Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-13
LANDS FOR SETTLERS
Entertainments of Civilization Driv-
ing Indians From Kansas.
PROVISlONSFOR SELLING RESERVATIONS
The Finest Land in the Eastern
Part of the State.
THE BILL BEFORE CONGRESS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
HOLTON, Kan, February 10, 1895.
Kansas once the home of the Indian,
will in a short time know him no more.
The encroachments of civilization nave
driven him from the state; his reserva-
lions have been cut up into farms ana the
white man now tills the ground over which
he once engaged in the chase. Today out
two small reservations remain, ana they
are about to be wiped out. The bill or rep
resentative Case Broderick sf this CITY,
which will probably pass Congress. Will
blot out the Pottawatomie and klckapoo
1t provides that with the
consent of 4 majority of the chiefs, head
men and male adults of these two tribes IN
Jackson and Brown counties. expressed IN
open council, the Secretary of the Interior
shall be authorized to sell, in trust for the
Indians, the surplus of the Jackson county
Pottawatomie reservation and the Brown
county Kickapoo reservation.
The lands are to be appraised IN TRACTS
of eighty acres by three commissioners
one of whom Is to be selected by the In
dams ard the other two by the Secretary
of the Interior.
To the Highest Bidder.
After the ADVERTISEMENT the Secretary Is
to offer the lands. through the Topeka
land office, at public sale to the highest
bidder None of the land Is to be sold for
less than Sc an acre. and purchasers must
be over twenty-one years of age and buy
for actual occupancy and settlement. Each
purchase is to be limited to 100 acres, and
payments may be made In four INSTALL
ments, one-quarter down at the time of
purchase. The bill exempts from it's pro-
visions the lands on which stand the two
boarding or industrial schools, and re-
serves not exceeding $40 acres for each
school.
OF the land in the two reservations that
of the Pottawatomies will be most sought.
The total area is 7,357.5T acres.
Four years ago Congress passed an act
directing the PottawatomieS to select their
separate allotments of ground before Sep
TENDER l, 1894. The amount allotted to
each head of q family was 1GO acres, and to
each woman and child so acres. Where
the person receiving land was obliged to
take up land of less valuable soil he gets
double the amount. About $50 of the 100
members of the tribe complied with the
law voluntarily, but the remaining $50 de-
to them.
Fine Farming Land.
The reservation consists of the finest farm
ing lands in eastern Kansas. Most of 1t
has been thoroughly cultivated by the In
dams, who are thrifty and Industrious.
They live in substantial houses and some
of them have erected pretentious resi-
dences. In 1874 there We're but five houses
on the reserve occupied by Indians. In
lSS2 there were lo5, and at the present
time there are nearly POO.
Their fields are surrounded By some of
the best rail fences in Kansas, made Of
good oak and walnut. eigh. rails high,
staked and double-ridered. Sixty per cent
of the Indians have good gardens, in which
a M tai los in
their season. They raise corn and hogs
for market In considerable quantities and
sell other products. They Use the most
modern farm implements and the average
Indian has skill to that degree that he can
properly use them. They have large herds
of cattle, horses. swine and sheep and hun
dredS of fowls.
Indian boarding school.
An Indian boarding school was located at
the new mission, fifteen miles southwest of
Holton, in 1875. The grounds embrace six
ty-three acres and on the farm Eere open
ed the Indian children are taught to labor
and are instructed in good methods of hus-
bandry. The school building. boarding
house. laundry and barn cost $1,000. The
institution is supported from interest on
an $4,000 fund. In charge of the Interior
Department. The tribe has 81 permanent
annuity fund of S}9o. 636. II. The improve
ment fund is $4,000. The general fund,
the total amount to the credit of the Pot
tawatomes, $G35, S16.2S This will be large
ly Increased by the sale of the surplus
lands.
Retaining Tribal Government.
There is no disposition on the part Of
the Indians since the allotments have been
made to sever their tribal relations or
abandon their tribal government, so far
as it can be maintained under the new
conditions. The tribal government will
have the disposition of the interest on the
fund that is now and which is hereafter
TO be placed In charge Of the Interior De-
partment. 1t will be used for the mainte-
nance of schools, improvements of roads
and such other things as will contribute
to the general welfare of the Indian cti-
Zens. There will be great rush for the
surplus lands as soon as they are placed
upon the market. and the result will be q
considerable increase in the white popu-
lation of Jackson county.
The original reservation of the kickapoo
tribe occupied parts of Brown, Atchlson
and Jackson counties, and included ter
ritory about thirty miles square. 1t now
embraces about thirty sections in the rich
bottoms of the Delaware river and its
tributaries. The treaty with The tribe, by
which they gave up part OF their posses
sions, was made June IS, 1852, and was
ratified a year later. BY this act the Gen.
trail branch of the Union Pacific Railway
Company obtained possession of 125,0OO
acres of land. For this the Kickapoos re-
ceived the government price of S1.23 per
acre
When this sale was made about eco OF the
tribe, who chose to move to the Indian
territory were allotted portion OF the
Sac and Fox reservations. The first loca-
ton of the Kickapoos in Kansas was near
Fort Leayenwcrth, on the southeast cor
ner of their reservation. They were more
Industrious and their habits were general
ly more correct than those of many tribes
of the north. The more rapid improve
ment of this tribe was. In large meas
ure due to the influence of Kenakue, the
''Kickapoo prophet" who removed to the
Indian territory with the tribe and founded
a religious sect among them, teaching and
practicing himself the doctrine of sobriety,
Industry and honesty. The prophet num-
bered among his adherentS large portion
of the tribe.
The Rivnl Hnirdrcsscrs.
he Amusing Journal.