The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1879-12-04

The l RIVER Agency mas COnIrOi
Of about 900 Indians, who occupy the
extreme northern district of the Ute res.
| ~ervation in Colorado. The entire region
is picturesque and mountainous. Colorado
contains 63,000,0g0 acres, embracing an
area thirteen times larger than Mas
| sachusetts. More than one-half of this
magnificent domain is occupied by the
Rocky Mountains. When the mines
were opened after the famous Pixies
Peak excitement in 1859-60, the Ute
Indians were assigned the then almost
unexplored region west of the first range
of mountains bordered by the celebrated
NortherrPand Middle parks. The district
was considered "out Of the world" and
it was seldom visited except by a few
adventurous hunters and prospectors.
But when the mines of Central City,
Black Hawk and Georgetown had been
fully opened, and fOurfshing towns
sprang up, railroads were built through
the hitherto inaccessible canons, and
pIospectors pushed their way up to the
snowy peaks of the highest mountains.
Mining camps were opened on the sum-
nit of Mt. Lincoln, $4,000 feet above
the sea. From the tops of some of the
mountains the most enchanting views of
the Ute country appeared, and in fair
weather the0smoke of the Indian camp
fires could be seen rising from the white
tepees in the valleys below. 1t has long
been the opinion of experts that the
mountains and streams of the Ute res
ervation were rich with silver and gold,
and a few months ago it wa reported
that valuable discoveries had been made
III the neighborhood of the North Park.
Some believed that there was even more
wealth in this Northern district of
Colorado than there was in the celebrated
gulches of the South Park. When re
ports came " over the range" that gold
in paying quantities had been discovered
up there, prospectors focked in from all
parts of the state and from Wyoming
territory. The Indian agent and the
authorities at Washington protested
against these invasions Of the reserva-
ton; but little attention was paid to
their complaints, and the Indians soon
became Jealous and quarrelsome, so that
soon afterward, when the agent began to
build extensive ~irrigating canals and to
pillow large tracts of virgin ground, the
chiefs looked upon it as a part of the
"white mans policy" as exhibited by
the miners, and they predicted that
their lands were soon to be taken from
them and sold to the settlers. This was
the real cause of the present war.
The whole district occupied by these
Indians Of the White River Agency is a
succession of parks, gulches and noun
tains, and it is almost q copy of the
famousr egionsarouDd Kars andErzeroum
in Armenia, where Moukhtar Pacha held
the mountains all summer against the
artillery of the Russians. The mountain
passes of the White River country are
narrow, tortuous and difficult. The
climate is mild and healthfuL.. Beyond
this strange and enchanting wilderness
lie the alkaIi desolations of the Bitter
Creek country: The White River district
is full Of beautiful and cl~ear-running
streams, which are fed by the ice-felds
Of the higher mountains. There are
many little parks or meadows lying up
there high above the altitude of the
New England mountains. Cattle find
excellent pasturage and pure water
there. The Indians prize these spots Of
unfailing verdure for "picketingH their
ponies on. The old agency at White
River was in one Of these mountain
valleys, which the agent considered too
high and too contracted for agricultural
purposes.
The department. at Washington read
his report and gave him permission to
remove the buildings to a larger and
more open place some twenty miles
farther down the valley. The Indians
opposed the transfer On the ground that
it would destroy some of their grass
lands. The agent said that little could
be raised at SO high an altitude as the
old agency site, and he purposed to
move where the land could be TILED and
irrigated. He took possession of the
new location, and discovered, among
other things, two extensive beds Of coal.
~Irrigating canals were built through his
persuasion by some of the Indians, while
the "hostilesn growled and went oil on
D hunting expedition. IA large tract
was plowed and preparations were
made for extensive Indian farming.
This was the condition Of things when
Chief Douglas discovered that the
plough was turning under some of his
ancient pasture lands, and-then he
rebelled and the trouble began.