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Show had established the Uintah Reservation for the " permanent settlement and exclusive occupation" of Utah Utes and for the home of the White River Utes who had given up lands in Colorado, as meaning that the Uintah Reservation belonged to the Utes " as though they had bought and paid for it.". m Therefore, land in the Uintah Reservation could be leased with the consent of the Utes. Agent Waugh advertised that the southwestern portion of the Uintah Reservation was available for a 2- 5 year lease for grazing cattle. In the meantime, he reported that: ... ever since an active move has been made to rent [ the Strawberry Valley]... it has been apparent that the sheep and cattle men have thought that they would occupy said lands at their pleasure, calculating on immunity from molestation because of the expectation of renting. 114 The lease was granted to Charles F. Homer of New York for $ 7,100.115 Homer had trouble himself with other stock owners trespassing on the leased area. The matter was finally taken to court where Homer's right to lease the land from Indians, who as owners of the land had a right to make the lease, was upheld. , r The Homer lease expired on June 1, 1898. Homer had already sold and transferred his interests to the Colorado- based Strawberry Valley Cattle Company. The company renewed the lease at that time and again on June 17, 1899. ll7 The Indian agent also began leasing land for sheep grazing without Ute permission. This action led to more than one altercation. ll8 In 1902 Agent Myton reported that on the three leased areas were 120,000 sheep and 400 cattle. M9 Farmers also wanted Uintah Reservation land. They had begun illegally diverting water from the Strawberry Valley streams as early as 1879. The Strawberry Canal begun that year was eventually controlled by the Strawberry Canal Company, which was incorporated in 1883 with 50 stockholders, most of whom were farmers dependent on the illegally obtained water. 12° In 1888 Joseph C. McDonald dug a one- and- one- half- mile ditch which diverted water from Hobble Creek. The Willow Creek Ditch was begun in 1890 and later was controlled by the Willow Creek Canal Company, which was incorporated in 1892. All of these canals diverted water from the tributaries of the upper Strawberry River, carried the water into Daniel's Creek, and, thence, down that creek to irrigate lands in Wasatch County. A bill was introduced into Congress in 1892 which would have granted the right to divert the water from the Uintah Reservation to and through the ditches. The bill did not pass, but whites continued to illegally divert the water. They waited for legislation removing lands from the Utes to confirm their rights to use of the water and rights- of- way of their canals. By Act of March 1, 1899, the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to 24 |
