Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-11-22
OFFICIAL PAPER OF IDAHO COUNTY.
THE INDIAN RESERVATION
II sCas Opened to Settlement Os
Monday, November rs, 1925.

his lOng-lOOkeu-IOr eVenU UOOk
place on Monday last at noon, al
though the proclamation of the
President declaring the land open
to settlement had not been official
ly received in these parts. The
previous days had been busy ones
in all the towns on Camas prairie.
Several hundred people had been
attracted here by the prospect of
getting a home, and every team,
wagon, hack, and even wheelbar-
rows, were pressed into service to
convey them to the border of the
promised land. All day Sunday a
steady stream of vehicles left
Grangeville with homeseekers and
their equipments, who camped
that night on the edge of the res
ervation ready to rush forward and
select their land at the hour of
high noon. Three hundred people
camped in Cottonwood on Sunday
night and took their departure at
an early hour Monday morning.
Similar excitement prevailed in
Denver. Along the Willow creek
settlements on Craig's mountain,
200 wagons and outfits were camp
ed to locate on land in that neigh
borhood at the appointed time.
Lewiston, Kendrick and Juli9t-
ia witnessed a similar exodus, and
our latest advices are that there is
a steady stream Of would-be set
tiers still pouring in from Wash
ington and Oregon. So far as
heard from there has been no trou-
bles or disputes of any kind. The
townsite boomers and spectators
were greatly in evidence, and a
score or more of embryo cities have
been located all over the reserve.
Grangeville was almost depopu-
lated by the crowd who went down
to see the excitement and to stake
out lots in the townsites. The
principal seat of attraction in this
particular was "Nez Perce City,"
at the head of Big and Little can
yons, where Spokane parties had
designed to lay out city, and had
brought several hundred boomers
over to locate lots and 60 into bus
mess. A newspaper is to be put
in there forthwith.
There is room on the ceded
lands for 5000 families, allowing
100 acres to the family. A great
| deal of this land is too high in al
titude, too broken and otherwise
unsuited for successful agriculture.
There is, however, a very large
area of splendid arabic land which
was ceded to the government and
thrown open to white settlement,
and when the location lines of the
new settlers are definitely settled
there will be, no doubt, some fine
farms opened up. The Indian al
lOtments are taken in such shape
that the settlement of these lines
will take q long time to adjudicate
and meanwhile, the development
of the lands will be retarded.
The effect the opening of the re.
serve will have upon the Clearwa-
ter country will undoubtedly be
very great; but it would be much
greater and much more rapid il
there were any certainty of an ad.
vance in the price of wheat and
other farm products to stimulate
improvements and production
Under existing circumstances and
the prevailing poverty of the new
settlers we look for no particular
growth in the immediate future
The alleged mineral wealth of the
reserve is confined exclusively t.
a few bars along the Clearwatel
river, containing fine gold which
has been brought down from the
mineral districts a hundred or 81
miles to the east and southeast
There is a quartz ledge running
from the summit of Cottonwood
butte northerly on to the reserva
tion from which great things ar,
expected, but we do not hesitat.
to say that its ore is of such low
grade and so refractory that it viii
not be worked in this generation
As q matter of fact every acre o
the reservation is underlaid by ba
salt, which is a nOn-mineral fOrma
ton. The wealth Of the countr,
consists in its rich soil and agricul
tural possibilities, which, with tn
advent of better times and trans
portation facilities will in tim
make it a wealthy region. TIL
only immediate effect Of the open
ing of the reservation is to saddl
upon these counties large mum
ber of Indian voters-a featur
which, as we pointed out in ou
campaign last fall, has been over
looked, and which may bring u
face to face with problems tina
may be difficult to solve. The In
dians are now full-fedged citizen
) of the United States and besides
they are the benefciaries Of Fedel