Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-01-13
SATURDAY, JANUARY l3, 1888.
OPENING OF THE RESERVATION,


And the prospects Tor RAILROADS..
Sioux City Journal Dee. 9th: "An
up-river man who has had abundant OPP
p%ortunities to post himself about the
doings and plans ofthe commission now
treating with the Sioux, caves Il Sioux
City Journal reporter some facts not
heretofore published. The treaty pro.
vides for four separate reservations.
The ones for the bands at Pine RIDGE,
Rosebud and Standing Rock are to lie
cient lands for the present and pros
psctiye needs Of the bands. The two
are understood to take in all Of Dakota
south Of the White river, e%xcepting a
tract next the Missouri. The Cheyenne
river band is to be moved from the pres
ent agency, some eight miles below the
mouth Of the Cheyenne, to n reservation
that extends from the CHEYENNE to the
Grand river, about sixty miles front on
the Missouri. and runs back from the
river about 100 miles. On ibis rescrva-
ton also, or at Standing Rock, are to be
located the Sioux now at Crow creek
The lower Brule Indians, too, are 10 be
located on the Cheyenne river reserva-
ton or one Of the other reservai ions.
AS the two agencies last mentioned, the
ones ut Crow creek and Lower Brule.
have not yet been treated with, the dis
~ncs<sDp nf thnen Iot,l, q, ,rjra;An z.
is the purpose Of the government. how
ever, to remove them to one Of The four
reservations. The Sisseton Sioux, who
have a large reservation apart from the
great Sioux reservation, VIII be asked
to surrender their lands at The head of
the Big Sioux river and remove to one
of the four agencies. If they go they
are likely to choose either the Cheyenne
river or Standing Rock, as the country
around Rosebud and Pine Ridge agen-
cies is comparatively valueless. The
Sisseton Sioux reservation covers some
of the best farming lands in Eastern
Dakota. In considerations OF going on
separate reservations and surrendering
title 10 the rest, the Sioux are 70 receive
large herds Of cattle. In The cases
where thcs remove from their agencies.
as at Cheyenne river, they are also 10
receive pay for the improvements they
leave. The Indian traders, who will be
obliged to leave valuable buildings when
the agencies are moved, should be paid
also, but whether congress will take this
just view Of the matter will be seen
hereafter. The opening of the country
from the Cheyenne 70 the White river
and from the Missouri to the Black
Hills is what is proposed by the treaty.
Ofthis country the part lying along the
south side Of the Cheyenne is the NEST
valuable. The valley land is good, there
is considerable timber, and back of the
river bluffs a high, undulating prairie.
West of the forks OF the Cheyenne 10
the Black Hills the country is more
broken, but it is an excellent stock
range. Excepting on the Streams, the
country which it is hoped 10 open is
more suitable for stock range than farm
ing. The Cheyenne river route to the
Black Hills and the country beyond il
s:id to be the n by which Il railroad
could most easily be built, and it is I'M
Gerstood that the Milwaukee has al
ready selected this line for an extension
of the Hastings u Dakota division
whose western terminus is now at Aber-
deem, on the Jim.
RAfLEOA Oh.
Chamberlain Register %: All indica-
ti0ns point to the early opening OF .he
Sioux reservation, and all advices agree
that both the Northwestern and The c.,
M. Il st. p. will push at pace across the
river and on to the pine lands and the
coal fields Of the Black Hills. ii is 800
miles 10 pine lands northwest. but only
200 west it is 500 miles to coal fields
east, but only $50 to coal fields west, and
the coal is a better quality than that
east. The lands laying west Of us have
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