Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-07-03
45O,00O Acres Of Land
to be Opened July 9
Land Will Provide Homes For
100000 People.
Drawing will b Under Direction Of
U. S. Government. go

| Spokane, Wash, July 2.-(Special). -
Four hundred and fifty thousand of
| the 1,425,000 acres of valley and bench
, lands contained in the Flathead In
dian reservation on the western slope
of the Rocky mountains in northern
Montana will provide homes for 1O0,-
900 persons following the drawing I'M
der the direction of the United States
government at Occur d'Alene, Idaho,
beginning the morning of July 9.
These lands have been classified as
first and second class agricultural and
grazing. and are appraised at from
$1.25 to 81 an acre. Persons desiring
to enter under the homestead act must
register in person at either Kalispell,
Mont, 26S miles east of Spokane, or
Missoula, Mont, 257 miles from Spo-
kane, between July Is and August s.
This reserve has within it's bound
aries the south half of Flathead lake,
the largest body of fresh water west
of Lake Michigan The chief fruit
products are pears, peaches. apples,
cherries, plums and berries, also grain
and forage crops in abundance. Irri-
cation is not necessary. The reserva-
ton is crossed by numerous mountain
streams and is surrounded by belt
of timber which is not subject to
entry. The Reclamation Service is
preparing system of dams and ditch
es, costing $25O,000, to irrigate the
lands in the northwestern part Of the
reserve. Homesteaders will be re-
CURED to pay the pro rata share Of
this Improvement, also an annual
maintenance fee. The elevation is
1900 feet
Kalispell, city of 1000, is the gate
way of the reservation. Three boats
ply daily between Kalispell and Poison,
trading point at the south end of
Flathead lake, and in the heart of the
reservation. The Great Northern. the
only line in the valley, is building an
extension from Kalispell to the rescr-
walton, and the Chicago, Milwaukee &
Puget Sound and the Canadian Pacific
railways have crews in the field seek
ing an entrance into Kalispell. ea
The reservation was established at
treaty made by Isaac I. Stevens.
first territorial governor of Washing
ton and eX-officio superintendent Of
Indian affairs in the territory, and the
CIliclS anu HeduliIGu VI TIE rIdtHedu,
Kootenay and Upper Pend dOreille
tribes, in what was formerly known as
Council Grove, eight miles below Mis-
soula, now called Grass Valley, on
July IA. 1866. 1t was ratified by the
United States senate on March 8, 1859.
Five persons who were present at the
treaty are Hazard Stevens. son of
Governor Stevens, living at Boston:
w. II. Tappan, a resident of central
Massachusetts, Charlois, chief Of the
Flathead tribe, and Francois Eneas
and Louis Vandergerg. Eneas was as
assistant interpreter at the council.
The three Indians live on the reserya-
ton.
Victor, who has long since joined his
forefathers in 1.-The happy hunting
ground" was chief of the Indians at
the making of the treaty, after which
the Flatheads, kootenays and Upper
Pend dOreilles became known as the
Confederated Tribes of the Flathead
Nation of Indians. The Indians sur
fered hardships and wrongs by reason
of noncompliance of the treaty stip-
ulations and bad faith of the govern
ment. Though the treaty was made
in the summer of 1855, the first annui-
ties, consisting of several hundred
boxes of army hard tack and bags OF
rice, did not reach the tribe until 1860,
more of the supplies being sold to
white settlers than were delivered to
the nations wards.
When the first treaty was made the
tribe, then living in the Bitter Root
valley. where it's members were happy
and contented, We're not willing to
move bag and tepee to the reservation.
and to satisfy Chief Victor q clause
was inserted, as follows: y
at is moreover provided that the
Bitter Root valley above the Loo Lo
fork shall be carefully surveyed and
examined and If 1t shall prove, In the
judgment of the president, to be bet
ter adapted to the wants Cf the Fiat
head tribe than the general resefva-
ton provided for in this treaty, then
such portions of it as may be necessary
shall be set apart as a separate reser-
Walton for said tribe. No portion AOs
the Bitter Root valley above the Loo
I4o fork shall be open to settlement
until such examination is had and the
decision of the president Is made
known 49,
Much litigation followed to arrive al
the correct Interpretation OF this
treaty. 1t was followed by an execu-
tive order in 1871, finding that the
Bitter Root valley was mot better
Continued on Page Thirteen.)