The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-25
Utah Red Men in the Role Of
Changers.
WHITE MAN DOES THEW0RK
ENLIGHTENED SAVAGE LOOKS
AND ENJOYS IT.
The Work OF Al1ottng Lands to tho
Uintah Utes Has Been Going on
Tor Ten Years and the Indians
Have Fine Far1ns-'The Prom
ised Land.''
Csvec!al corresnondence.l

N~teSFNs04 N'SAA NetfOAAASiACOsJ
Vernal, Oct. 2l.-A number of men
and teams from Ashley valley are at
present working over on the Uintah res
eryation, where a canal is under con-
struction, for the purpose Of carrying
the water to lands that have been al
loted to the Indians
Although everyone in the state is ac-
quainted with the fact that the Ute
/ reservation IS located in the north
easern section of Utah, and have a
vague idea of Indian farms and far
mers, yet but comparatively few are
aware of what is actually being done
for these wards of Uncle Sam.
There are no doubt q great many peo-
pie throughout the state who are under
the impression that The taking of lands
in severalty by the Indians is only in
its first stages. The fact is it has been
going On for years, particularly among
the Uintahs.
Years ago. when the Indians first be-
| gan to take to the idea of Individual
ownership of land, they moved slowly
and cautiously in the matter. but grad
uaiIy the ''wickiups" began to appear
| upon pieces of grass land here ana
! there along the creek bottoms where
the grass grew without artificial as
/ sistance. Section lines were unknown
/ to these children of the wilderness in
! those days, and they located where
their fancy directed them. Subsequently
( fences were ran around hither and
| thither. which ZigZagged and twisted
over the landscape in a very bewilder-
! ing manner.
The dusky inhabitants of this tan
gled net of incipient civilization we're
/ pretty safe from intrusion by their
white brother and be able to penetrate
/ that domain of uncertainties and re-
! treat in good order necegsitates a very
we'll developed bump OF location, in
! deed.
! It was step in the right direction,
however, and paved the way for some
/ thing better.
/ PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION.
/ In the last ten years the alIotments
/ have been taken much more SYSTEM
atically, section lines have been traced
and locations made "all same white
man" Canals have been constructed
( to cover these lands and fences to en-
! close them. Houses have been built,
! together with granaries and all the
other outbuildingS incident to well
( regulated farm.
5 Thousands of acres of land have been
broken UP and put into tilIable condi
/ ton. Hundreds of acres have been
seeded to lucern and timothy, and the
piebald and pinto ponies now stand
and MUNICH placidly at the finest of
/ hay, produced from the land over which
I they scurried like evil spirits at every
sound in the days that are gone,
Between the Uintah and Duchesne
are some beautiful benches dedicated
to the use of the red men.
Ina CINE, il you can, standing upon
an elevated plateau, which slopes grad
uaiiy away TO the north some 20 miles
to the foot OF the great Uintah noun
tains which form a magnificent back
ground with their lofty SUBMITS clothed
in eternal snow.
There one may stand in the sWelter-
ing heat of the midsummer sun and
/ gaze wistfully at the great drifts from
which trickIes the purest of water that
feeds the streams flowing at his feet
The water has been taken from these
streams and distributed over the coun-
try in a systematic manner transforms
ing the once dry benches into fields OF
green. Here may be seen Indian farms
of from SO TO 200 acres, as level as any
front yard in the CITY Of the Saints"
You may see in your minds eye the
noble red man" with his shirt sleeves
rolled up and pitchfork in his hand
earning his bread by the sweat of his
brow.
WHITES DO THE WORK.
The fact Of the matter is he earns his
bread by the sweat of some other fell
lows brow. The farms ara, as rule,
leased or rented 10 the whites. who
work them on shares. The farms are
not rented from the Indians direct, but
from the agent or the Indian far
mer," an official whose duty consists
of teaching these restless nomads the
essential points of agriculture.
The willy Ute takes kindly to this
style OF farming, for he may sit upon
his own haystacks and with an air of
satisfaction behold his white brother
toillng in the fields While he, the mon
arch OF all he surveys" tolls not,
neither does he spin
CARELESS OF THE FUTURE.
The future cuts no figure with an
Indian, the present is all he cares about.
Ee believes implicitly in the old saying.
sufficient UNTO the day is the evil
thereof" consequently it is found
necessary to compel each Indian to
haul sufficient grain TO the agency TO
insure seed for the next year. where it
is stored away for safe keeping under
lock and key
Formerly all the hay and a great
portion Of the oats consumed at Fort
Duchesne came from Ashley valley.
NOW II Is TdlSeQ Oh the IHQIdH farms
within a few miles Of the post.
When the boys in blue" first came
on to the Uintah and the post was in
course OF construction, nay was SIS and
$50 per ton, and everything else in
proportion. Now hay is S. ton and
even less, and everything else shows n
corresponding reduction.
The prospect Of the reservations be-
ms thrown open 10 settlement has
aroused considerable interest among
prospective l0cators, and al kinds OF
stories are ahoat concerning them.
The Cncompahgre reservation. which
is TO be opened next April, is for the
most part what is called a bad land |
country" and should the allotment
commission succeed in alloting lands to
the Indians there will be no great
amount of available land left. There
VIII be patches here and there. but |
there VIII be more or less difficulty in |
covering the lands with canals.
THE LAND OF PROMISE.
The Uintah reservation is a land of !
promise, with great agricultural and /
mineral possibilities but they are in a !
crude state. He who expects to come |
TO these reservations and find Il coun- |
try where the grass grows knee high |
and where game is abundant viii be |
There Is very little game !
TO be found. and that explains the rea-
son why the Indians are SO determined |
to hunt in Colorado.
Land and water. which constitute the [
foundation of a cOrJ0fr-V i'm rho