of destitution are seldom known. If one-half of the prop@ railroads, electric lines, and plans for the utili-zation of the water-power possib~lities of the Spokane and Columbia rivers should materialize a wonderful change will be worked in this section, and these Indians will be almost immediately surrounded by a civilization that would soon absorb them. Conditions are encouraging, and I see no reason to fear for the future of the red men of this Northwest. They are good people, |