Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs - 1884

Page 16

I XI1 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. I INDIAN HOMESTEAD ENTRIES. The Indian appropriation act for the current year contains a clause allowing Indians to avail themselves of the homestead laws without the payment of fees and commissions on account of entries or proofs, and appropriates the sum of $1,000 to aid Indians in making selectiol~s of land and the necessary proofs. Under this act several entries have been made by Indians in Washington Territory who for gears have been in possession of laud along the Columbia River. It is believed that this provision, and your action in directing local officers to refuse entries of whites npou lands occupied by Indians, as embodied in cir-cular of the General Land Office dated May 31,1884, will enable many Indians to secure titles to their lands. This clause also provides that all patents for lands under the Indian homestead act ahall be of the legal. effect and declare that the United Stat,es does and will hold the land thus entered for the period of twenty-five years in trust for the sole nse and benefit of the Indian by whomsuch entry shall have been made, or in case of his decease, of his widow and heirs, according to the laws of the state or Territory where such land is located; and that at the expiration of said period the United States will oonvey the same by patent to said Indian, or his widow and heirs as aforesaid, in fee, discharged of said trust and free of all charge or 'in-cukbrance whatsoever. I ALLOTXENT OF LANDS IN SEVERALTY AND PATENTS. During the year 12 certificates of allotments have been issued to the Indians on the White Earth Reservatiou, under the treaty with the Chippewas of the Mississippi conclude,d March 19,1867 (16 Stat., 721); 9 to the Pott,awatomies of the Indian Territory, nuder the act of May 23,1872 (17 Stat., 159). the cost of the land to the United States iu the nine Pottawatomie cases having been reimbursed by the allottees; 12 to the Sioux India116 at the Rosebud Agency, uuder the 6ixt.h artiele of the Sioux treat,y concluded April 29,1868 (15 Stat., 637), and 2 to the Sisseton Indians on Lake Traverse, under the treaty of February 19, 1867 (15 Stat., 505). Patents have beeu issued as follows : 78 to the Chippewas of Lalte Su-perior and the Mississippi, on the Lac Oonrt Ol'eille Reservation, under the provisions of the third article of the treaty of September 30,1854 (10 Stat. 1110) ; and 6 to the Sisseton and m-a,hpeton bauds of Sioux, under the fifth article of the treaty of February 19,1867 (15 Stat. 505); making the total number of certificates and patents issoed 119. Allot-ments hare also beeu approved by the President io favor of 119 Indians in Washington Territory, and the issoa~lce of patents to GO of these has bee11 authorized. This office has alvo approved, in addition to the foregoing, allotments to 102 Indians in Washington Territory, and se-quested the issuance of patents.