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Show The Uncompahgre Ute People 107 New Mexico (Cimarron and Abiquiu). An agency was finally established on the Los Pinos River for these bands in 1877-78. Work on the Los Pinos (Cochetopa) Agency was started by Lieutenant Charles Speer. Several Taviwach People expressed disapproval of the construction. Uncanoce explained that the noise of a sawmill would frighten away the game. Others protested that since the federal government had not kept its previous promises to supply them with food, livestock, and clothing, the government had no right to impose corrals, mills, warehouses, and schoolhouses on them. After four days of conference Speer proceeded with the construction. In 1871 Speer was replaced by Jabez Nelson Trask, a highly educated but highly eccentric man. The Taviwach People soon sent in complaints about the new agent. They claimed that he did not associate with them, refused to issue rations as needed, and treated them as inferiors.8 In the summer of 1872 Charles Adams replaced Trask as agent. During these years there was still wild game available on the western slopes of Colorado. No reservation boundary lines were clearly marked. Since it was easier to let them go than to try and stop them, the Taviwach and other bands were allowed to travel in and out of the reservation, following the seasons as they had always done. In fact, a special Ute agency was established at Denver in 1871 for "the purpose of caring for such Ute Indians ... as are allowed to visit Denver and the buffalo range."9 However, miners and settlers continued to move onto land set aside for the Ute People. This was particularly a problem when gold was discovered in the San Juan Mountains. On 13 September 1873 an agreement to cede this land was signed by leaders of seven Ute bands, principally through the efforts of Ouray. He explained: Perhaps some of the people will not like it because we did not wish to sell our valley and farming lands but we think we had good reasons for not doing so. We expected to occupy them ourselves before long for farming and stock raising . . . we know not how soon we shall have to depend on ourselves for our bread. . . . We have many friends among the people, and want to live at peace and on good terms with them, and we feel it would be better for all parties for a mountain range to be between us. We are perfectly willing to sell our mountain lands and hope the miners will find heaps of gold.10 |
