The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-05-30
OPEN COUNTRY LATE IN SUMNER
After . Thousand Indians Get Their
Share Of the Tract.

Gently was appointed to the position OF
alioting agent for the Rosebud In
dams, has arrived at Dallas for the
purpose OF assuming the duties OF his
position, and will make Dallas his
headquarters for the present, Dallas
being situated near the eastern border
of the reservation and the gateway TO
the several hundred thousand acres OF
the reservation, situated in Trip
county, which are to be opened to
white settlement.
That the rush to Trip county, when
It is opened, totally will eclipse any
ching of the kind in the history OF the
Northwest is indicated by the eager
ness with which thousands OF per-
sons throughout the Northwest and
in the East, are looking forward to the
opening of this land.
The precise time of the opening Is
wholly dependent upon Al!ott;ns
Agent Scriven. Before the land can
be opened 1t will be necessary for him
to first complete the work of allotting
tracts to Indians in Trip county. Mr..
Scriven expresses the opinion that he
can complete his work in Trip Gun
ty in ample time to have the opening
OF the surplus lands take place late
In the summer of this year. He has
appointed Samuel Chiffon, county sur
veyor of Gregory county, to the posi-
ton Of assistant allotting agent, and
the two men will devote their entire
attention to the work of allotting
tracts of land to Indians who are en-
titled to them. Mr.. ScriveD states that
while his work will cover other parts
of the reservation in addition to Trip
county, the work in Trip county Will
irst be taken up, in order that all the
indians entitled to allotments there
may receive their lands so the surplus
lands can be opened to white settle
ment In accordance with a treaty ne
gotiated with the Rosebud Indians last
year by Inspector James Mclaughlin
OF the Indian bureau.
To AlIot Land to 1000 indians.
Mai. Edward B. Kelly, United States
indian agent at the Rosebud agency,
who keeps in close touch with allot-
ment and other matters IN his reser-
gation, states that there are about
900 Of his Indians to be allotted
lands. A large part of these have Sc
lected allotments near their parents in
Meyer, Lugenbeel and Washabaugh
counties. There are three reasons, he
points out, why the Indians select al
iotments in these counties: First,
the parents allot their children near
caeir own land; second, the pasture is
better farther west than in Trip
county; third, the counties west or
Trip viii De fully occupied by Indians
and probably will never be opened to
white settlement.
He is authority for the statement
hat there will be more Indians trans
fer their allotments from Trip coun-
ty the the counties west Of it in the
interior Of the Rosebud reservation
than will transfer their allotments
from the interior counties to Trip
county. None Of the Indians who al
ready have allotments in Gregory
county will be permitted to transfer
their allotments to Trip county or
any Of the other counties which now
are included within the borders or the
Rosebud reservation.
Most of the Indians to be allotted, it
Is stated by Maj. Kelley, already have
selected their lands in Trip county
and have designated their choice in
the legal hammer by placing their flags
On the tracts. The allotments select
ed by the Indians in Trip county are
dearly all along the stream near the
lands of the parents of the allotee and
near the center of the county.
Red Men Are long-Headed.
In selecting their allotments near
the center Of Trip county, the In
dams display considerable shrewd-
ness. for they figure that after their
surplus lands are opened to white set
Element and occupied by progressive
whites, the county seat OF the new
county will be located somewhere
GEAR the center OF the county, thereby
increasing the value of the land in
Guided within their allotments.
Mai. Kelly calls attention, as bear
ing upon the desirability of the land
10 be opened in Tripp county, that the
average price of all Indian heirship
lands sold in Trip county up to date
is s6.75 per acre, and that some quar-
ter sections have brought as high as
$40 per acre. He points out that as
careful investors have paid as high as
$1,000 for quarter sections when they
have no right to cultivate it or Craze
1t, and even cannot lawfully cross the
reservation to visit the land without
6rst obtaining a permit from the Uni
ted States Indian agent in charge of
the reservation, and that the title in
10 case is warranted as absolute,
there is no doubt about the quality
and value of land situated in Trip
county.