The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-12-30
Agriculture on Montana Indian Reser
ations Described.
FLATHEADs BETTER sTockMEN
Than TiIIers or the Soil, Though
They Have Some Productive
Raches and Farming on Small Is
"a Popular Pastime.

Jus huhllAS GlOuuu VI Alesly luuldu
tribes, is now the quiet home of many
of those tribes, which are slowly
adopting the customs and occupa-
tions of the white man Here are
found the Piegan, Crow, Flathead,
Sioux, Assinniboine, Gros Ventre,
Northern Cheyenne, and a few small
bands of other tribes. They are col
fected on six reservations. namely,
Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Fort Belk-
nap, Fort Peck and Northern Chey-
enne.
Their principal occupations are
agriculture and stock raising: the
latter industry is receiving the great
er attention at present, as all the re-
serves have ample ranges, fairly well
watered. But little of their land is
cultivable without irrigation, and, as
the Crows alone have an adequate,
scientific system, farming operations
| are very limited among the other
tribes, and progress in that industry
is necessarily very slow.
! Of the Flathead reservation, Com
missioner Ferguson says: Flathead
reservation, embracing an area of
2240 square miles, lies in Flathead
and Missoula counties, in the west
ern part of Montana. rhe reserva-
| ton is naturally divided into four
mountain valleys, in which the land
| is well adapted to both agriculture
and stock raising. The soil is a
| sandy loan and somewhat gravelly
but fertile, and with irrigation pro-
| duces fine crops of grain, fruit and
vegetables. approximately 100000
acres are cultivable, of which three
fourths will require irrigation. The
mountain streams furnish never
failing water supply, easily diverted
| The ranges are in fair condition, al
though somewhat overtaxed. Camas
Prairie, miles long and 40 miles
| wide is natural meadow. There is
also an abundance of timber here for
the construction of houses and
| fences. Five tribes inhabit this re-
serve, namely, Flathead, Pend
| d'Oreille, Spokane and Lower Kalis-
pell, all of Salishan stock, and the
| Kutenai of lithuanian stock, compris-
ing a total population of 2142. There
are 1913 Indian farmers; the area cul-
tivated by individual Indians ranges
from to S75 acres, the majority cul-
tivate less than 100 acres.
There is no regular system of irri-
cation on the reservation Much of
the land under cultivation lies along
the river and creek bottoms, requir-
! ing little or no irrigation to grow sue
cessful crops, or is land upon which
water can be turned with little or
no labor where, small, individual
! bitches have been made The gov
eminent has constructed two bitches,
one five miles long, covering 5000
acres, and the other, 2.5 miles long,
cation is all important at the pres
ent time and it is expected that the
government will build additional
bitches in the near future in order
to provide farms for those who are
ready to settle down and till the soil,
i Wheat oats and hay are the prin-
cipal crops, some clover, alfalfa and
other tame grasses are also cult
waited. There is a -four mill on the
reserve, and the wheat raised by the
Indians furnishes -four enough foI
home consumption and also for the
demand of traders and neighboring
ranchmen. Most farms have small
gardens in which are found potatoes
cabbages, onions and sweet corn, and
frequently small fruits. Orchards Of
bearing apple trees are quite com
mon, and a few cherry, plum and
pear trees.
OF equal Importance with agricul
ture are the stockraising interests
which are rapidly increasing. Al
present the large number of range
cattle are owned by few Indians
and 'squaw men," although many
Indians have made a small start The
high prices received during 1898 anC
1899 have caused unusually large
sales, and the number OF cattle OF
the range at present is less than ii
former years. The majority of In
dian farmers reported sales of livt
stock and animal products, one In
dams sales during 1899 amounting
to 5000 The larger number o
sales was less than $1,000; but 10 re
ported sales of $1,000 or over, and
of $4,000 or over A large number o
farmers own dairy cows and reported
milk and butter; chickens and swine
are also quite common A herd of Q
buffaloes and few sheep and goat
constitute further possessions of liv'
stock.
Be sure of the title to land wheI
you buy. Abstracts furnished. Flat
lac a