The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-12
ON THE RESERVATIONS.
IMPRESSIONS OF WELL KNOWN
OLD TIMER.
Daniel w. Jones Gives Some Inter-
esting Information About His Old
Friends, the Indians-What Cass
Hite is Doing.
Uintah Reservation. Sept. 6, 1Sa

Uintah Reservation, Sept. 6, 1894.
To the Editor of The Herald:
After reading the many reports about
this valley, so varied and conflicting. l
almost came to the conclusion that I
knew but little about the country, not
withstanding my experience of years
ago. So l determined to make thor
ough exploration, which 1 have just
finished to my satisfaction. In doing
this I found that / really knew but lit
tie about the lay of the lands, and also
the water privileges. Passing over
country along the trail or roads is
different from cutting the country in
all directions and following up streams
to the end of the road. The conflicting
reports are easily accounted 2or. Some
travel one trail. others pass over a diff
ferent route: one sees one kind of
land. the other a different kind. Like
the people of Utah were in the begin
ming, when we thought nothing good,
except where grass grew, there are
many tender feet who know no bet
ter now.
Bodies of land look larger to one
person than another. Streams of water
must be measured and the flow taken
to know how much land they will wa
ter. Land must be horse surveyed"
at least to determine the amount.
In travelling through the country L
visited most of the Indian farms so
called. They are mostly little patches
of corn and potatoes. Wheat and oats
in small quantities are sown by few
of the more thrifty. Several Indian
farms are poorly worked on shares by
white men, who get over more land
than the Indians, but as to farming L
have seen none. I have visited all the
different districts where the farming
is done extensively, from the upper Du-
Chesne, here and there, along down to
where it empties into Green river, over
100 miles. Also Rock creek, Lake Fork.
and White Rock and Uin'tah creeks,
where many of the natives lie around
in the shade about the agency.
A person reading the interior re-
ports on Indian management and be-
lieving them would expect to find these
Utes much improved, while the reverse
is the fact. | was pretty well acquain-
ted with this nation over forty years
ago. In 1872 1 visited the Utes and was
among them great deal, and at that
time there was still something inter-
esting about them, but L can plainly see
a wasting away in numbers and char-
acter. The Indian policy formulated
under Grants administration was just
being brought in. Great hopes and ex-
pectations were entertained by the
prime movers in the peace policy.
shall not attempt to fol-
low up the history of this people,
or the management of different agents
They have doubtless done the best
they knew how for themselves, their
friends, and the Indians.
~Nls6 a
deal with I am reminded of the story
of the Irishman's horse, which had but
two faults, one being that he was hard
to catch, the other he was no account
when caught. The present Indian policy
is hard to catch on to, and these Uintah
Utes at least will not work much when
caught. A man who dare say a
word against fine schoolhouses and edu-
cation in these days runs the risk of be-
ing banished from all good society, so L
will say in general way. l am in ia
vor of education, first industrial, then
mental. or intellectual. The reverse is
being tried among the Misunderstanding
them as savages, without any inclina-
tion inherent or otherwise, to work;
simply with instinct to eat, sleep, and
enjoy theis own habits and putting
them at once into school for the 'bool1
learning unconnected with industrial
his time and returns to his Indian home,
not understanding enough to tell you
the distance to his next neighbor or
how long it will take you to make the
trip. He is simply a lazy, idle vaga-
bond not even fit to make a good In
dian of.
In travelling hundreds of miles over
this reservation. 1 found so few speak
ing English, although many of the
f111 l.
school. that l was forced to commence
to dig up my Ute pasherne, that had
been buried for twenty years After
camping a few nights with the ma
| tives I got along quite well. All the
old people knew and were glad to see
me. They invariably made quite a
little speech about my former visits
and our old-time friendship. thus intro
| ducing me to the younger people
Many of my old friends have passed
away and but few are left. A little
| longer away from this people and
would be a stranger; now my acquaint-
ance will last my time out, as I am get
ting old and possibly may wear out
some time.
Tabby is still alive and able to travel
in wagon, but his sight is gone
Autero is quite robust for one so old
but he is almost blind. The people are
1 Uiohch ny iiitO SfIldll DdnQS, Dut tney
yet acknowledge Tabby as chief and ali
respect him. | believe ,he will be this
last chief ever acknowledged by the
| Uintas. 1t would be much easier te
conclude treaty for these lands diIrins
his life time, which must be short thar
| it will be when there will be no one tc
| represent union.
About the only industry this people
seem 70 take hold of is freighting
Quite number of them go on the
road with four-horse teams. They are
much the same as whites and I have
heard some curse and swear at their
/ horses with all the vim and force OF
an adept teamster.
The Uncompahgries are far in adj
vance OF the Uintas in many respects
Inc Uintas soon get their houses sc
filthy that they leave them untenanted
and live in brush wickeups or ragged
makeups. A few have the old fashion
| ed lodges. The Uncompahgries keer
their houses clean and fit TO dwell in
They also put up brush sheds but
much more cOmmodious and we'll kept
| than the Ulntas. Their farms are
much better, and in fact many places
| might be taken for those of a neal
early settler, whilst that of the Uintas
show not only Indian, but Indian or
the decline. The one has copied &
little from the New Mexican. Al
| though low and humble it was in the
Indians power to grasp the little
The educational policy offered the