The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-10-24
The Richest Redskins.

OF all the Indians in the United
States says a correspondent, the Crows
are perhaps the richest, as they GER
tainly are the LATEST. According to
their own estimate they number l,lOO
women, 770 boys, and go girls 49,
$500 in all, about 800 in excess Of
what the interior department in Wash
ington has it.
The Crows have 4,7l3,000 acres re-
served to them, which comprise some
of the very best agricultural and graz
ing lands in the United States. Their
reservation is in Custer County, Mon
tana, and contains more land than
some of the States of our Union. tits
situated on the south bank of the Yel-
lowstone river, with frontage of
nearly one hundred miles on that
stream, and takes in complete and
beautiful valleys of the Little and Big
Horn rivers, beside many other rich
meadow lands made fertile by the nu-
merous streams which take their rise
in the Big Horn mountains 1t is in
deed beautiful country, and the III
dians know it as well as the whites do;
for it was in the same beautiful valley
of the Little Horn, eight years ago,
that Sitting Bull and his thousand
warriors; rather than give up their
birthright to the pale faces, fought
General Custer and his soldiers until
the last cavalryman lay dead on the
| field Ever since that memorable day
III 1876 the Sioux have had no home.
They were hunted by the United
States troops and renegadcs of their
own tribe, were driven about from
point to point all over Northern Moa-
tana, and finally compelled to capitu-
late to Colonel Ilges and the military
at Poplin river on June 7, 1880 As
soon as the last Sioux Indian was
made prisoner, Congress took in
hand the matter of their inheritance,
and by an agreement made with the
Crows on June ~, 1880 five days af-
ter the surrender), and approved by
Congress on June IL, 1882. the Grow
Indians fell heir to the very lands the
Sioux Indians had forfeited by reason
of their being at war with the United
States government. This was the bit
tcrcst pill the Sioux had ever been
forced 10 swallow 1t distressed them
far more to see their hated foes estab-
lished in their own beloved home than
all the losses they had sustained in the
Little Horn fight.
But the Crows are there, free to
roam At will over four million acres of
beautiful mountain and river lands,
while their ancient enemies, the unfor-
tnna'c Sioux, are penned up at Pine
Ridge. Standing Rock and other agen-
cies, under the surveillance of the mil
itary, virtually prisoners of war
OF these four million seven hundred
and thirteen acres belonging to the
Crows at least one million scrcs are
capable of the highest cultivation.
Yet, during all of last year and mp to
the present date, there We're but ten
acres cultivated by the Government
for the Indians, and one hundred and
twenty acres titled by the Crows them
selves without assistance from any
body. From the one hundred and
twenty-five acres handled by the red
men were obtained about one thous-
and five hundred bushels of vegcta-
bles, which were consumed entirely by
themselves. Last year the Crows put
thirty-five tons of hay and cut over
three hundred cords of wood The
winter months, as is the custom among
all tribes, were spent in hunting for
game among the mountains and on
the plains.
But the Crows, with a keener in.
sight than is possessed by ordinary
redskins, have always kept an eye to
business as well as to pleasure, and in
consequence they returned from their
last winters hunt with not only a
good supply of meat for their squaws
and papooses, but also with nine thou
sand dollars worth of robes, furs, pei
tries and skins, The principal wealtl
of the Crows lies in their large ant
fine herds Of ponies, which are un
equalled on the continent for mettlC
, and endurance,