AZ vs. CA:21 California Exhibits, Vol. XXI; Nos. 4501-4597

page 1

L-A 39011-34 WMfflUWTXM: For Mrs. Westwood. Reference is made to your memorandum of Ootober 2, requesting Information concerning the Indians of tha Colorado River Indian Reservation. Tha Colorado River Indian Raservation was eraatad by aot of Congress of March 3, 1865 (13 3tat. L., 699), and Executive or-dors of November 22, 1873, November 16, 1874, and May 15, 1876, for tha Indiana of tha Colorado River and its tributaries. /At that time tha Indiana in California and Arizona wara chiafly un-dar tha control of tha War Department. An army poat was maintained on tha Colorado RiTar at LaYaz which had oharga of tha Indiana along tha rlvtr. It la log load that whan tha raaarratlon was craated in that Tioinity, It waa for thaaa Indiana under tha assy post, aa that particular army poat would not ba interested in oraating a reservation under its jurisdiction for Indians than under tha control of sane other army post* Considering the Beans •f transportation and eonmunication than aTailabla and tha faot that many of tha tribes In tha drainage system af tha Colorado RiTar wara hostile to tha Mohaye and Chemehueri Indians, it la not probable that it was intended to place on tha raaerration all Indians in this area. Tha Mohare and ChamahnaTi Indians had lired in tha neighborhood of tha Colorado RiTar Rasarratlon erer wince that oountry waa first szplorad by white man. They llred in the immediate Tleinity •f tha rirer, farming tha araas which wara oTorflowad by tha spring floods, apparently occupying tha territory from about Black Canon on tha north to tha oountry occupied by tha Yimas on tha south. 8ofar as is known, tha only other tribe arer considered in con-nsction with tha Colorado RiTar Raserration, until rery recent years waa tha Walapal. This tribe was under the army post at La Pas. Tha nembers of tha tribe wara taken to tha reservation by foroe about 1874, bat being mountain Indians they suffered greatly due to tha climatic conditions along tha rlrer and returned to their homes in the mountains in lass than a year. The area of tha reservation at the time it waa sat aside was mot aufflolent to take care of more than the Indians Uring along the rlTer in tha immediate Tielnlty. There are a great many more Indians in tha Colorado RiTar drainage system and it would hare boon impossible for any substantial part of them to hare mored to tha Colorado Hirer Reservation with any ohanoe of finding enough land upon which to support themselves. Conditions, of course, hare changed considerably sines due to the irrigation or contemplated