Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs - 1881

Page 81

REPOltTS OF AGENTS IN DAKOTA. more ur lesi rrerl,naarra ou corry side, the C OMI ~ It~alIk of mmoval, aa well n.i rhc re-moval of the other two I~alld*,t he Ut~compnl~grca. ull \Vhire Riverh, has kept them Iodiund in n ron.rsnt stale of i~occrtiriulyn od erei te#~~esnlt ,l i # ls~ti ll c~nuri,uleal o eqnirc con8rnnt ran. and \mtrhfuloeiir. irbolea, a nvw ~tutionu f rile Denser and Ilic, Grande Rnilwny Coml,nsy, having heon located on rh* Hit, P n ~ Jt >inn,o u the reaerv;,rion, a t once btcnnw a frontitv. railruad t o r n of tile wwil tic.-cri~,livu.~ n~s#nlur, ~o,iuriu:tllr< ,is alnnnr and dance-hooncr. and filled with uurln\rr of boil, n&n. 'l'hi; t;wn iaatd;l but s 6.w dais. All tnsp&aera wvm ar cnwe slrrresafnliy nmovrd witlour nrricu~rd illiculty. S ~ 3 rrel v~ s h l e rime since MHP 1361 har brcn ronxnmed in keeoinn llr? Indians igdncy, on the Rio Lo8 Piooa, aeerniugly contented and well disposed. The Indian police force, 20 in number, are not as efficient as desired, but are grad-ually improving. I have not deemed i t practict~bleto attempt their use where i t waa probable they would be broeght in oontact with whites. On several occasions the po-lioe have come in and reported that whioh, if unknown and left aloue, must have caused serious tronble. The wearing of uniforms baa s, benefioil~li nfluence towards civilisation, and aids in induoin? others to wear citizens' clothing, as well as aiding in the control of the Indians. Several ,horses have beeu recovered, nhieh had been lost or stolon, through d d of Inclian police. Confidence in the agenoy physician has greatly inorewed. Applications for medi-cal treatment are more frequent, although few, if my, have entirely abandoned their native metlioine men, with their Haodo praotioes. Chief Ouray, who died near this agency September last, seems to have beeu ncknowledged to have be& the most en-lightened and liberal-minded of all the Utes, was oanatantly surrounded by his native medicine men from the time of his arrival here until his death, whioh occurred s fea days lste1. A11 supplies received during the year have'been of good quality and promptly de-l- k.7. -0-l. 0-8. The relations between this agency and the United States military forces, as well as the oivil aut,horities and citizens of Colorado, eontinus to be of the most cordial nature. The rsgency building8 are unfit and insufficient for the proteation of suppliea and to furnish suitable quercers for agent and emplog6s. C H E Y ER~IV ER A ~ N C YD,A KOTA, Auguat 20, 1881. SIR: In eamplianoe r i t h department instructions I reapeotfully submit the fol-lowing as my second annual report of the condition of affairs under my oharge at this cy, being for the year ending Auguat 20, 1881: =%ring the summer and fall of 11880 the Indians were wrought itp tonolittle excite-ment by the appearance of the railroad offioiala, who were endeavoring to aeonre the right of way tbrongh the Sioux reservation. This state of feeling continued until ahollt the 1st of Jsnuarv. 1881. when a treatv was completed for a right of way for two railroads through tl% r&serrstiou. ' . - Whet, spring opened t.he Indians evinced a, strong desire to commcoee farming, and had tlreir ox-tanua been of any use to theru.would have done a. greet deal more plow-ing, but they were useless, beingwild and unbroken; which fact being mnde known to t,he honorable Secretary of the Interior, authority was granted to break 500 acres of prairie sod, the breaking to be done on those aites where the Indians have laid out dheir claims and indicated as t,heir future homes. The Indiana have i n ' l~l elm ea planted their old land and in a few instanme have broken new. The season has been fa~orable.andth e crops look well, and Ihave no doubt they will reap a good harvest. The Indians at present are putting up large qusntities of hay for winter use, the experience of last winter haring t,aught them that it ia necessary to be well prepared for the long cold winters of this co~mtry.. Farming operst,iot.ionso f all kinds have beeu very sueeessful tbis wason, the rainfall havingbeen suftieient to mature all kinds of crops. Since my assuming ohnrge of this agency 78 yoke of work oxen have been issued to the Indians, all bring br&nded C. X. A,, tu denote the agency to rvhiolk ther belong.