OCR Text |
Show *. . ~ . . . R$PQRT .OF -THE COMMLSSION~RO F. INDIAN A F F ~ ~~. 7 15 : ' . . I , . . draft of a bill provided for vacating and restoring 'to thepubliedomam 2 : ~ 7 :'. the entire WalkerRiver Reservation and a greater pbrtioh of the ~ y & - :.; ',:: mid Lake Reservation th'an tha$ ceded in the agreement. - Should tba .-.. . ::;.:~ 1 bin become a law it will be presented to the Indianaof thoose reserva- . 1. . tions for their acceptance. . .,. - Navajo Resirvation, N. Men.-OK May 10 last the 'Navajo Commia- '. :(: ,~ sion met at FOI%W iingate,'N. Mex., completed its organization, and - . . .. . ~ proceeded first to the Uarrizo Mountains-the section of the Navajo .' .. , . Reservation designated as commonly snpposed to. contain gold, silvq. : : - : and other valuable mineral deposits-for the purpose of determining . . . ~... the presence or absence of the& metals or their ores, so aa to ascertain. , . .~::: . ~ what basis, if any, existed for op$ning negotiations with the I n d i k ; . . for the surrender and oession.of these mountains to the United States. . .:. The commiBsiotiers report that the.geologica1 conditions were fonnd : . i '; to be extremely unfa~orablefo r the probable occurrence of ores of the' . . :A:. ~ precious metals; that sandstone forms the mass of mountains, which ' , . -.I are traversed here and there by dikes of eruptive rock of varying chw . . 1 - I acter; that in the vicinity of these dikes the <andstone has been: . ' changedltnd altered, showing some small bodies of specular and d i e d :.. : .: .. ores of iron, which, however, carry no appreciable values of the precious '.:. :::. metals; that small amounts of copper and pyrites of iron were found, . . . . ~ '+ -but not in workable bodies or in veins that could be traced; that no ,. y,':: i .. . lead ores were fonnd; that, it does n,ot seem probable that ~LI$ true fiB- ' 1 : - sure veins exist in the mountains refarred to; and that' the geolo@stq ' L, .: .: scientists, md prospectirs who accompanied the cowssicui con- : : . . ourred in tbe wnclufflon that there were no surfaceappearancesofv+ 2 -. . .. able mineral deposits, and that the region was barren of metillic - -,: wealth and worthless for mining purposes. Inasmuch as no ores of the .. ..: .. - - ' precious metals were found to exist in that portion of the Navajo Re& .'. :~. ~ :.. ~ ervation, whose cession waa thought to be desirable, no negotiation8 . ~.. , ,:..~. . '. *ere opened with the Indians. . -. . . Mi8sion Indiuvsj California.-The report of this mmmission, ap' =. . 1 pointed under the act of January 12, 1891 (26 Stats.; 712),'to which : - - : ~ - - reference was made in my last annual reporkwas approved by the De.- : .r, ... - ment and the President on December 29,1891. . ~ - ~ The wmmission selected reservations for the Mission Indians which - -.. it deemed sufficient for their necessities. These selections involved ~ ~. : the exchange of certainlands claimed by the Southern Pacific c ail road' : :. , ~ Company and also by certain private individilals; also, the purchase of : certain tracts. The act under which the commission was appointed did ' ' 1 not authorize the purchase of lands or the exchange of those claimed ~ *,. . by private parties. Further legislation was therefore invoked, which ' . ;. reanlted in the paasage of the act of July 1,1892, which will be found .. i. on page 711 of this report, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to. ; ' , c::.. carry into effect the recommendations of the commission and appropri- , ' .;:?. . . .'. ating $5,000 for the pnrcbase of lands and improvements. .. . . . . . . ~ . :- . ..... ~. ' . .,~ |