OCR Text |
Show 1942. Approximately 31,000 acres had been purchased for nearly $ 200,000. With this acquisition, substantially all the lands within the proposed Indian reserve were Indian allotments, Indian tribal lands, or public domain. Accordingly, the Indian Service prepared to administer the lands. 190 However, legislation establishing the Indian reserve still had not been enacted. In the meantime, the United States Grazing Service designated the proposed reserve as Unit G and issued licenses for grazing privileges to some six non- Indian users. A controversy ensued. In 1943 a proposal was made which provided for the issuance by the Grazing Service, without charge, of a 10- year grazing permit to the Uintah and Ouray Ute Tribe for use of the public lands within Unit G and for the control of lands in Unit G by the Indian Service. The Indian Service agreed to issue permits to the six non- Indian livestock operators. The Utes agreed to the proposal; the six white users did not. 191 Litigation followed. The matter was finally resolved by legislation which extended the boundaries of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation to include what was known as the Hill Creek Extension. 192 The boundary line was so convoluted - to avoid mineral lands and white- owned land - as to require four pages of text to describe it. Under the Act, however, tribal funds were still to be used to purchase privately- owned and state- owned lands, including water rights within the boundary. The present boundary of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation has remained essentially as it was described in 1948, with some additional area acquired through purchase and transfer of title. 37 |