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Show REPORTS OF AGENTS IN COLORADO. CIVILIZATION. 'The greatest ahatrtele in the way of their civilization is their oonstsnt eontnet with a low clsss of white men and Mexicans who sra uoiveraslly itddioted to drunkenness. Evil hsbits have thus been imbibed, leading to suchgeneral intemperance and di~soluteness of ohnrader ss to render moral improvement slmost an impossibility. The present outlook does not in-spire one with a great amount of confidence in their speedy elevstion. TEE REMEDY. Give them s permanent home, where they can find constant employment and !lave the liberal support of the Government until they can improve piaces of their own. This, in my judgment, is the only course that will redeem the oldar Indians, or prevent the younger aues from falling into a similar vortex. Very respeotfully, your obedient servant, C. G. BELKNAP, Uniled States Indian &ant. The COBlMISSIONER 0s INDIAN AFF.~IRS. Lo8 P r ~ o sIN DIAANG ENCYC, OLORADO. Septembe~ 30, 1876. SIR: The most important event of the past yes? st this &ency has been ita change of location, sn event wbieh has tended to keep the Indians nearer to the heart of tbe reserva-tion in s country where sueeeasful cultivation of the soil was possible, and where they could reach the ration-house ac nil masons of the year, and he more frequently under the eye of the agent. The present loeetion is about G,UU0 feet above the level of the sea. The old sgency was over 9,000 feet high, and, the climate consequently so ooid that the Indisns were there but shout five months of the year. The new site is within two tniles of the head or what is known as the Unoepl~hgri (tho apelling of the word was agreed upon between Mr. Jas. T. Gmdner,of Professor hay den'^ corps of surveyor8,and myself, as being nearest to the Indian pronunciation) Valley, this being separetsd from whbt is known as the Uncspsh-eri Park by a eaiioo about six miles laog. Prom lsiph points in the rnnge of mountitins fifteen miles south of hare this valley is spid to look very charming and attractive. Wlmn reached, however, it is found to be like other sapa-brush country in Colorado, dry and barren, aud reqoiring the irrigating ditch. - The first extra lsbor for moving the agency was hired on the 14th day of July. An ap-propriation of a little over 820,OOU had been asked for, hut only $10.000 had been nllowed. ( The old agency was not on the reser~stian, and was otherwise ohjectioosble, so that moving seemed to he inrperntive. On the 17th of July we began to load the saw-inill. The agency farmer md a little hand of hired men took three weeks, with four ox wagons and one mule wagon to reach the new mill-site, a distance of s little over ninety miles, it being necessary to makes grwt part of the road. Than the mein worlr Was to digs ditch over half a mile long in a hard, cement-like grsvel on the side of a bluff. The contract for erecting the buildings was made August 12, and the work was to be done October25 unless delayed by lack of lumber. The sdobe work proceeded very slowly, and the work of getting out lumber was not so fast as was expected, and when the n g n t reached the Uncapahgri Valley, on the 2Uth of November, to make it his home, none of the bnildings, except the store.house, were far enough advanced to be used. Notwithstsnding this, and notwithstanding the snow had wme upon the mountsin range unusually early, it wss deemed best to ohari e headquarters. It was importsnt that another gem should not be lost to agriculture, an% again, s large portion of the property of the sgency,ineludiog moat of the cattle, had been removed. The employ6s3 supplies had nearly all been hronpht, the grain and vegetables were on th road, a,nd it was expected that 100.000 pounds of Eour far the Indians would yet arrive. Beefeattie, about 100.000 pounds, hsdslresdy come. Even withont the flour it was expect-ed the Indians would be sstistied,an they had not been accustomed to receive anything from the Government in the winter. They were, indeed. more t h ~ nsa tisfied till spring came, when they msde a pretty loud demand for fiour, and pxprersed a willingness to go to the old sgency and pack it in. Thus there was issued to them 57.500 pomlds during the second quarter. Much property was left at the old ngeocy, snow impeding trsnsporta-tion all winter, and that occasioned some embarrassment and a little entrs enpeuse. Nrver-thelesa, the removal has proved of great advantage. The goad agricultural qualities of soil and climate of the new location hiwe been demonstrated, and several of the Utes have been induced to work in the field. Another benefit, which for lack of school eeeommod~tionw e have little more than begun to feel, is the oonstant qontact with the Indians, especially the children. Three children were lodged in theagent's houseand ate at the table oftheemploy6s, and made manifest prog-ress in learning to talk Americana, and two of them in arithmetic and reading and writing. |