OCR Text |
Show 8 REPORT OF TBE I was expended without any adequate result. I believe that an additional appm-priation of say five thousand dollars will be sufficient to complete these mills, and that, upon their completion, the condition of the Indians will rapidly im-prove, so that but few yeas will elapse until the resefiation will be self-sustaining. At the Warm Springs reservation are located the confederated tribes of Mid-dle Oregon, numbering from one thousand to twelve hundred souls. Their reservation is completely isolated, and on that account is valuable for the pur-poses for which it is intended. The Indians are reported to have made greater progress during the past year than in anypreceding period of five years. Many of them have built for themselves houses, and have opened and are cultivating small farms, from which they derive a comfortable subsistence. But for an un-fortunate provision in their treaty, by which the privilege of leaving their reser-vation for the purpose of fishing and grazing stocks secured to them, it is not doubted that the Indians would rapidly improve. Under this provision they claim and exercise the right of leaving the reserve andvisiting the fisheries upon the Columbia and other rivers, and are thus enabled to procure large quantities of whiskey, which, besides its pernicious effects upon them, causes them to be exceedingly apnoying to the whites. The superintendent is of the opinion that for three thousand dollars, in presents of agricultural implements and other use-ful articles, they would be willing to abrogate this provision of their treaty. If this be so, I know of no like expenditure that would be productive of more beneficial results, and I respectfully request that an appropriation of that amount be solicited for the purpose indicated. The C-rande Ronde agency is situated near the centre of the coast reservation, and is the oldest in the State, and its Indians the most advanced in civilization of any in the superintendency. The agency is near the summit of the coast range of mountains; its soil is a heavy clay, and,owing to it6 elevation, the climate is several degrees colder than that of the valleys. Notwithstanding these several disadvantages, the most of the Indians have comfortable houses and farms, from which they derive a plentiful supply for all their wants. The improvements of the agency had at one time been suffered to fall into a very dilapidated condition, but throigh the efficient management of the present agent they have been placed in good repair, and the Indians are exhibiting the most gratifying evidences of improvement. The Siletz agency is the best adapted to the purposes for whichit was located of any in the State. It is situated near the centre of the coast reservation, and is separated from the white settlements by a range of mountains nearly forty-five miles in extent, and is thereby, during the warm months, almost, and in the winter wholly isolated, so that the Indians suffer but little from the vices which are consequent upon the close proximity to the whites. I t has numerous streams traversing its limits, abounding in fish, while the adjacent mountains furnish an ab~mdance of game. The soil is excellent, producing fair crops of small grain, and is unsurpassed in tbe'productiou of vegetables. At the last census the Indians numbered something over two thousand, and. |