The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-19
Dayton Creek Settlers Are to Have
Rehearing.
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Makes Interesting ReadingThe Indians Ordered White
Settlers Oft the Lands In Dspue---Loca1 and
General Land Offices Reversed

survey of said section 2S, then unsur-
veyed, so as approximately to locate
the subdivisions thereof; that on or
about March 1, 1890, he and said
Casey settled on their respective
| claims, said Casey settling on what is
now the sw IA Sc IA, 1-2 sw IA,
and sw IA NV IA in said section %;
that they posted notices Of the sub
divisions on which they had settled
and which they intended to claim;
and each began the construction of
a dwelling house on his own claim;
that at the time of their settlement
no part of the lands above described
were occupied or claimed in any man
ner by any Indian; that about week
after March 1, 1890, Chief Eneas, with
band of eight warriors, armed with
rifles, ordered affiant and said Casey
to leave their said claims, alleging
that the same were within the limits
of the Flathead Indian reservation,
the contention of these Indians being
that the north line of said reservation
was six miles north of the north line
as fixed by the so-called Harrison
survey" After some parley, the In
dians agreed that af1iant and Casey
might store their household goods and
tools at a squawman's ranch on the
reservation, until information could be
received from Washington concerning
the true location of the north line of
the reservation, the chief saying that,
"If the father in Washington" said
the line of the reservation was where
we said it was, we could come back
and take peaceable possession of our
claims, but that at present we must
go, and they stood over us with their
guns until we did go.
They then destroyed everything we
had done that they could destroy.
We then applied to Major Roman, III
dian agent. He said "he knew
nothing about the reservation
line, that the only party who could .le-
eide the question was the secretary of
the interior" We then wrote and stat
ed our cases to Commissioned Morgan
telling him what the Indians claimed,
and where we were located, and ask
ing him in regard to the Harrison
Survey of the northern boundary line
of the Flathead Indian reservation. He
replied that the Harrison Survey
was final, and the only line and could
not be changed; that if we were locat-
ed north of that line, we were on gov
ernment land, and that he (Morgan)
had written to Indian Agent Roman.
instructing him (Ronan) to employ a
surveyor and go and show the Indians
where the line of the reservation was
and to try and prevent trouble bet
tween the white settlers and the In
dians and not allow the Indians to
molest the white settlers. Major Ro-
nan wrote us that "he had received
his instructions, and as soon as he
could get time he would meet us at
Dayton creek and settle the matter.
1t was not until September, 1891,
one year after, however, that accord
ing to agreement, we met at Dayton
creek, the Indians all present. Agent
Roman read his instructions as receiv-
ed from the department and told the
Indians that the line of the reservation
could not be changed from the line
as made by Harrison" that north Of
said line belonged to the whites, AMI
south of said line belonged to the In
dians, that they would have to accept
it as laid out on the government plats
and filed in the surveyor generals Of
flee.
The Indians said they had nothing
more to say, that if that was the in
structions from Washington they
would accept the line and that We.
the white settlers, could go back and
take possession of our claims, and
they (the Indians would not molest
u.s."
Feeling secure in the establishment
of our rights, we went back and work
ed on our claims, and during the