Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-02-20
SPARKS ON THE SURVEYS.
HIS Celebrated Indian Reservation
Order.

HIS Celebrated Indian Reservation
Order.
The following j. copy of letter
from the commissioner of the general
land office TO the surveyor general, which
fully explains the status Of the title to
the lands in this land district which
Mr.. Sparks claims il still in the Indians:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Is. 1856.
Maris Ta, lor. U ). Surveyor General,
Huron, Dak.-Sir: an, in receipt of
YOUR letter OF Jan. 2O, transmitting the
duplicate and tr:llicate Of contract and
bond M. l, dated Jan. 6, 1856, awarded
I" Heuan Z. Gr--ue. U. $. deputy sur
v-y"r, liability S2lOO, payable iron, the
appropriation for tie current fiscal year.
In reply you are informed that said
contract and bond had been executed
in full c"nl'li.nce with existing rrgula-
li"ns. Az the townships designated
therein for survey are situate in tn. re-.
gion lying "nor,h and west Of Devils
Lake," your attention is invited to the
following bret summary nS I" the pre-.
ent condition OF the original Indian tit!..
to said lands. and the rtsul, at II cu,-tul
examination Of all the facts present. d
as bearing upon further and immediate.
surveys thereof.
In 1863 the P.mbina Chippewa In
dians made II treaty with the United
States, and crd.d their lands im til. Red
RIVER valley in Dakota aud Minnesota.
They reserved tho lands north and west
OF Devils Lake, in Dakota. About 500
o:'hese Indians went upon n reservation
IN MhnI" :,ta. and have become nearly
self.supportlng. - ?5O of these | l.
dians went into the country north ua,l
west OF Devils Lake, DaKotu, aud. bsve
subsistcd by hunting, etc, claiming tits
to about 9,UOO.OOO acres Of land. (See
II. II. Report No. ll44, 49th Congress
first session..
Under date of Sept. l. 1880, you,
predecessor was furnished with cop,
OF u communication from the acting
commissioner of Indian affairs addressed
to tho commissioner of the general land
office, relating TO the claim Of tho Tur,l,
mountain band Of Chippewa Indians tc
territory in Dakota, tho limits Of which
were described therein.
Under date OF Sept. s. 1880, the sur
veyor general was restricted in awarding
contracts for surveys to tho "territory
embraced between Red River OF the
North and the cast boundary of tho
lands claimed by the Turtle mountain
band Of ChippewaS, az defined upon the
map" transmitted with lcttcr Of Sept. |
1880. Tho several local land officer,
werc also notified to tako no official &C
ton permitting parties to acquire titlt
or rights to any lands within tho limit,
Of said communication, until snocially
authorized To do 80.
In Iii" repo*t on ,i.e auhjoct -. th'
secretary Of the interior, dated June Z
1882, the commissioner OF Indian affair
stated AS tollows: ut has always bee,
understood and held that the lands
living west OF the Chippewa cess,on o
1868, and north and northwest Of lht
line OF the Sisscton and Wuhpe,on In
dian country, as defined in Article II
Of the treaty with those Indians of Feb
10, 1867, have never been ccdcd to I'll.
| United States. Undoubtedly tho origi
nal Indian title embraced this country
and it does not appear that it has evel
been rxt,nguisllcd by treaty or other
wise. The government has from the
beginning lursued IL uniform course O
sxtinguishing the Indian title, which i,
we'll settled to be the right Of occupanc,
alone"
In response to an inquiry from The
secretary Ot the interior rs to what land,
in Northern Dako,a were withheld from
homestead and presumption entries. IN,
predecessor, on July 3, 1882, submitted
Il statement II. to the status OF said lands
Under date OF October 4, 1882, tho
secretary Of the interior decided tina
the claim of the Turtle mountain band
nf Chipln.wa. TO the lands which were
withheld wa. ''not we'll founded; ypl i
il should appear upon II careful exam
inati0n of the facts that sucl, claim doe.
exist, it will be the duty of the govern
n,rnt to make proper compensation Il
the Indians
Ny predecessor was directed to re-
woke the action by which said lani
were Withheld from the praclicnl oprr
alton Of the settlement laws, and To re-
store them u the mass ot the publ.
lands. Tue requisite instructions wer,
accordingly issued to the surveyor gen
-ral, and the l"c,I I,,d ntfi :-r. l,er let
ters of October I'D, 1882.
| In his report 10 the secretary Of ll''
interior, under date Of October S, 1885
the commi. .sioner of Indian uti',lr-, re
ttrring 10 the Turtle rn,unt.in band %
Chippewas in Dakoln, say>: ''lf they
have suffered any wrong, rs j.. claimed
on account Of the restoration to the Pul,
lie domain Of tho Turtle mountain
country, by which is meant that vas
territory lying north Of DEVILS LAKE
and west of the Red River of the North
the remedy Is with congress-
The commissioner also states that
"the liberal advantages offered our In
dians in obtaining homesteads" has in
dsecd many half breeds, who properl!
belong to the other side Of the British
line, TO mix in with the native Indian.
thus producing discord among them
Others are also tempted to come over i,
the hope OF securing the proff-red ali
and assistance. "It will require tn
greatest care to prevent imposition o
this sort
| In view Of the foregoing statement o