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Show 183 The fact that the Indian people were portrayed as victims in the press and by government workers did not lessen the intense hatred on the part of the ranchers in western Colorado. Another violent encounter would take place at Blue Mountain in 1897. The fact that the Utes were given reparations Is an interesting part of this incident. The eastern border was not the only trouble spot during these years. Along the western border of the reservation lay the Strawberry Valley-, a rich upland grazing area. The residents of Utah and Wasatch counties had long used the area without consent from the Indians or their agents, and without payment of grazing fees. In the 1880's as the pressure for grazing grew there came a confrontation between the cattle "pool" at Heber, Utah, and the Indians. When the agents E. W. Davis, E. E. White and T. A. Byrnes demanded payment, the cattlemen attempted to evade. T. A. Byrnes, who succeeded Special Agent White, finally forced a showdown with the herders. On November 1, 1887, Byrnes wrote a thirty page letter to the Commissioner reviewing the entire matter. He complained, "I have found these Mormon cattlemen incapable of telling the truth." With threats of the use of the military force at Fort Duchesne, v 20 Byrnes to J. D. C Atkins, November 1, 1887- National Archives, Record Group 75. Letters Received, 1881-1908. |
