Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1893-05-04
THE SILETZ RESERVATION.
A SHORT DESCRIPTION or THAT RSERyArIsN
AND ms sINRABlTANTS.

Tie Siletz Indian Reservation
lies in the northern part of Lincoln
county, Oregon. and embraces g
territory of $4,000 acres. This
body of land comprises some of the
finest agricultural and timber land
in the state of Oregon. 1t is well
watered by the Siletz river and its
tributaries. The former river heads
not many miles from the Siletz Bay,
into which it empties, but by its
devious and winding course it ira
verses many miles and waters much
country before it reaches the bay
into which 1t pours its waters,
The entire course of the river is
marked by many beautiful and ex-
ceedingly fertile valleys, some OF
them being open prairie land, which
can be cultivated with very little
preliminary labor.
The general topography Of the
reservation differs from other coas,
localities, in that 1t has more and
larger valleys lying along Its
streams and the hill land does not
appear so rugged. There is great.
er per cent ofagricultural land than
can be found In any tract of equal
size lying along the coast. The
timber on the reservation is much
better preserved than adjacent tim
Der, fires having not made so many
fierce ravages through it, and mag
nificent trees rear their lofty crowns
to the sky in vast numbers.
The soil seems to be almost ell
tirely devoid of clay and to consist
of rich, black loam of a semi
vegetable formation, of unknown
depth, and capable of producing
anything in fruit or grain that is
congenial to the climate.
On this Reservation are abont
500 Indians, of all ages. These
Indians have been allotted lands in
severalty, the allotment being COM
pleted i'll October, 1892. Each
man, woman and child was allotted
90 acres each. The principal part
of these Indians are now farming
their lands and are wholly self-sup-
porting, in fact the aged and sick
are about the only ones to whom
the government contributes any
help, outside of the training school.
Those Indians engaged In farming
had 2,o9o acres of land under fence
in 1892, and this year this has been
considerably increased. They are
improving their lands in a very
satisfactory manner. The govern
ment has a saw mill on the Reser-
vation which saws all the lumber
used by both the Indian farmers
and the government. The Indians,
when wanting lumber, will club
together, 60 to the timber and
fell their logs and raft them to the
mill and then with the assistance
OF the foreman who is also engineer,
saw up their logs and divide their
lumber. The product of the mill
IN 1892 was over 100, 900 feet.
Last year the Indians had about
I 900 acres on the reservation plant
ed to crops, and the Indian train
Ing school at the Agency farmed
about 100 acres more. The princi-
pal products were oats, wheat, po-
tatoes, barley and hay. Off these
lands the Indians raised in 1902
about 1900 bushels of oats and
sold over so tons Of clover and tim
othy hay. The Indians are also
turning considerable attention to
live stock raising, owning on De-
cember 81, 1892, 200 horses, 348
head Of cattle, 483 head of hogs,
24o sheep and ao7 domestic fowls.
The most Of their farms, as seen
by the writer will compare very
favorably with many white COM
munities, having we'll built and
well painted houses and barns,
good fences and 4 general air Of
thrift and prosperity.
The Government Indian Agent
at the Siletz reservation is Hon. T.
Jay Buford, who was appointed to
that Office by President Harrison in
October 1889. slr. Buford is
high-minded, honorable gentleman
and is admirably adopted for the
arduous labors to which he has
been assigned. He happily has ac-
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