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Show far aa to report me to the ~ e h h m e nitn lying statements, hut thelodim Wee, having informed itself of the facts, heve fully sustained my action in these matters. I propose to continue to do my whole duty to the Indians in this matttar so long as I continue to act as their agent. I do not propose to tolerate trespassers. Minerals.--Previous to my taking charge of this agency January 1, 1887, asphalt, known as gilsonite, was discovered an this reservation, near its southeastern border, and was being worked by the discoverers, and the subqtanee shipped to Eastern markets far their bene6t. No effort had been mads to stop them. The parties in interest claimed that the lsnds upon which the mineral was fouodwere off the reservation. I invmti- ' - gated the matter and found that such w;m not the case, but, to the contrary, that the laods on which they were mining were n part of the reservation. I then ordered all work on such lands stopped aod compelled the parties to leave the reservation. At the openino of Congress a hill was introduced and passed entitled "An act to re-store to the pubkc domain e part of the Uiotah Valley Indian Reservation, in the Ter-ritory of Utah, and for other purpores." This act was approved May 24, 1838. It pravMed that about 7,000 acres of the land of this reservation upon which the gilsonite was found ba set apart and attaehed,to the pahlie domain; said inods tn be sold for the benefit of the Indians., the eilsouite land3 a t 530 and the a'e ricultural lan&q at not legs . - ~ ~ ~ than $1.25 per acre. This act further provided that before it should take effect it should be snbmitted to the Indians and be ratified or sgreed to by three-foortha of all the male adults. Two councils of the Indians were held at the aeencr on Sentemher 1 and 8 last. when the proposition was submitted to.them, and h,f themagreed to ooanimoosly. I rhported the results of these eouocils to the Indian Office September 24 last. and on Oetoher 22 following the honoreble Secretary of the Interior declared said lands attached to the pul,lio domain. During the month of April last considerable excitement was eansed by the discovery of a number of veins of miueral wsx, known as "elaterite." Thelands upon which this miners1 wax was found was, as ahown by the map of this reservation pnhlished in 1884 by the Department of the Interior, to he south of the southwestern line of this reserva-tion. A great number of persons from Ashley, Heber City;Salt Lake City. and other parts of the country entered on these lands and staked out mining claims aggregating shout %000,acres, established a, mining distriot, began huildiog roads, houses, fences, eto. I sent Mr. William G. Swanson, agency clerk, and Mr. J. T. MoConnell, agency farmer. to make a remnnaissmce of these wax lands, which were about 90 miles distant from the agency. They reported all of these lands as lying north of the "sommit" or crest of a rangeof mountains called the "Divide." A refemnee to the field-notes of that (sauthwestern) portion of the reservation, which field-notes were approved by the Indian Office in 1885, being one year nfter. the map of the reservation was published, showed that this "Sommit" or "Divide" or crest of monntains was the reservntion line. Having satisfied myself that these lines were on the reservation, I sent Mr. J. T. McCannell with the agency police force to these wsr lsnds and removed therefrom all trespassers, destroying 10 houses, erected and in course of erection, and Mr. MeConnell dso collected $511 from cattle men trespassing in that vicinity. Slnce that time I have kept the reservation olezr of d l intruders. P01icc.-I have at this agency a. police force consisting of ia captain and six privates. This amall force of men have done remarkahlv eood service durine the vear. in msin-taining good order ao the reserv&tioo, 1 raking-&r intruders and irespa&em; scouting ' duty, etc. The increase of the captain's p&y from 510 to 812 and the privah' pay ' , from $8 to $10 per month, shows to them that their services are appreciated. The Indians have been verv neaceahle and aniet durioe the Tear. There have been bot few csuaes for arreqt, aodthey were of an <isignifiean~e haricter. Xehao1.-The school hara capacity for 25 pupils, hut the average attendance has been considerably over 30. The huildiog is s, misershle dilspilsted structure, noarcely hab-itable in cold weather; it has no accommodations whatever for pupils or ernploy6s. A ! new buildinq is badly needed of three times the e~paeityo f the old structnre. Should such a building. he erected the requisite number of pupils a u l d he obtained. 1 OURAY AGENCY. lJ,teompa,qlire Rese7cntion.-The Ouray Agenoy is situated on the west bank of the Green River, near the,iuuetioo of the Wbite and Du Chesne Rivers, and ahont S i miles south of Uintah .4senog. The TIncompaghre Reservation a4joins the Uintah Reserva-tion on the south, and contains nearly 2.000.00U acres of lsod, all of which is s desert, exe?ptiog sm%Il patches on the Green, Du Chesne: end White Rivers, which can be irri-gated md used for agricultural purposes. |