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Show Years of Trouble, Years of Hope, 1934-1960 143 In 1933 Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier requested that this public domain be withdrawn from all forms of entry. He wanted it reserved as a grazing range for the Uncom-pahgre and other stockmen. This time the Secretary of Interior did establish the range. Permits for use by non-Utes were to be administered by the BIA. With the Ute claim settlement in 1933, per capita payments of $1,000 were made to each Ute. The Uncompahgre were urged to invest the money in their livestock. Some families did so. Increasingly, their livestock competed for grazing with animals owned by non-Utes. In 1934 the Taylor Grazing Act was passed which ended unrestricted grazing on public domain lands. Thereafter, grazing districts were established and grazing permits issued. Efforts were made to establish part of the Uncompahgre Reservation under this act as a permanent grazing reserve for the use and benefit of the People. Some white stockmen supported these efforts as a way of cancelling the 1933 land withdrawal. This way the rest of the Uncompahgre land could be declared public domain and then be organized under the Taylor Act as a grazing area for white use. Many of these stockmen were determined that all of the Uncompahgre lands should not be restored to Ute control. In a 1934 petition several declared: . . . Indians are lazy, indolent and unprogressive and incapable of making any intelligent use of the land withdrawal and incapable of controlling and caring for, or in any sense developing livestock or the livestock business. . . . The sole ambition of the Ute Indian is to own a few ponies, a few goats or a few sheep, which may be moved from time to time during the year to meet their desire for change in habitat for hunting and fishing.9 By this time the Uncompahgre had 2,800 cattle and 7,000 sheep. Federal officials supported a proposal to establish part of the Uncompahgre Reservation as an addition to the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. The rest of the land would then continue to be available to non-Utes. The People were led to believe that the entire 1,800,000 acres were to be restored to the reservation. It came as a shock to many People that the area to be restored was one third of that acreage. They were further shocked when |