Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-06-03
THE wIHSEBAGo RESERVATION.

are lodging at hotels.
THE wIHSEsAGo RESERVATION.
Some Question Regarding its Status as In
dian Property.
Special Correspondence of the Chicago Inter-
Ocean.
Canning, D. T.. May 2a-The real
status of the Winnebago Indian reserva.
tion-at the upper edge of which on the
west Canning is situated-does not seem
to be generally understood yet.
In q letter from Canning, published in
the Inter-Ocean month or so ago, 1
stated that the Winnebago reserve was
not included in the great Sioux reserva.
tion, and that it could be opened at any
time by executive order for settlement
under any and all existing land laws in
force at such time. Since the publica.
ton of that letter, my attention has been
called to q number of contradictory re.
ports, and I am aware that the impres.
sion is gaining ground that the Whine.
bago reserve will only be opened, il at
ell, under the provisions of the Dawes
bill, and as part of the great Sioux re.
servation.
Yesterday, at Huron, I was informed
BY MIR. John Cain, editor of the Huron
Times, that the Huron District Press
association committee, of which he is
member, had Just received reply from
the interior department, which etated, in
answer to memorial asking for the
earl y opening of the Winnebago reserve,
that said reserve was held to be part of
the Sioux treaty reserve of 1868, and
could only be opened for settlement as
provided by the Dawes bill.
Now 1 am firmly convinced, in spite of
the holding to the contrary by the In.
dian Office at Washington, that the "mis.
take somewhere" is not mine, and Chat
there is danger OF large number of
settlers being deprived Of their lust
rights under the law owing to q miscou.
struction of what ia the law on the part
of the authorities at Washington, who
are charged with the task of interpret.
ing the legal definition of the bounda.
ries of the great Sioux reservation.
A short time ago I addressed an IN.
quiry to the Hon. ]. H. Teller, secretary
of the territory, whose familiarity with
the subject was gained while serving as
secretary of the Sioux commission
whose good work Senator Dawes ought
to have embodied as whole in his bill
and his reply furnishes an Ineligible
and interesting opinion of the case.
Secretary Teller gives briefly history
OF the Winnebago reserve, which seems
not to have been legally created and set
aside as reservation at any time prior
to the executive order of 1873, or not
until Ave years after the Sioux treaty of
1868, which is taken by the Indian Office
to define the Winnebago reserve as
portion Of the great Sioux reservation
This view of the case is certainly con.
frmatory of the statements in may letter
of March 18th, and until am flooded
with the light let in from Washington |
see no reason to retract those statements
of assumed fact in any essential particu
lar.
| Secretary Teller's letter will be found
clear and to the point. The readear will
understand that Immediately south o.
the Winnebago reserve lies q smaller
one known as the Crow Greek reserve
which latter name, it seems, is held Al
4 Washington to apply to both tracts.
The letter reads as follows:
II am in receipt of yours of the lOtl
inst, and IN order to give you clea
understanding OF the present status o
the Winnebago reserve, will have Il
trace its history from the beginning. Ii
1868, think, it was marked out by
w. Thompson, superintendent of Indial
affairs, and at the same time he marked
out the reservation south of it for the
Santee-Sloux, who were about to b,
brought from Minnesota, following til
massacre in that state. These reserva
tions we're surveyed by Thompson and
report thereof made TO the department
by whom the surveys had been ordered
No order was ever issued, however
, from Washington confirming or approx
/, ing Thompson's action, and the record
in Washington show no other evidenc,
that 1t was q reservation than is found il
1.-THE report of Thompson.
"The Indians we're placed upon thes,
two tracts of land, but becoming discon
tented abandoned it, the Wiunebagoe
going to Nebraska below Sioux City an
the Sioux into Kuox county, .Nebrasks
! where they have since been permitted T.
, remain. There being valuable building
at Fort Thompson the government d
rected it to be used as magazine fror
which to distribute such. supplies as
] |then furnished the Indians in that vicir
Iity. An endeavor was made to collec
there the lower Yanktonians, the lowe
Brules having succeeded the ones fir
t mentioned in partial occupancy {
these tracts. This attempt met wit
lbut partial success and in 1869 the offic.
a lin charge reported it q failure and re
commended that the attempt be abal
!. doned.
"ln the treaty of 1868 the reservatio
: was described as consisting of tract no
= known as the Great Sioux reserve, wel
:. Of the river, together with existing re
: ervatlons east of the Missouri
g "In 1873 these two tracts with othe
t we're set aside by executive order ar
u subsequently the other tracts were +
!. stored to the public domain, leave Il
= order in force only as to these two tract
q The Indian Office, at Washington hol,
10 that these tracts, known generally MS Il
Grow Greek reservation, are reserved d
only by executive order but also by Il
treaty of 1853, From the wording
.e the treaty you will see that it is necessa
10 to this construction to hold that th
81 was an existing reservation in 1868 VII,
sr the treaty was made. This renders il
q portant the history OF the reservatie
% ~ the question turns upon its status
of1 1858.
nj II do not think it was reservation
ID that time in such sense as to bring
erl within the meaning Of the treaty n
reserve it thereby to the Indians, for (
g. reason that it never was, prior to til
~ eS.n oat aasa a nj ~s.ov,,n,1 I,r o,>- ~,