| OCR Text |
Show v a ~ ~bled g lad to be adviaed of the manner in which this source of annoyance and dis- ~atisfactiouc an ba removed. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient serrvsnt, J. J. CRITCHLOW, U~~itpdSt ate8 I d t a n Agent. Hon. F. A. Wn~arrcn, Cmnm6a8iaer of India*, Affairs, Waslri~gtonD, . C. No. 48. NORTHWESl'Er~S HOSHONE AGEN~YU, TAH, October 3, 1872. SIR: In compliancn with %e regnlitionsaf theIndian Depsrtment, I have the honor to submit the follow in^ report ooncorning the affairs of this agency for the past yew: Immediately on reoelving my final kinstrnctiona and funds for tny incidental expensea I started for my designated headqoartem. Leaving my home in Aurora, Illinois, on December 6,I leached Salt Lake City un the 10th of the month, juat esospiog the long snow-blockade on the Union Pacific Kailroad. I a t "once eomme~~oesde arohiug for the whereabouts of my wards. Several weeks were eonsulned in correspondenoe and per-aoud inwiry bsfore I was sufficiently informed to enable mme to commeuoo my work systematically. In the mean time propositions to nndertake tho work of transporta-tion and, istribution of goods poured in upon me like a tornado. Distribulirm of goo&.-This part of my work was accomplished andor great diffioul-ties, as tbe goods had to be trsosported over bad roads at themost unf&vorabla seaaon of the year. Besides, the Indians were dispersed through the country in small bands, scantily olothad, destitute of provisions and everg other comfort, so much so as to pra-elude the idea of eollwtillg them all st an1 one point. However, by employing extra Inbor, I was enabled to distribute most of the goods by the last of February, but oaly to s pilrt of those who were entitled to them. Subsiatmes fum6ahed.-I found it absolutely necessary to furnish subsistence, gona, and rrmmunition to the various bands, in order, in some oases, tosavethemfromstsrva-tion. This was partioolarly the case in places where the small-pox prevailed. All the Indians of my department should have received at least one-half rrstious of provisions during tho winter. The establishment of towna, mining-districts, aud the wnstruc-tiou of railrosdn, hnn driven out most 6f the game from bhe wautry, so that the main art,icls of food relied- opoo by the Indians has been out ofE A oonlmon regard for suffering humanity diotsted relief for their W B ~ ~ wS ,h ich I met partially. Agrioulhll.al in~plmenls, see&, &o.-As br as the funds appropriated would allow, these were furuislred to those Indians who were prepared to make good use of than,. I am able to say that, in s. majority of instances, %hey have done comparatively well. About one hundred aud fifty of the Goships have worked land in Skull Valley, soma eighty milea west of Salt Laka City, and rsiaed quite a quantity of whes, corn, pota-toes, and other vegatubles. At Corn Creek, one hundred ~~d' s ixt~- f ihvte?8 8 011th of Salt Lake City, Ksnosh and his people have doue something. Near Ksuab, in the ex-treme sontbern portion of the Territory, muoh has been done where nuding has hith-erto been attempted. At a few other points s little has been done. Iu Nevada, the western band of Shoshones have dons much more work in this line than aver before. Still, comparatively littlehas beep acoompliahed to what rnieht have been, ware thew Indians concentrated on large reaervstions. No systematic instruction or eupemision can be afforded while they remain iu their soattered coudition. Indian troubles, 4.c.-Early in May, the Ute Indians of the Uintah Valley agency, in Utah, and those of the White River rgency, in Colorado, oame onc to the settlements in Snn Pete Valley, to the number of about nine hundred. At firlit they manifested no hostile dispoaitian, onb claiming that they had come out an account of destitution of provisions at the agency, and a want of oonlidsnce in the administrafion of its affairs. Under the instruction8 of the honorsble Secretary of the Interior, I held a council with them early in June, and promised that I would report tbeir state-ment of grievances to the Indim Department st Washington; assuring them at the ssme time that the "GrecttFatherl' would sen that they were not wmugcd. This assurance was not enough to iuduoe them to return to their resorvatiooa nt once, becauae they elaimed chat the white nlsn had not been troe to them. They wished to tarry in the aettlrments for a few months, until they could test those assuranoea. Though I iissned to them a large suppl of provisions to enable them to return to their agencies and settle down to peaceful Lbou, they deolined to comply with my request. Iu s ooonoil held on the 5th of July, they stated that they were uhder no obligation eompl~w: ith any quest of the Govsznment, as there was no treaty or ooutl.aot ha- |
