El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-29
MEsCALERos AND JICARILLAs,
Some Interesting History About the In
dams of the Southwest.

Some Interesting History About the In
dams of the Southwest.
In 1872 the Jicarillas Apaches mum.
bered about $50 persons. For many
years previous to that date they had
been located with the Muache Utes on
the Maxwell grant in the northeastern
part of the territory. They had no
treaty relations with the United States,
nor had any reservation been set apart
for their use, although some years be-
fore efforts had been made to have
them removed with the Utes to the
large Utes reservation in Colorado.
These efforts, however, were unSuccess-
full. Besides the main body located on
the Maxwell grant, about 400 of these
Jicarillas were CHARTERED at the TERRA
Amarillo agency. They supported
themselves by hunting, together with
such aid the government gave from
time to time, without any specific ap-
preparations, however. The Cimarron
agency, to which many of them had
been attached, had been discontinued,
and at this time it was thought that
they would eventually be removed to
the Mescalero agency at Fort Stan
ton.
During the year above mentioned,
1872, it was definitely decided to make
this change. According to those who
came in contact with this tribe they
were firmly attached to a vagabond eX-
istence, and gave little hope of improv-
ed conditions. AS late as 1877 these
Indians were reported by the agent as
idle and dissOlute, convincing slight
disposition for the ways of civiliza-
ton.
There seems to have been some diff
ference of opinion on this subject
however.
U. S. Indian Agent Russell says in
his report Of 1873 that while these
and superintendent as thieves and
vagabonds, in his opinion they are no
worse than other Indians, and quite
susceptible to the influence of civiliza-
ton. Mr.. Russell thought that
they had been badly treated by the
government, having been driven from
place to place when they had attempt
ed to locs tie with the idea of cultivat-
ing the soil.
In 1883 the Jicarillas were removed
from their location in northern New
Mexico and other points under an act
of congress consolidating the Jicarilla
and Mescalero Apaches.
AT this time Major-Genersl John
Pope in his report to the general of
the army says: 1.-THE Jicarilla Apa-
ches, band of Indians who have al
ways lived with the Utes, and who are
in no sense Apaches have lately been
removed from northern New Mexico,
where they have been living for 40
years at least with the Cimarron band
of Utes, to the Mescalero reservation,
near Fort Stanton. The concentra-
ton of more Indians so near the Next
can boundary line is much to be re-
bretted for reasons which 1 have
gefore presented to the department..
There is little to be feared, however,
for 1 have no doubt that these Indians
will be back among the Utes as soon as
the wagons which took them to Fort
Stanton can be back to Santa Fe.''
Referring to this report, L. S. In
dian Agent Llewellyn, Mescalero and
J carilla agency, South Fork, N. M,
stated in a letter to the department at
Washington under date of May II, 1884,
that the report was in error as to the
time the Jicarillas had lived with the
Utes.
He claimed that he had learned
from an early agent, named Patton,
that while the . ties and Jicarillas as
ISOLATED to some extent, the former
absolutely refused to allow the latter
permanent residence upon their re-
ServatiOn.
Further that the territory about
Fort Summer was the home of the il
carillas prior to 1862, at which time
they were removed from Summer to
Cimarron. Also that when he took
charge of these Indians in 1882, he
found that they were dissatisfied with
their reservation, especially the Au-
gustians and Hiaritas who demanded
of him passes to go away from the re-
servation for an indefinite period.
By an executive order dated March
%, 1864, reservation was set apart
for the Jicarilla Apaches in the north
western portion of New Mexico. In
1876 the lands thus reserved were res
tored TO the public domain. In 1880
another tract was reserved for this
tribe in the northwestern portion of
New Mexico, but was restored to the
public domain four years later.
In 1897 still another tract was re-
served for these Indians in the same
section Of the territory, which they