The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-23
RoBBING THE INDIANS.
Alleged Unlawful Occupation of the
Crow Reservation by Favored
Cattlemen, Friends of


The current number of Forest and
Stream (New York; contains the fol-
lowing:
The Crow Indian reservation includes
about 100000 acres of land in west
crn Montana south of the Yellowstone
river. Except along the river bottoms
it contains little arabic land and no.
where can farming be carried on with
out irrigation. But the broad prairies,
rolling foothills, and mountain parks
are luxuriant with nutritious grass. and
the reservations advantages as stock
country are unsurpassed. This rcser-
vation is all that is left to the Crows of
the broad lands that once were theirs.
Here they live subsisting on what the
/ government issues to them, for few of
them have made any progress in indus
trial pursuits, and there is no game
left. A few of the Crows have COWS
which were issued to them by the gov
ernment and they have good many
ponies, but they have as yet done hard
ly anything toward learning how to till
the ground.
Over the length and breadth of the
reservation the cattlemens $ herds feed
and fattcn on the acres which belong
to the Indians. The few cows belong.
ing to the latter range with the thous-
ands owned by the whites, and are alb
sorbed by them. 1t is the old story of
the poor mans one eve lamb which
his rich neighbor coveted.
The tresspassing of these cattle on
the reservation is expressly forbidden
by the regulations of the Indian depart
ment but under sanction of permits
issued by Agent Williamson to num-
Der OF firms, the practice still continues.
Having acquired this foothold, the cat
tlemcn propose to make still more sure
OF this great pasture land. They wish
to secure it beyond peradventure and
| for all time. They desire to fasten
their grip upon these lands so firmly
that it can never be loosened. This is
their plan: They have arranged with
the present agent TO give them permits
to throw their cattle on the reserve.
Having secured these permits from the
agent they have turned in the stock in
large numbers and are now taking
| PSsoSSoioii VI VIC UCSu lOtutIOnS. lie
permits which they have obtained cover
the best agricultural and grazing lands
on the reserve, and on these lands the
cattlemen are building permanent I'M
provcments. which will enable them to
hold the land should the reservation
ever be thrown open to the public and
| to bluff off actual settlers.
| Among the firms and individuals who
are alleged to have succeeded in get
ting permits to throw cattle on the re-
serve are the following: Briggs q Ellis,
renewal of permit TO Craze cattle or
the reservation, at 80 cents per head;
Hoskins & McGirl, permit to Craze
bulls on the reservation when not
needed with the cows that Craze north
of the Yellows,one; Ash, permit to
grazc a small band of cattle on the
reservation.
1t is believed that there is no law for
this permit system VIII ch is being car
ried out by Agent Williamson, and that
any cattleman has as much right to
turn his cattle on the reservation as
those who have these permits.
1t is stated by those who arc perfect
ly familiar with the reservation that
Nelson Storey, of Bozcman, is building
permanent ranch on the reservation
near Pryor mountains. and that he has
permit to Craze his cattle on the re-
serve. Whether he has such permit or
not his cattle are there by thousands
So also are those belonging to !. X.
Dillworth. making with those of Storey
perhaps twenty thousand in ALL Last
winter and spring they dotted the
whole country between Pryor river and
the western boundary of the reserve.
Storey had then hay ranch and cor
rails on Clark's fork. Several of the
| cattlemen have boasted that they have
| the reservation securely in their power.
1t is not only the cattlemcn who are
encroaching on the reservation, for
Thomas Barry, q sheepman of Rock
Creek, stated last spring that he had a
permit to Craze his band of G,OOO on
the reservation up to June.
On the south, cattleman of Wyo-
ming, H. G. Lowell. whose stock
ranges on Sage creek and Sinking
Water, takes advantage of his prox-
unity to the reservation to Craze his
cattle there. too. As the case stands at
present, the catt'cmen seem in fair
way to gain absolute control of the res
ervation. This control Will not benefit
the Indians, who are at present una
ware of this state of things and would
strenuonsly object were they not de-
ceived in the matter, and when the time
comes for throwing open the reserva-
ton the desirable locations will be found
to be all occupied by the cattlemen.
who Will lind some means of holding on
to them. The people and press of the
Yellowstone valley are very silent on
this matter, for the great cattle firms
Interested have too much influence to
be openly resisted.
The greater portion of the rcscrva-
ton is now under the control of the
catt!emen. The Crows receive little
or nothing in .eturn. certainly not
enough to pay them for the risk
to their own small bands of COWS
and horses which are certain to be alb
sorbed by the herds of the white men.
The reservation shonld not be thus tax
en- away from the Indians without their
consent and handed over to the con-
troll Of the rich cattle firms, who. if
they once fairly become established in
it, will with difficulty be removed.
a searching investigation of this
whole matter ought to be instituted by
the interior department If the agent
hes any authority Tor issuing these per-
mits 1t ought to be at once removed,
and the agent too.
Strength and Diet.