The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-09
rspecsal - The Heraid.r

Vernal, Utah, April S.-Parties have
been coming in hourly all day from
the Uncompahgre country, where they
have been prospecting for gilsOntte.
The whole country is being staked off,
regardless of the law reserving these
deposits County Clerk Hansen has
been a busy man today. While as clerk
of the district court his time is usually
all taken up with court matters. today
he has managed TO sandwich in suffi-
cient time to file 9S notices of gilsonite
locations. Men who claim to know say
that as many more are TO follow before
tomorrow night.
Some of the parties just in say that
they find the Indians very morose, and
some of them, who have heretofore
been friendly, refuse even to talk.
There seems to be a general impress
sion among those who are locating
these deposits that the law reserving
them is invalid. 1t is believed that they
are acting upon legal advice from
some high source. At any rate Uintah
county is no loser by the deal in the
matter of revenue. as the fees for filing
now go into the county treasury.
LAND SEEKERS RETURN.
The parties who were hung up at the
Ouray agency, being unable to cross
their outfits over Green river on the
government Terry IbE NIf purpose VI
locating along White river, returned
to Vernal last night. Your cOrrespon-
dent, accompanied by a surveyor, OBJ
tanned permission from Agent Cornish,
who went down from White Rocks to
| investigate the condition Of affairs. 20
cross on the ferry with saddle horses
for the purpose Of looking over the
land along White river. Before grant
ing permission. the agent stipulated
that no instruments were to be taken
across and no locations posted, as the
Indians had expressed themselves in a
very emphatic manner to the effect
that they would resent any Interference
of the whites upon what they believe
rightfully belongs TO them. An agency
employee was assigned as an escort to
allay any suspicious the Indians might
have as to our intentions. and it was
further stipulated that the teams
should drive up Green river until off
the reservation upon which the Ouray
agency is located.
/ The agent states that his action in
the matter is governed by the fact
that the ferry belongs to the Indian
department. and that if intending set
! tiers are allowed to cross by order Of
/ the agency officials. the Indians would
naturally infer that the officials are as
/ sisting in crowding them out
/ UNDESIRABLE LAND.
/ It was found that the lands along
/ the White river consist for the most
part of grease wood bottoms of heavy
/ clay There is a fine park mile wide
/ and three miles long of rich soil. where
! McCook and Chepeta. leaders of the
/ UncOmpahgres. with their followers,
are camped. Twelve miles up the river
above this park there seems to be very
! little available land. Generally speak
ing the lands opened do not possess
any attractive features, and, coupled
with the fact that the Indians will no
doubt be troublesome neighbOrs, makes
| il almost needless to say that the con-
ditiOns do not justify any rush into
that section.
There is something like 5000 acres
/ along the White river. some of which
/ the Indians ara camped upon The al
lotting commission is pegging away,
/ and NAV finish their work some day,
/ if they live long enough, and if the IN
dams do not become extinct before the
final accomplishment.
The chief value of the lands opened
lies in the gilsOnite deposits, and the
fact that ii is along the line of a pro-
/ posed railroad. Homeseekers must
work and wait for the opening of the
| Cintah reservation, which possesses
attractive features for settlers.
1t may be stated that there is very
little fuel on the UncOmpahgre lands
other than cottonwood which grows
along the river bottoms. Very little
coal is known 10 exist. Parties are To-
eating along the bends of Green river.
intending to lift water from that stream
with wheels placed in the river.
A COLLISION IMMINENT.
a party is organizing to go to White
river via Jensen for the purpose Of
locating the available land and hold
ing il by force, if necessary. against the
Indians. who are very sullen and de-
termined. Should the parties succeed
in getting on to the land. trouble may
follow. The Indians are watching
closely every move of the whites from
] the hills along the river. and should
any notices be posted on lands they
would no doubt be Immediately torn
| down