Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1902-01-03
FORT TOTEM.

Some More Facts Concerning. the
Rich Reservation Soon to be
Opened.
Grand Forks Review.
There has been more or less
speculation all over the state as to
the opening of the Fort Totten
reservation, of which 50 much has
been said and written. Regarding
the matter Hon. G. L. Lindstro1n
receiver of the q. S. land Office
at Grand Forks, says:
''This Office is in daily receipt of
letters inquiring as to the time of
opening to settlement of the Fort
Totten Indian reservation, and
other questions pertaining to the
same. 1t is difficult to state when
the reservation will be opened, but
it is hoped it will be done some
time next summer. The North
Dakota delegation in congress is
pushing it as hard as possible with
that end in view. But there is
considerable to be done, and moth
ing but hard and persistent work by
them will get it through. What
has been done SO far is this: Last
summer, at the solicitation of Sena-
tor Hansbrough, the Indian depart
ment sent Major Mclaughlin to
Fort Totten to treat with the In
dians and get them to consent to
sell to the government their unal-
lotted lands. He arrived on the
reservation last October and sue
ceeded in reaching an agreement
with them to sell to the government
unailotted lands for $3.45 per acre.
The so-called treaty, signed by a
majority of the Indians, including
all the head men of the tribe, was
presented for ratification in the
United States senate on Dec. 16,
last, where o,r senators will ,un.
doubtedly keep it to the front, and
secure early consideration.
"After the treaty has been
ratified the land will belong to the
government and be known as
unoffered lands. It then remains
for the government to say how it
shall be offered to the public or be
disposed of, which will undoubt-
edly be under some provision of
the homestead law. After this it
only remains for the Interior de-
partment to fix the date and the
manner of opening the land to
settlement. If done by what is
known as the lottery process, that
is drawing lots for choice, as was
SO successfully tried in Oklahoma
this last year, the drawing will
probably be held simultaneously
in the Devils Lake and Grand
Forks land Offices, as the reser.
vation is located partly in each Of
these land districts.
"Most of the unallotted land is
in the werstern part of the reser-
vation, tributary to Oberon and
Minnewaukan, both towns being
plated and built up to the reser-
vation line and reached by the
Northern Pacific railway. The
Indians have taken their allot-
tments most on the eastern, part Of
the reservation, where there is con-
siderable timber, which has prac-
tically been their only means of
support for a number of years
past.
"The opening of the reservation
will be of great benefit to these In,
! dians.- In the frst:place the sale
! of the land will bring considera.
bic income; and it will tend to the
breaking up of their tribal rela-
tions, or ideal socialistic mode Of
! living, which has kept Indians
from becoming independent and
self-supporting. The reservation
system is wrong from it's beginning
} and is responsible to very large
extent for the present condition Of
our Indians. The opening Of
} these lands will also be a great
benefit to the entire state, and par.
D tic1lar1v in thic curro,,n1ino co1n