OCR Text |
Show parties remained behind on the ceded lauds. A few, nuder Augustine and McCook, settled on White river, between Douglass creek and the Utah line ; began to cultivate the land, took out irrigating ditches, and asked for permanent homesteads. In this they wereenconraged, until it was ascertained that the ceded lands were not subject to homestead entrg, and could ouly be purchased. A larger number under two Col-orows, designated as Uncompahgre Colorow and White RiverColorow, made their headguarters much farther cast, and hunted and herded tbeir stock upon public lands among the mountains in the vicinity of ' the old White River agency. As white settlers and herders came into that country disputes about grazing and other matters arose, and the presence of Indians in Colorado became the suhject of frequent com-plaint. The Uolorows, wiLh their followers, were ordered by the agent to return to their reservation. but persisted in remaining away, claim-ing that they !rere upon lands pointed out to them by the Ut.e eom-missioners as their new home, and also citing the permission given them bytheUteagreementof 1873 tohuntin Cplorado. IuFebrnary, last, Colorow was sent for by the military at Fort Dnschene, and informed that he must bring his people within reservation limits. He then moved his camp 48 miles west,, within what he claimed to be reserra-tion lines, but at that camp citizens began huilcling ind threatened to attack him if he remained. The Indians have persistently claimc<l,a nd not without some reabon, that the eastern bouoda~yli ne of the Ute reserve was east of Douglass creek, the settlers that it mas identical with tho boundary line of Utah. When the eastern line was run, on account oE the roaghness of the ground, no n~arksof ide~ltificationw ere made by the surveyor for a considerable distance, and this debatable ground hasgiven rise to many. disputes. In March last, an agency employ6 with a small escor: of cav-alry was dispatched to Colorow7s camp, at that time near Douglass creek, with instructions to establish the line and remove Colorow west of it should he be found to be outsideof reservation limits. Monuments defining the linecould not be found, and alt,hough Colorow reluctantly agreed to bringhis folloners down the White river to a point where the line was supposed to run, they seem soon thereafter to have wau: ilered back to their old hunting-grounds. On the 13th of August last Enny, son of White River Colorow, re-ported to agent' Byrnes, at Ouray agency, that after receiving his an-nuity at the agency the previouv week, he had returned to his camp near Meeker, Cola., to find his tents burned, his goods gone, and six women and eight children missing, Among the women was Chipeta, widow of the late Chief Oura.~f,a mou~fo r hisuuflinching friendship to the whites. This report caused considerable uneasiness, and the agent immediately sent back with Enny Chief Herder MeAndrews and five |