Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-07

The name Shoshoni to-day is best known as belonging to small band or Indians whose lands are soon to be opened to settlement. Once the Sho- shoni were a mighty people, and held possession of great domain-the mountain country of western Wyo- ming, adjacent portions of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and northeastern Nevada. They and their neighbors, the Banak and Piute, were frequently known as Snake Indians, name which still clings to them. The Shoshonean stock was group of cognate tribes whose territory stretched from the central Rocky mountain country to the Sier- ras, southeast into the Texas prairies, southwest to the shores of the Pacific. The principal tribes of the Shoshonean stock were the Banak, Comanche, Hopi, Kawia, Mission Indians, Piute, Ute and Shoshoni proper. To-day they number about 16,OOO. Of the Shoshoni proper there are left something like 2,500; the Banak and Shoshoni of Fort Hall agency, Idaho; the Shoshoni and Sheepeaters, Lenhi agency, Idaho; Western Shoshoni agency, Nevada; Shoshonf agency, Wyoming.
 It is of the lands of these latter Sho- shones we shall speak to-day, for these are the lands soon to be opened to out siders. The Shoshone reservation has been occupied by Shoshones and Ara pahoesn each S tribe. ; nnYnmnbeIilng erin $ ss9me- thing 'like, S90s memhers.r,ln, April 1904, the Shoshoni and Arapahoes made treaty with the United States whereby they ceded to the latter the northern and eastern half of the Wind River reservation. Our illustration pic lures Dick Wit Washable in the act of signing the treaty, Washable, son of the last chief of the Shoshoni.
 i The Indians of this reservation have shown themselves good workers George Bird Grinnell, an authority or the American Indians, tells us of the Shoshone reservation Indians consid' erable success as agriculturists.
 The Wind River, or Shoshone IndiaI reservation is located in the west cen
 tral part of the state of Wyoming ant has an area of about 4.900 square miles
 In shape it is almost square, measur
 ing about 70 miles on side. It com
 prises the central part of the northern
 half of Fremont county, which is right
 ly called the garden spot of Wyoming
 Under the terms of the treaty, tha
 part of the reservation lying north o
 the Wind river will be thrown open t
 settlement in June, 1906. This portiol
 of the reservation contains about 1,
 5OO,000 acres of land. Of this the gov
 ernment will withhold for forest pre-
 serves, townsites, etc., about 10000
 acres, and the balance will be availabl
 for homestead entry under the terms the United States homestead laws.
 That part of the reservation sout of the Wind river has been taken u by the Indians in severalty, and man have installed themselves as sma farmers. The greater portion of thef lands, however, will be leased to whit , settlers at very reasonable rates. UT , der an agreement with the governmer |, each Indian is required to retain , farmstead of at least ten per cent. , his land holdings, and may lease th
 balance. In this way, thousands 1, acres of land will be available for SC
 tiers, in addition to the land to ! . opened for homestead entry.
 . Irrigation ditehes now being col B structed by the government on tn; D part of the reservation retained by q s Indians are nearing completion, ! s that the greater part of the lands mel i, tioned as available for leasing from Ii dians will be under irrigation by il 2 time the land is opened.
 No actual work has been done by il
 government as yet to irrigate that pa
 of the reservation to be opened to se tleemni. although but small percen ! age of these lands are suitable for a s ricuItHre without irrIgat'on. Cover } nent engineers and surveyors. ho' ever. have gone to the territory al D report about 590.OyO acres of the iai . well suited to agriculture if iTrigats that there is a sufficient water supp { to irrizate that area. and that irrie