The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-10
The United States Gov ernment Report shows ROYAL Baking Powder to be stronger, purer and better than any other.
AT LEIGH LAKE.
An Indian Agency There in the Year 1901,

An Indian Agency There in the Year l 1901.
 l Many people have a vague idea of
 what life at an Indian agency is like. l Some imagine that an agency is a kind
 Of fort surrounded by hostile Redmen, | while others believe that it Is a place where the government has little store | and trafTics with the Indians. The old Leech Lake Agency was es- l tablished half a century ago. The new agency, however. has been located at it's present site for only about three years, It is situated on the west shore of the Agency bay. The name by which the agency is known in the postoffice
 department is "Onigum," a Cheppewa word meaning portage" because near 1t, where canal was built. is narrow strip of land, separating the agency
 bay from the Walker bay, over which
 the Indians used to carry their big ca- noes.
 The buildings are all new and sub
 stantially built, In addition to the em-
 ployes' houses there are the police
 barracks for the Indian police, the
 officers, warehouse. sawmill and the
 blacksmith and carpenter shop. A
 school house, costing $30,OOO, was built
 about year ago. The superintendent
 and his family, the matron, the school
 teachers and school children live at the school. Last summer a church was
 finished, and services are now held every Sunday by native Chippewa rector.
 The employees about the agency are civil service appointees. The agent is the responsible head of the agency. He conducts all negotiations with the In- dians, has charge of the work of the employees and is q general overseer. The office work is taken care of by a financial or head clerk, as he Is called. There are also one or two stenograph- CTS and clerks to assist in the office work. A doctor Is always kept on a reservation. The other employees are the blacksmith the carpenter, engineer and farmer, though the farm is nothing more than kitchen garden. The em- ployes each have house and are given iron beds, stoves chairs and few oth- CT articles of furniture.
 There are at present about twenty five or thirty Indian policemen scatter ed over the reservation. Their duty is to preserve order among the Indians, and see that there is no infraction of the rules in regard to carrying liquor to the reservation.
 Ne-gon- -be-ness, or Flatmouth, as he is called. is the chief of all the Ojlbways of the region. There are about 5000 Indians on the Leech Lake reservation several hundred of whom live in the vicinity of the agency. sawmill with which to erect their homes These buildings are very plain and have only two or three | rooms, and are generally almost devoid of furniture.
 The Indians, as rule, live by hunt ing and fishing. A few find work around the agency as teamsters or working in the sawmill. During the winter a great | many work in the logging camps In he fall the Indians all go to the marsh g to gather "menomen, or the wild ice.
 The employees of the agency do not nave as dull time as might be im- ,gined. They work from 8 o'clock in he morning until 5 in the evening, and he school teachers spend an hour every .vening reading, talking and singing to he Indian children in order to give hem in small way the comforts of the lverage American home. In the sum- ner the employees have their rowboats md spend much time on the lake boat ng and fishing.
 Sleighing and skating afford the prn- ipal enjoyment the winter Then he employees and their families have heir newspapers, magazines and books md frequently give parties during the ong winter evenings.-St. Paul Pioneer Press.