OCR Text |
Show REPORTS OF AGENTS. COLORADO RIVER AGENCY, ARIZONA, JwyMsf 13,1833. : « *• Tn compliance with the instructions to agents with the directions of Depart-nt circular, dated Julv 13, 1* 83, I have the honor to submit the following as my It annual report of affairs pertaining to the agency and Indians nnder my charge, i to transmit the accompanving statistics relative thereto. •".' in inv arrival at this agencvlDecember 19, 1882, I found matters in a very de-ralized condition, and without any attempt seemingly to the care or preservation the Government supplies by my predecessor, Colonel Biggs. What few reinain- T suDidics there were on hand I found in very bad order. Seemingly, they had ; ; n thrown about in the utmost confusion, and distributed in no less than five ierent places or storehouses, thereby compelling the ageut to travel all about the Anise* wading nearly knee- deep in sand to fill the school requisitions, which had he done once a week. I found goods perishing for want of better atteution. > \ fter takin.' charge of- the agency January 1, 1S83, I immediately went to work ttiu"- matters in shape and in making one general storehouse for all the agency nnliea thcrebv arranging the goods in such order t h a t any one could sec a t a glance y 7 what supplies Avere on hand at any or all times, tis also in facilitating the tilling v all the requisitions for t h e schools, s& c. After this work was consummated, I then rned rav attention to the general improvement of the agency braidings and furni-re which had also been sadlv neglected. At the end of the first quarter ( with e aid of all the a^- encv emploves. who rendered very efficient service), I had all incrS T, ut in order and. in fact, ready for inspection, for the- condition of which 1 spectfully refer the Department to the report of General Charles Howard, inspector, ho visited the agency about t h e middle of last May. 4 . RESERVATION \ - . •'• There is doubtless among all the various reservations of our country none t h a t is 3 ore desolate and unproductive than this. There are said to be 123,000 acres in this . ^ - serve within the following described boundaries, as per report of surveys made in ' « j Comm^ nciu? at a point trf- ere the La Paz Arroya enters the Colorado River^ 4 miles above Ehren- <. « g ; thence rt « t « lfr with said arroya to a point south of the crest of La Paz Momtanr ttence• in • _ J s- tiiVesterlv direction across the Colorado River to the top of Monument Peak, in the State of Call- J - » ta, thence southwesterly in a straight line to the top of Riverside Mountain, California; thence > . a direct line to the place olbesinnins. 0 Tlie soil within said boundary is, in my opinion, well adapted for raising almost ,- j ny kiud of cereal matter providing water could be secured for irrigating purposes. do not mean to convey the impression that . ill the land embraced in the above- : amed boundary, but quite sufficient, could bo selected to produce all these Indians 4 • vonld require. In order to fully satisfy myself about the production of this > audy soil, I made several experiments during the past season in the proptigation ot - e a t a b l e s and other matter: and although I was deprived of t h e usual appliances to f - cure water from the agency t a n k on account of t h e stoppage of the engine, and was • bliged to work nnder very great disadvantages by having the water carried in • mokets a long distance, and the area planted irrigated in that manner, the result 4 ^ as very gratffving indeed, solongas the water supply iscoutmued, hntonco t h a t iscut , • a* everything immediately begins to wither and die; this is owing to the intense heat > - hick prevails in thislocalitv. The water question seems to be t he only one in mymmd 1 reqniriue the attention of the Department in order to make the* e Indians selt- sup- 1 Wrting. which I am satisfied they would be after they were properly started in t h e - "* avs and customs of tilling t h e soil. Duriug the past season I had the old ditch or • Anal opened, cleaned for several miles, and water let m during its highest stage, this only benefited those who reside in tho locality of the agency buildings. A very • arge area of land in small patches was irrigated from it along the whole length of the canal and for more t h a n a mile below tho agency buildiugs. From this small • 5 9 * |