St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-09
AT FIFTY MILLIONS
Is Estimated the Value of the
Lands Coded by the
Indians.
-
Commissioners Henry M. Rice
Talks Interestingly Of
the Work.
The Dawes Bills Provisions
Recognized as@Very
Beneficial.
Condition of the Minnesota
Indians and Progress Of
the Treaty.


ed out" said the ex-senator, ''with the
intention of trying to persuade the In
dianS. who have always lived on the
reservations with everything in COM
mon, TO renounce their tribal relations
and take up lands in severalty. We
have so far visited every reservation
this side of Lake Superior. Most of our
travel was done in canoes, and we have
practically lived i'll the open air ever
since we left st. Paul, two months ago.
"Few people, even the best posted,
have any idea Of the size of Minnesota.
Red Lake reservation alone is larger
than the states of Delaware and Rhode
Island put together. 1t is not quite so
large as Maryland, but not far short.
This reservation combines Red lake,
the largest lake that lies wholly within
any state in the Union. Some of the
land that has been cededb by the Indians
will prove most valuable. 1t is the only
unallOtted virgin pine forest left In the
whole country. The Indians on the
White Earth reservation have coded
four townships of valuable pine timber,
besides an immense tract of pine north
of Leech lake. The Pillager In
dams, of the Leech' Lake, Cass Lake
and WinnebagOShiSh reServ ions; have
coded several hundred thousand acres
Of solid pine forests all on, streams di-
rectly tributary to the Mississippi river.
The 5000. 600 acres ceded by the Indians
of the Red Lake reservation are directly
tributary to the Red River of the North.
Ali these lakes are RaYigable. The
Mississippi river is navigable above
Aitken for 500 miles, and, steamers can
90 right up to the outlet OF Lake Win
| nebigoshish, where a big reservoir dam
stops them. Large steamers and bargeS
are at work collecting hay along all
| those rivers and lakes. Speaking of
| hay. the Indians have coded many thou
sands of acres of splendid hay lands.
WHERE TREATIES WERE MADE
eve made treaties with the CMppe-
was at Red Lake and White Earth, the
Pembinas and Ottertail spillagers at
| White Earth and Eeech Lake, CasS
Lake and Lake WinnebigOShish. the
| Chippewas at Sandy Lake, Gull Lake
| and Mile Laos. A curious coincidence
occurred to me while,We were making
the treaty at Leech Lake on Sept. %.
! Just forty-two years to a day had
| elapsed since | was on the very same
! spot making a treaty with the fathers
! of these men. There was not q single
man living who signed that treaty, except
| myself. We met with strong opposition
at most of the reservations, but before
| we left the Indians were almost unani-
| mOuSly in favor of the treaty. At Red
| Lake they refused to listen to us, tell
ing us we might just as well go home.
| They had been tempered with, and had
been given the impression that the
treaty would be injurious t0tiTem. At
| White Earth there was also strong and
Well-founded opposition. The govern
| ment has not paid them money that has
| been indiSputably due them under a
former treaty for many years. Heavy
| damages are also due them for injuries
caused by building reservoir dams.
! These caused some of the riv-
ers to overflow, flooding 10000 acres
| of rice fields, gardens hay land,
and grave yards. At Lake Winnie
bigOShiSh the grave yard was washed
away, and the bones are scattered
around the shores. A commission. con-
| sisting of Gov. Marshall, Capt. Blake
| ley and Rev. Mr.. Gilfillan, of White
Earth, was appointed five or six years
ago, and went up to assess the damages.
| They reported damages amounting to
$4,000 annually, but never cent was
| paid. Three years ago the Northwest
| commission made an agreement with
| the PillagerS and Chfpuewas of the
| Mississippi, by which they were to re-
ceiYe Sl50,000 for damages. Congress
| never took any action upon this treaty.
| In consequence of these shortcomings
the Indians were so hostile and angry
| that they refused even to negotiate
| with US.
"At Mile Iacs it was found that the
| provisions of the treaty of 1855 had
| never been complied with. This treaty
stipulated that the government should
cause to be cleared, grubbed and plowed
large area of land on the reservation.
The agent in charge of the work broke
the land three mil from the TeSerya-
| ton and it is now in the possession of
white men. At Leech Lake there was
a large amount to be cleared. Instead
| of clearing new land the agent just
plowed that which had been grubbed by
the Indians. At Red Lake the saw mill
broke down some years ago, and through
never having been repaired it is mere
wreck. The Indians have no boards
| even for making collins. At Leech
Lake the same state of affairs exists
| and there is no saw mill within eighty
miles. The Indians have torn boards
off their hutS
TO MAKE COFFINS OF
and they bury their dead just as they
| are able. At Leech lake and Winnie
bagoshish they never had.a farmer, ply
| Sician or any government employe OF
any sort. Most of them are living in
the most wretched state in wigwams
with not even screen TO separate the
sexes at night, Privacy is an absolute
impossibility. Men, women and chill
dren all sleep huddled together on the
floor. Morality is impossible under
such circumstances. and decency is
girls and boys of these indians
are taken East and educated
and Christianized at an expense OF thou
sands of dollars and are then sent bach
to their homes with no means of sup
port, and with no prospect but to fall in
with the ways of the masses. The Schoo
house at Red Lake is not building thai
any decent farmer would allow his
horses to live IN. This wretched state
of affairs must be seen to be appreciated
and will bear investigation by the mis-
Sionaries and others.
"The value of the lands already cedeC
is S50,000,000 at very low estimate
These are all to be surveyed by the gov
eminent at once. Their value will bt
estimated and they will be sold. Thu
| CdliIOI UC lCoo lilQil W ~ tnVuSullN
feet for the timber lands and S1.25 al
acre for the agricultural. The Indian:
were much gratified at the result of oul
negotiations when the whole thing wai
explained to them; they realized thai
it would be much better for them
to become civilized and take up lands
in severalty. The young men were al
enthusiastically in favor of it, but some
of the old chiefs did not like the idea o.
renouncing their authority. They re
alize, however, that they cannot Gu
their timber, they have no saw mill:
and they are grossly neglected.; fire:
have destroyed large amounts of tinbel
in fact, at Red Lake, We saw from ont
point nine different forest fires. A
Mile Laos there are 900 Indians
and the nearest agency is 10t
miles away. Many of the Indian:
are willing, aye, anxious to work. They
get work off the reservations among tht
| fumharmnn and farmers hut when they