| OCR Text |
Show 150 which could be made available for grazing and agricultural purposes to enable us to locate the Indians as by the agreement contemplated, we decided to explore the country further north and west. From this point we were unable to use wagons, and our supplies were carried by pack animals. With Mr. Taylor as our guide, we followed up the east branch of Salt Creek to the top of Roan Mountain and down Douglas Creek to its junction with White River. We then examined the country west of the valleys of the White and Green Rivers. -*-" After running out of provisions, the group appealed to J. J. Critchlow who provided for them, and loaned them a team and wagon to survey part of the Uintah Reservation with the idea of placing the Uncompahgres there. It is nearly unbelievable that the Utes were assigned a reservation by a group of men riding across it twice, and then deciding that it would be the place. Further, they must have had limited judgement, for the land was 99 percent a vast waste. But their description is as follows: Our explorations at this time were such as to satisfy us that there are sufficient grazing and agricultural lands in the reservation for the wants of the Uintahs, White Rivers, and such portion of the Uncompahgres as it may be necessary to locate there. In returning to Los Pinos we crossed the mountains via Evacuation Creek, reaching the agency on the 5th of July. Agent Berry and the two chiefs, Sapavanaro and Guero, were with us during the entire tri*p. We selected for the Uncompahgres the lands in the valley of the Green River, for a distance of ten miles down and fifteen miles up from its junction with the White River, and the lands 18 Ibid., p. 326. |
