OCR Text |
Show be erected some three miles dawn the river, near the tillable land of the "bottom." The warehause has bean rendered serviceable for thereception of the Indian goods this fall. 'The dweiling-houses have yet to he repaired to render them fit for winter. The stockade is paat repair, and must be entirely rebuilt. The matter of the removal of the %gsnoy should be decided nl onre, and the agent should be informed whether sn apprap~iatiano f money will be made for putting up new buildings, for it will be neoessary to make very thoroog? repairs upon the prereut ones if they are to be occupied another Reason. Very respectfully, yoor most obedient servant, E. H. DANFORTH, United States Indinn Agmt. Hon. E. P. SllrTn, Comn~i s sbmnof lrtdion .4ffairs, IVashineton, D. C. UlrrTnlr VALLEY AGENCY, UTAH TERRITORY. September PO, 1874. S ~ :R I n obedience to inotruetions contained in Dn~nrtmento irculsr of Aneast 17. I suh-mit the following as my fourth auntmi report of the agency undermy charge- I am ta be able to state that the quiet snd general pros erity indicated in my last report still continues, and that what was then true relative to tie progress of my Indisns in ~prieultt~rianld uatry is eminently so now. What was stated relative to their progress in uivili.atiat~, wit11 distrust snd difidenca, can now be affirmed with agood degreeof assurance. The same salutary in@.<lences that were at work then hsve continued to produce results in s more notioesblkdegree. IXDT.4RS--THEIR NU31BER, INDL'STRY, CIVlLIZATIOA, HEALTH, ETC. It rill be noticed by my statistical report that the number of oar Iudisos is less than that given last yew, being made to confol.m to the enumeration made by Richard Komas last fsil and received after uty report was written. Hia enumeration, as given in Messrs. Ingalls and Powell's report, was 556, which, with the estimated iucresss, makes our present number 575. It is my opiniun,as well as thst of my late interpreter and othem,tllst, although the report of Mr. Komas embraces as many Indims ns srs at our agenoy at any one time, yet itdoes not embrace as many as nmks our qenep their rallying point and headquarters dor-ing the yesr, hence I am still inclined to think that my estimate, vis, 800, ss given in my last report, wsa not too high. Our Indims hsve shown s mmked improvement in their industrial habits. More of them than at any former period ham enraged in farming. The results to those who engaged in cultivating the soil lsst year was so satisfactory md so mnnifest, that meoy of those whom we were aocustomed to regard as the most hopeless eases have engaged in agriculture with very encouraging results. There is oat only an increase in the noiount of labor performed, but also im improvement in the skill and efficiency of those who labobor, as wel! as s yery oon-siderable increase in the products ot' thair labor. For sn estimateof the products of the In disn and agency farms I refer tu my statistical report herewith. But our Indisns have not confined their labors to the cultivation of the soil : they h&ve made more than GOO rods of fence, cultin@, hauling, and irqiog up the poles themselves. Such labor was never performed by them before un this agency, snd as it was dune per-fectly voluntarily, we r e g ~ r dit as an evidence of decided progress, and as affording good ground for hope in the future. The progress of our Indians in or toward oiviliastion, it must still be admitted, is slow, but we thiulr steady and marked. The better element anmug them seems to begaining strength, and their wild habits aud ussce.es generally falling into disuse; they are more and more disposed to sdopt eiviilzed habits and dress--to submit to authority and he guided by the advice of the Government and its sgenls. There is a general kindness of manner and expression indicative of tho breaking up of the stoical and savage nature, showing s gradual preparation for the more active and efficient elenlents of oivilization and Christimity. ' Polygamy, however, and other evidences of bnr-barismstill existaud show themselves. but we think not quite so bold1 as formerly. They he,vestillverg inadequateideas in re& to chastity ortheobligationso?themarriagerelation. Their health has geserally been good, better we think thau l a s ~ye ar, though there have been mare deaths, thosethat have occurred being mostly from chronic diseases. We think the im-provement in general health results from their improved iodustriltl habits and regular meaos of subsistence. Must of our Indians hsve remained on the reservation, attending more dili- ~ e n t l yto their crops than usual. Some small bands hsvegoneon hunting and visiting e a p e ditions,but have usually made arrangements with some of their friends to attend to their crops in their absence. |