The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-05-31
MAYOR LOGAN
HEARS FROM
W|TTEN II
SUPERINTENDENT OF FLATHEAp
OPENING WRITES TO MIS-
SOULA EXECUTIVE,

S0oLH ENESO IVEy
WISHES TO COOPERATE
Communications Have to Deal Witt
Handling of Registration Crowds
and Policing Of City and Tell ot
Enormous Crowds That Have At
tended Similar Events.
In communications addressed tt
Mayor Andrew Logan of Missoula
Judge James W. Witten, superinten-
dent of the opening and sale of In
dian lands under the department OF
the interior, expresses his desire tC
cooperate with the local authorities
in making the opening of the Flat
head reservation a success. Yester-
day Mayor Logan received the fol-
lowing letters, which arc self-explana-
tory: .9-. ."
Glad to Cooperate.
"You have doubtless observed from
the press that your town has been
named as registrat ton point for the
opening of Indian lands, which will
begin on July 5. The success of the
opening will depend very largely on
the treatment received by the non
resident applicants who attend for
that purpose, and I am particularly
anxious to do everything In my power
which will in any way contribute to
success.
The policing Of a registration point
and the entertainment Of the appli-
cants While in attendance are mat
ters Which should be given very seri-
Gus consideration, and ample provi-
sions should be made for these pur-
poses in advance. 1T is impossible for
me to even estimate at this time the
number of persons who will visit your
city fesistes not 1r,er4
unusual at former registrations to
have daily attendance of from four
to ten thousand, and on one occasion
the registration ran as high as 10000
in a single day.
y will be very glad to cooperate
With the local authorities in any way
that I possibly can which will add to
the success of the opening, and if 7
can be of service to you i hope you
will command mo very freely.
yours trhuly,
JAS. WI wITTEN,
Superintendent"
~. Facts and Figures.
The second letter says:
"kGoWing that you are interested
in the matter. am inclosing here
with copies of the proclamation, etc.
relating to the opening of the Flat
head lands in Montana, the Occur
d'Alene lands in Idaho and the spo-
kane lands in Washington.
Experience in past openings leads
to the belief that the transportation
of the applicants who register at these
openings is one of the most serious
and important matters connected with
them. The success of such openings
depends very largely on the temper
in which the applicants reach the
registration points, and I am partic-
ularly anxious that they be fur
nished as ample transportation facili-
ties and subsistence while en- route
as may be possible.
II cannot at this time give Won
even an approximate estimate as to
the number of persons who will reg
lister, but very great interest is all
ready being manifested by people in
all parts Of the country, and it is al
together probable that the registra-
tion will be an unusually large one,
isince all three of the reservations
are to be opened at one time This
will naturally attract large atten-
tion. The number of persons who
registered at former openings may be
considered in estimating the probable
attendance at this one, and to give
You the benefit of this information I
will enumerate former registrations
which were as follows:
"At the Oklahoma opening in 1901
there were 164.416 registrations in 12
days, 135,416 of which We're regis
tered at Eel Reno alone (an average
daily registration at that point alone
of 112S5), and on one day more than
$4,000 people were registered there;
at the 1904 Rosebud opening, in South
Dakota, 106, 30S persons We're regis
tered in six days; at the Devils Lake
opening, in 1904, 15086 persons were
registered: at the Shoshone opening,
in 1906, 1869 persons We're registered:
at the Grow opening, in 1906, 1929
persons We're registered; and at the
Tripp county, South Dakota, opening
in 1908, there We're 114,769 registra-
tions in 12 days. OF these, 92,595 per-
sons were registered on points locat-
ed on one railroad. In considering
these figures, emphasis should be
given to the fact that but one reser-
walton was involved in each of these
openings, and in number of them
the area desirable for entry was COM
paratively small and the lands far
less desirable than the lands now tc
be opened.
you will observe from the procla-