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Show REPORT OF AGENT IN UTB. REPORT OF AGENT IN UTAH. REPORT OF UINTAH AND OURAY AGENCY. UINTAHA ND OUUY AGENCY, Wl~itemck8, Utah, June 30,1897. Sm I have the honor to submit the following asmy fonrth annual report of this agency, acwmpanied by statistics and a census of Indians comprising the Uintah and White RiverUtes residing on the Uintah Reservation,with agency at White-rocks, Utah, and the Uncompahgre Utes residing on the Uncompahgre Reserve tion, with agency a t Oqr?~,U tah. While ~n ways of clvll~eatIonth ese Indians have not advanced as much during the past year as was hoped for at tta beginning, very many families on both res-ervations bave manifested much energy in working to establish homesteads with resources from which they hope to gam their own subs~stencew hen left to be a self-supporting people. Ferming.-Owing to the fmt that the Department had no funds from which it wnld supply garden and fields%&, there has not been as much new land brought under cultivation as in the prev~ousy ear. Last year all who raised crops from seed furnished by the Department returned to the agency granary, to be kept for their use in the pext planting, mare than had been furnished them; and this class on bothreservat~onsh ave increased them acreage, andagoodnumber of themwho never attempted farming before have managed to rovlde themselves with seed wheat and oats and a little lucerne seed, and, with &e assistance of the agency farmers, bave made good beginnings. These Indians are fond of potatoes and all vegetables, but those who farm, with few exceptions, arenot sufficiently advanced in husbandry to be able properly to care for the keeping of vegetable seed. The farms that have been established during the past four years have been well fenced on section linesand accepted by Indiansas their choice under anyprovimons that may be made by allotment laws. Some of these farms compare favorably with the best owned by whites in this vicinity. A11 crops areraised byirrigation, with its attended difficulties, which are hard to overcome, even with experienced white labor. Not an Indian, however, has given up a farm that has been provided for him. A few acres of lucerne appears to be the desirable anchor to hold these Indians to homesteads, and there are but few on either reservation who are not ready to accept of and abide in such conditions. Btockr4sing.-Quite a number of Indians have horses and h?rnedcanle. A few on the Uncompahgre Reservation have small flooks of sheep. The horses are usually ponies, although on the Uintah Reservation considerable interest is mani-fested in breeding for better stock. Several Indians on each reservation have small bunches of horned cattle and derive a little benefit from sale of beeves, but they will have no great profit from cattle raiaing nntll the neighboring markets are so guarded by officers of the law that it will not he safe for white thieves to take thereto animals that have been stolen from Indians. Several instances of this offense have been committed during the last andin previous years, and it has been impossible to overcome the hindrances in the way of bringing the offenders before the State courts of justice for punishment. Dimkennee-The Indians have improvedvery much respecting the drink habit. and the police have been efficient in assisting to suppress the l~qnotrr affic b ped dlers comino upon the reservations and saloon keepers located just outaiJe the reservationhues. They have given testimony in United States courts resulting in the conviction in two oases, where the judge gave sentences for more than a year'simprisonment. Two others wereindicted for the same offense whoskipped from the conntry, and two are now under indictment, who will be brought to trial at the next term of court. The source of most of the liquor traffic that affects this agency is lmated in dens of gamblers and prostitutes jnst outside the military reservation of Fort Duchesne, which could not exist without the patronage and encouragement received from the garrison of the Fort, which it is understoadgoes without restriction. 8chaola.-The boardine school of the Uintah Reservation is looated close to the agenvy. The ;itr+..nclanfeh nu bepn good and the parents appear to be wowing in nppreviution of school Lulvantngea furnialicd thoir children. The hoardmg school pruviclerl for the ZTnrompshgrrn has nor heen so snccessfnl. The plant is p1r.1~- antly locatwl and has btvn lrt autlfied with trees and grass. The teachersaro inwr-r. iretl r n their work. and everytlting posaille has been done to make rhr srbaul nrlractiv+. TheVn<.on~l~nhgrt,sfrtlo~te~a~t arvr lcwetl the school wtll ireposa~rsv~l opinion that it was u plilcc, ur n.Ptraint and confiuemeur, from the eflcvrs oC whlch |
