The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-14

l., "A. hichdFu, euitOT Oh the MlniHE
and Scientific Press, to apply to the
zinc-lead mining region of which Jop-
lin is the commercial center, but which
extends into Kansas and Oklahoma
As explained by the coiner, the WORD
Is a combination of the initial letters
Of the three states Kansas, Oklahoma
and Missouri prefixed to the trade
name of the chief mineral product, In
the course Of a most interesting de-
scription of that section, which in
cludes much historical information
Mr. Richard tells how the Indians OF
Oklahoma who hold the mineral land
are rolling in wealth through royal
ties, and how also they We're fleeced
by the white man before Uncle Sam
came to their protection. This part
OF the contribution is here given:
Bonanza Hay Land.
The mention of the Indian owners
OF the land draws attention to an in
teresting feature of industrial devel-
opment In ottawa county, the coun-
the principal mining activities, there
are seven Indian tribes, but of these
the Quapaws are the only ones for
tunate enough to own mineral produc-
ing lands, The allotments We're made
to them in 1896, in compensation for
vague rights pertaining to them as
aborigines. When they were restrict
ed to this reservation, each male adult
congress, the Indians We're permitted
to lease their lands for mining pur-
roses for a period of 10 years, but at
that time there was no immediate
prospect of using this privilege pro-
ftably not until eight years later
We're rich deposits discovered under
the surface of the prairie, The orig
iral leases were obtained for the pur-
ing been attracted by the tar seen on
some of the water in this region. At
that time the QuapaW reservation was
the greatest producer of prairie hay
tends southwark six miles from the
Kansas line into oklahoma. In Kan
sas all the land is held by whites and
no repetition of the ottawa county
experience is possible
Leases Easily Secured.
When ore was found hundred feet
below the surface the Indians were
easily persuaded to grant leases on
small royalties, say, 5 per cent of the
smelter returns; the local lessons were
quick to sell their rights to speeulat-
ors, who paid them absurdly small
sums. from $25 to two or three hum
bred dollars, and then in turn sub
leased the ground on royalties of 10
to Is per cent to real mine operators
The Indians did not cultivate the land;
for so cents per acre they would sell
to a white man the right to cut the
crop of wild hay that usually repre-
scented the only produce of the soil,
Here and there, along the bottom lands
bordering the small and sluggish
areas of cultivation devoted to corn
and sorghum might be seen, but in a
broad way the region could be de-
scribed as untamed prairie. For eX-
ample, a state official purchased for
$3.50 the mineral rights on land be-
longing to Wah tah-noh -zhe, a
squaw, who had leased the land on q
royalty to the Miami Royalty COM !
rany. This state official became the
recipient of tribute while the Indian
woman received $3.50 in cash. which
seemed to her lots Of money and a
more assured profit than the uncer-
tain proceeds of mining operations
that she did not understand. Her
ground happened to become the site
OF the highly productive operations of
the Turkey Fat mine, which paid the
state official 100000 in royalty in n
short time, Such impositions on the
ignorant red people are no longer per-
mitted. now their business is super
vised and they are protected by a
leueTdl agent. fOT several years Tue
Quapaws were the only tribe of In
dams that did not have to submit
their arrangements for disposing of
the land, to the secretary of the in
terror. This was a joker perpetrated
by Ex-Governor Crawford of Kansas,
and A. b. Abrams, of Baxter Springs,
a New York Indian with Hebrew
blood. Abrams had managed to lay
hands on 1900 acres of land in north
eastern oklahoma and had become
secretary of the Quapaw tribe. The
ex governor secured $50 acres of land
at Lincolnvile, on which tract the
rich omaha Petersburg mine is now
Examples of Easy Picking.
Among the transactions worthy Of
mention, as illustrating the easy
pickings available on this ethnic island |
of real Americans, I may mention how
Harry Crawfish. buck, sold for a
song his mineral rights to the ground |
on which the Picher Lead company |
has developed several splendid mines |
For a few hundred dollars Julia |
squaw, disposed of a |
lease out of which the Lost Trail mine |
has won zinc-lead ore to the amount |