The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-01-03
INDIAN INKLINGS.
A Concise Letter Conserving the Sioux.

1T -
OeALALLA AGENCY. D. T.,
Dec. oath, 1878.
To the Editor Of The Leader:
The great Dakota reservation enl-
bodies all that territory between Cam
non Ball river on the north, the Mis-
souri, river on the east, the state Of Ne
braska on the south and Montana and
Wyoming on the west. with the excep-
ton Of the Black Hills, which lie be-
tween the north and south forksof the
Cheyenne river and the Wyoming b0sp-
dairy line, and which form a triangle,
comprising mines of great value and
lovely and productive agricultural val
leys. The total area of the reserya-
ton Is about $4,000 square miles, and it
Is nearly the size Of New York or Ten
nessee. On this vast tract are grouped
various villages of Sioux, in numbers
and at agencies as follows:
Cheyenne River agency, $3.50.
Crow Greek agency, 1918. This was
the number reported, but the govern
ment found, when Gen. Hammond
took charge, that according to the rec
ords and issue tickets there were but
841, including Blowing Goose's band of
%, brought in from Dakota river, and
which had not previously been on the
agency.
Flandreau agency. 361. These In
dams support themselves entirely, are
good farmers, W stock, and receive
no rations from the government.
Lower Brule agency, 1,240.
Red Cloud, Pine Ridge agency, g.
500.
Spotted Tail, Rosebud agency, 5000.
Standing Rock agency, 2,315.
Yankton agency, 1900.
In addition to these are the DEVILS
lake reservation, in the northern part
of Dakota, neal the English line, with
LII Indians, the Wahpeton and Sisse-
ton reservation, just south of Brecken-
ridge, on the Minnesota border, with
1,740, and the Santee reservation in Ne
braska, on the Missouri river, about
forty-ive miles from Yankton. These
latter Sioux number 1893 souls, beside
295 who still remain in Minnesota.
They are the people identified with the
great outbreak and New Ulm massacre
in that state, and whose capture Maj.
Gen. Pope celebrated by an expenditure
of s476 in sending their names to
Washington by telegraph.
The remainder Of the Dakotas are
either at Fort Peck agency 1000 or
with Sitting Bull Is, 5000, and comprise
the Yanktonais, Brules and sub-bands
Of Tetons and Uncapapas.
There is also an agency at Fort Ber-
thold for the Aricarees, Mandans and
Gros Ventres, or, more properly, Pah-
dahl. All these cultivators of the
soil, live in huge circular earth
covered houses, known as ''dirt lodges
They occupied the site Of the present
Fort Pierre landing when Lewis and
Clark made their expedition in 1923,
but have been driven north by their
hereditary enemies, the Sioux. =
At present Fort Berthold agency is
SO miles by land above Bismarck, or 1870
miles by water, and the number of In
dams fed is 1,347.
The various savages on the reserva-
ton named occupy all grades of bar
barrie or semi-barbaric life, from the
absolutely wild and unframed through
the intermediate shades up to and in
Guiding the Indian who has cut his
hair, wears white mems clothing, tills
the soil and has mastered some of the
simpler mechanical pursuits. Those on
the Fort Berthold, DEVILS Lake, Sisse-
ton and Wahpeton, Fiandreau, Yank-
ton, Santee and Crow Creek agencies
have all made marked advances in graz
ing and agricultural pursuits.
In addition to the great special reser-
vations above enumerated, President
Grant, by proclamation dated March
16, 1876, exempted all the territory
lying on the east bank of the Missouri
in Dakota, from Yankton reservation on
the south extending up the river $40
miles to Beaver creek, from the opera
tions of the homestead law.
MILITARY.