The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-09-05

HON. DAVID OLMSTED
The Lake Pcpin Half-Breed Tract.

The Lake Pcpin Half.Breed Tract.
We have been furnished with copies OF
the instructions from the General Land Of
flee to the Surveyor General of Iowa and
Wisconsin relative to the course to Ike pnr
sued in the survey of the Half-B Breed tract
of Lake Pepin, and of those to the Com
missioners appointed by the Indian Bureau
to ascertain the number and names of the
legal claimants thereof Wedevote large
space in our columns to the publication of
these documents, referring as they do to a
matter in which large number of our citi-
zenS are interested.
(coPY)
GENERAL LAND OFFICE, May 2, 1855.
WARNER LEWIS, ESQ.,,
Surveyor General, Dubuque, Iowa.
SIR:--The act "to authorize the President
Of the United States to cause to be surveyed
the tract of land in the Territory of Minnesota
belonging to the half-brceds or mixed-bloods
of the Dacotah or Sioux nation of Indians and
for other purposes" in its third section, auth
Orised the President to have the land within
the said reservation surveyed and offered for
sale. Act approved 18th July: 1854. See
minutes Statutes at large" LIST session 33rd
Congress, page 3O4, but under the act of 3lst
July, 1854 making appropriation for the cur
rent and contingent expenses of the Indian
Department." &C., and for the year ending
Both June, 1855 see 4th sec. of that act on
page 1872 of same pamphlet laws, it was APP
pretended at the Indian Office, that the pro-
Of fo ira
special surveys to be made of the different
tracts allotted to individual Indians by that
section.
These adverse views had the effect to sus-
pend the issuing of instructions by this Office,
for the extension, last year, of the lines of the
regular surveys over that body of land. The
act of the Sd of March, 1855, making 'appro-
priations for the current and contingent eX
penses of the Indian Department" &C., for
the year ending Both June, 1856, (see statues
at large, I'd session Of 3d Congress, page 500
declares that section 4 Of the act OF 3lst July,
1854, shall not be so construed as to interfere
with the act approved 18th July, aforesaid !;
and in virtue of authority recently received
from the Secretary of the Interior, you are
hereby instructed to cause the lines of the pub
lie survey lying between the I'd and Sd stand
ings in Minnesota to be extended over the
aforesaid reservation. The reservation is de-
fined by the 9th article of the treaty of Prairie
du Chen, dated 18th July, $780, (see vol. :,
page $50, of statutes at large,) as follows
Beginning at place called the barn, below
and near the village of the Red Wing Chief,
and running back fifteen miles thence in a
parallel line with Lake Pepin and the Mississ-
ipp about thirty-two miles to a point opposite
Beef or o. Boeuf River thence fifteen miles
to the Grand Encampment opposite the river
aforesaid.
Although the lines of the public surveys are
to be extended over this reservation with
out making fractions thereon precisely as if
such did not exist, it will nevertheless be ne
cessary that the outlines of the -reser-
walton be shown on the plats of the Town
ships, as you will perceive from the tenor of
the first and second sections of the act of | 9TH
July, 1854. To do this the starting point is
to identified and such is construed to be the
lower end of what is understood to be natu-
raj formation and elevation called "the barn"
from some real or fancied resemblance thereto.
The termination point is at the Grand En-
campment" opposite the Beef or o. BOeuf ri
YER in Wisconsin. From these two points
land at right angles to supposed line drawn
between them) the lines are to be run back for
fifteen miles, so that the back line which would
connect the two rear points will be parallel
with Lake Pepin and the river, that is to say,
parallel to the supposed line aforesaid between
the starting and terminating points as above.
The two points on the Lake and River and
also the two rear points are to be connected
with the appropriate surveyed lines in the
field and actually delineated on the plats, but
the back line need not be run but will be
shown nearly by protraction.
You are requested to enter into contract for
executing the aforesaid, and if time should be
lost in determining the starting and terminal
ing points of the reservation aforesaid, such
will have to be comp, nsated at proper per
diem allowance.
Respectfully, &C.,
JOHN WILSON, Commissioner.