Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-31
LAST OF SERRAN0S
FIGHTINGFORLIFf
LITTLE BAND Is ON BARREN
RESERVATION
ONCE OWNED ENTIRE SAN BER-
NARDINo VALLEY
Ranks Trimmed by Endless Struggle,
and the Aged Are Waiting for
Death to End Their
Sufferinas
rspecial to The Herald. ]

SAN BERNARDINO, Jan. 3O.-Bat-
fling for a pitiful existence on a par
rem, desolate plot of ground, llttle
band of Indians, the last OF the ser
rano tribe, which was once the pfouu'
undisputed owner of the entlre san
Bernardino valley, IS racing starv@tioli; i'l ,,f
Given as a reservation piece Oh
land. a section in extent, that Whlte
man would almost scorn as a gltt IL
he was expected to make his llNellnoou
Inv tilling the soil, the tribe, struggling
in noverty. has battled against starVd-
tion and disease in vain. Their ranks
have been so thinned by TINS endleS9
struggle that now less than threescore
are left of the tribe which century
ago. when the first Spanish soldiers
and missionaries entered the NdllS9'
numbered many hundred.
The establishing of the san Mahuel
reservation. located a short distance
from Highland along the base OF tne
san Bernardino range, is pracucaly
the only provision ever made by the
Government for the keeping OF itS
charges. The ground given over TO tlie
Indians is on steep, bafreh illiSiuo u,
and is almost without Walei. wv
d,vindIing springs, flowing little more
tbon enough for domestic purposes
f,,rnish the only water on the reserNa-
tion IT is necessary to carry What Is
Used for irrigation. The little farming
that can be done on this desolate' ul-
fertile land must be done without
water. 1..:e,
Left with this worthless land as lhe
o,1I,, means of securing livelihood,
The few remaining Indians of the once
large tribe are in a pitiable coLullloil'
No supplies are furnished by the soN-
ernment and they have no tiloileS ,S,IlS
Tlitb which to erect suitable buildings
a. shelter them. Many of the Indians
are waiting for death to relieve thelr
Those that are able work among the
orange groves for a portion OF the year.
hut the old and disabled members Oh
tbe tribe. with the women. nave 10
,yav of supporting themselves. Among
the fifty-four Indians now on lle IeSel
walton there are a number so aEeQ th"t
thev are helpless, and without children
to support them they are now all'losl ,,
starving to death in their nuts on the
biIleide' These Indians. between 50 ana
1oo years old. saw the first settlers
come TO the valley. and the ground on
which is now situated the three CUES
of san Bernardino, Redlands ana River
side. was their hunting ground
From their little reservation on the
mountain side they can look down anu
ont uDon the wide valley from WhlcH
they we're forced step by step and over
which they and their fathers once
roamed unrestricted.
one of the Oldest of the Indians,
known as old Pinto, is in most pltltui
circumstances. Crippled by hard WORK.
his hands and face are turning Whlle'
He is powerless to support hlhsell'
Assistance from Highland
Were it not for the people of High
land the old members of the tribe would
starye to death. Provisions are carried
IN TO the reservation by these people
for the Indians who are unable 20 WORK
Through the efforts of Mr.. and Mrs. -
l. Yokam. who take deep interest III
the welfare of the survivors OF the
tribe, the county has from time to time
assisted in providing for them APP
meals to the government are fruitless.
with little expense water could be de-
veloped on the reservation but this had
been steadily refused. Several years
ago the government however, pur-
chased a small tract of land with
water. suitable for the growing OF
oranges. This is aside from the reser-
walton and little has been done with II.
The buildings on the reservation are
mostly shacks and here, exposed 20 the
weather summer and winter alike, it
is impossible to check diseases that
are fast thinning the ranks Of the lit
tie band Old Charlie, said to be 100 or
more years of age, his body weakened
by lack of food, perished few weeks
ago from pneumonia, as the result of a
storm sweeping over the reservation.