Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-07-17
NeZ Pcrce-The Garden of Eden.

NeZ Pcrcc-The Garden of Eden.
J. E. Maxwell, in Nezperce News.
The lands of this glorious coun-
try known as the Nez Perez reser.
walton lie between the famous Pa
louise and the Camas prairie. Here
the Indian and the whiteman live
and farm as neighbors. The Nez
Perces are peaceable, religious and
the most devout class of people on
the face of the globe. They have
churches of their own and well
educated, able-bodied ministers
who preach in the native tongue.
1t is a guarantee of it's agricul-
tural worth to say that the reser-
walton lies between two of the most
noted wheat sections of the north
west-the Palouse country of
Washington and the Camas prairie
of Idaho. 1t stands proof for it.
self that the soil of this reserva-
ton is as productive as either of
the above named districts for it is
the connecting link between them.
1t has deep rich black soil and
subsOil which has remained in a
virgin state while the adjacent dis
tricts have undergone develop
ment into phenomenal agricultu-
raj countries producing wheat,
oats, barley and rye in unprece-
denied yields. Timothy, cheat
and clover yield thrifty and
abundant crops and the present
growing orchards will soon make
it famous in fruit production.
The Indian settlements along
the Clearwater valley holds
place in Indian mythology similar
to that of the Garden of Eden in
days of Adam. 1t is regarded as
the birthplace of the first red man
and is now their headquarters and
happy hunting grounds. The In
dian has held to these lands for
many years after the white man
knew the value thereof and sought
to secure them. But at last they
consented.to take their lands in
sevcralty with the white men and
allow them to come into his para
disc as neighbors. Some of the
leading Indians of the, Nez Perez
tribe possess in property $4,000
to 100000 each.
The reservation is from 20 to 70
miles long and 80 to 40 miles in
width, comprising 724,3OS acres
and the Indian population is about
1000. BY the treaty between the
Indians and the government the
former have taken homes in sew
crafty as follows, the law giving
to the head of a family, 100 acres;
to each single person over IS years
80 acres; and to each and all other
native children, 40 acres. These
allotments were made granting
the Indians the right to select his
land wherever he saw fit and con-
sequently they are scattered all
over the reservation, but most of
them selected land along the riv-
ers and creeks where they can
hunt and fish and have an album
dance of water.
The allotments consumed 1872
234 acres, leaving ,O74 acres,
which have been thrown open to
settlement under the homestead
act and the mineral act. The agri-
cultural lands are acquired under
the homestead law, while the tim
Der and mineral lands are being
sold for SIS an acre.
There are good prospects for
rich placer and quartz mines with
in twenty miles of our thriving
city of Nezperce, which is situated
in the heart of this wonderful land
of promise. The formation of the
lands in the surrounding
is similar to that Of
Pierce City, Orofino, Elk City,
Florence and Salmon river. These
camps are rich in gold-bearing
quartz and flake gold and are the
richest mining camps in the north