The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-05-06
FORT HALL INDIAN RESERVATION MAKES
IDEAL HOME FOR THREE INDIAN TRIBES
Fort Now at its Fourth Location With Nearly
Two Thousand Indians Living Pro-
gessively on These Lands
A VERY PATRIOTIC PEOPLE DURING WAR
Reservation

Reservation
The Shoshone and Bannock Indian
reservation lies in the three counties
Bingham, Bannock and Power and
comprises $4,000 acres. 1t was
laid out soon after the close of the
Civil war, for home for the Sho-
shones and Bannocks. The treaty
was concluded at McCammon, Idaho
accompanied by great feast. Nc.
Cannon is at the southeast border
of lands allotted to the Indians. The
reservation is governed by the de-
partment of Indian affairs, under the
direct charge of an Indian agent,
who lives at Fort Hall, formerly
known as Ross Fork. Horton H.
Miller is the agent in charge at this
time. The place now known as Fort
Hall is the fourth location within
fifteen or twenty miles of there, that
has borne the name of Fort Hall
during the past eighty-five years.
The original fort was a trading post
on Fort Hall bottoms; then the
buildings were removed to another
place, on the bottoms known as The
Adobes. The third location on Lin
coin creek about ten miles northeast
of the present Fort Hall.
The Census of 1918
About the year 1906 the Lemhi
Indian reservation was discontinued
and the Lemhi tribe was added to
the Fort Hall reservation. The, total
population of the three tribes on
June 30, 1918 was 1714. The Sho-
shOnes and Bannocks are the best
educated, the Lemhi Indians not
having had the advantage of govern.
ment schools so long as the others.
There were at that time, fifty-five
Indians on the reservation afflicted
with tuberculosis. There were 2O9
Indians drawing rations amounting
to $8,077.35 for the year. This 2O9
persons bear the status of paupers.
The other 1859 Indians support
themselves. The rations supplied to
the paupers are paid for by the gov
ernment and most of it is handed to
the Indians in the form of meat,
flour, coffee, sugar, beans and other.
foods.
The Wealth of the Reserve
Individual Indians. on the reserva-
tion have live stock amounting to
$40 cattle, 3340 horses and a tribal
herd of cattle on the reservation con-
sisting, at the date above mentioned,
Of 1880 head, and is held in trust
for them and under the management
of the government thru the~Indian
agent at Fort Hall. The immediate
care of the herd is vested in a fore
man and he employees such help as
he needs from among the Indians or
white men. This tribal herd is very
profitable to the Indians and affords
considerable revenue that is used
for public purposes as applied to the
needs of the Indians.
Origin of Tribal Herd
The tribal herd originated about
quarter of a century ago when
much stock was being driven over
land from Oregon and Washington
to middlewest states, by way of the
Snake river valley, and across the
reservation. The owners Of these
travelling herds, paid tribute, rental
or pasture fee to the Indians for the
privilege of crossing the reservation
with their herds, and for the grass
which the cattle consumed while
crossing. In case Of herd that
crossed the river at Blackfoot after
the trip across the big desert, now
known as the Snake river plains, the
animals would be in need of rest
and pasture, and they went immedi-
ately onto the reservation to recuper-
ate, spending several days travelling
slowly across to the eastern borders
of the reserve. The money collected
from these herds or the cattle given
in the place of money, as payment,
was used to establish what Is now
known as the tribal herd.
Pasture Lands Benefit Whites
Pasture lands on the reservation
are leased at times to any one who
is willing to pay the price. 1t has
been the custom for many years for
white stock men to winter their
herds on the Fort Hall bottoms, buy
hay of the Indians and pay some
thing for the use Of the pastures in
connection with the purchase of the
hay. These transactions are now be-
ing extended to the leasing of
pasture lands on the mountains and
foot hills and any one bidding the
highest price for the pasture,
whether Indian or white man, gets
the use of the part of the range de-
scribed in the offer. On April Is,
1919, bids were made for the use of
the pasture consisting Of 27,110
acres on the slopes of Mt. Putnam,
the highest peak on the reservation,