Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-07-11
An AGREEMENT

AN AGREEMENT
With the Sioux Indians, Dakota, for a Ccs-
sion 0f a Part of Their Reservation to the
United States.
July 1, l882.-Committed to the COM
mittee of the whole house on the state
of the union and ordered to be printed
MIR. Deering, from the committee on
Indian affairs, submitted the following
report to accompany bill H. r. 6,5O3:
The committee on Indians affairs. to
whom was referred the bill (H. r. 6,5O3)
to provide for making an agreement with
the Sioux Indians residing upon the
great Sioux reservation, in the territory
OF Dakota, for cession of a part of said
reservation to the United States, and to
define the boundaries of separate reser-
vatlons for the various tribes Of said In-
dians. have had the same under consid.
Grafton and report as follows:
The facts in the case are as follows:
We lind that the Sioux Reservation is
situated in the southern part of the ter
ritory OF Dakota and extends across the
center of the proposed state of Dakota
from the forty-third degree of latitude
on the south to the forty. y.sixth degree on
the north. being over 220 miles in length
from north to south, and from 160 to $50
miles IN width from east to west, having
an area of over $4,000 square miles and
containing over q 100000 acres of land,
being larger than the states of South
Carolina, Indiana, West Virginia, res
pectively, and but trife smaller than
either Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, or
Maine. This enormous reservation en-
braces nearly one-half of the proposed
state of Dakota. We find the settle
ments of the territory within the propos.
ed states to be in the extreme eastern
and western portions OF it. About 25,-
OOO inhabitants occupy the great mining
and agricultural region known as the
"Black Hills" This reservation lies be.
tween the "Black Hills" settlement and
the other settlements, entirely isolating
them from the civilized world. cutting
them off from railroad facilities, which
can only be supplied by opening the
reservation to settlement and occupa
ton.
The portion of the territory lying east
OF the reservation is already occupied b,
100000 inhabitants and rapidly augment
ing, who have brought into cultivation
nearly 100000 acres of lands organized
into districts, townships and counties
literally dotted with cities and villages
with LOO miles of railroads in active op
Grafton, penetrating to the very borders
of the wilderness embraced in the reser
vation.
The reservation is occupied by 24,OO(
Indians, G,000 males over eighteen, til,
remainder being women and children
They have under cultivation less than
5000 acres of this vast tract. These In
dians are divided into five tribes or band
residing ut five different points, owning
the lands in common, and are supported
by the government entirely, the countr,
being wholly destitute of game.
The form of the reservation can bes,
be described as an irregular pyramid
with its broad base resting on the south
ern line of the territory, bounded on th
east by the Missouri river, which carrie
the southeast corner of the pyramid t,
the twenty-tirst degree of longitude
bearing thence west of north, making
the eastern line an irregular hypothe
muse; the western line being an imagi
nary line on the 26th degree of longi
tudo. excepting niche where the Chey
enne river is made the boundary for
distance of less than sixty miles.
The lands within this reservation O
the Missouri river and its tributaries ar
rich in alluvial, being we'll covered wit
dense timber. Reaching the table-land
on an average of ten miles from the VIZ
ter-courses, the finest rolling prairies ar
found, consisting of deep loans with
fine subsoi] of porous clay. we'll supple
with lime, alkalies, acids, mari, and til
other fertilizers necessary to produc
small grains and grasses in their creates
perfection; the native grasses are luxur
ant and afford the finest grazing in til
world. 1t is we'll watered with perennii
springs flowing from the Black Hill
through regularly distributed streams
the Missouri, and has a climate unsu
passed in the temperate zone.
The reservation is capable of sustain
| ing dense population, and if put i
the market would be rapidly Sc
tied by the same class of industriou
and worthy people as those now occup,
ing the civilized portion of the territor
and Immediately traversed by lines
railroads.
In a letter to the chairman OF the Ii
dian committee, dated June %, 1882, til
secretary of the interior says:
The quantity of land within the reserv
tions is much greater than is needed ft
the Indians living thereupcn, and in III
judgment the reservations should be r
duced, and the Indians established G
the reserved portion of said reservatio,
best adapted to their wants.
In the opinion of your committee IL
time has come when this vast reservatic
should be by some amiceble and homo
able arrangement limited 10 the reaso
able requirements of the Indians. "
believe that it Is for the interest of Il
Indians that each tribe or band shou
be properly located on a separate nj
distinct parcel of land or reservation
suitable size and location, and th
3 when so located the land shou
8 be patented to the tribe NJ
{ the settlement made permanent nj
final. The portion of the present rese
walton not required for the purpo
: above stated should be purchased n,
paid for by the government, the pr
a ceeds to be held in trust for the bene
and improvement of the Indians.
Believing that this bill looks to t
. accomplishment of the above obiet
: we report the same back with amen
O ments and recommend its passage.