Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-07-30
Indian Rehabilitation Plan
Working Among Blackfeet

Things are moving on the Biackfeet
reservation. A rehabilitation program
Is under way that bids fair to become
an example for other Indians and
whites.
The depression with its attendant
evils, came on; the Indians irrigation
system, one Of the finest in the state.
was abandoned; relief work and the
dole we're the order Of the day. To add
TO their discontinue and worries they
faced the possible loss of Blackfeef
water rigntS-thelr one great resource.
Meetings were held and protests were
made and eventually heard in Wash
ington, bringing a change in the pic
ture.
Last September a delegation Of IN
dian office officials, headed by John |
Herrick, assistant to the commissioner |
Of Indian affairs, and Dan E. Murphy, /
director Of the CCC, paid the reserva- 1
ton visit and looked into the stu
alton. They saw that Blackfeet water /
rights were OF paramount Importance |
and must be preserved. They saw, too, /
that these valuable water rights were of |
little or no value TO the Blackfeet UNI
less they could utilize them and this
they could not do, as the Indians were
destitute, living from hand to mouth,
many making their homes in tar paper
shacks, while a considerable number
did not as much have a home of any
kind. Their livestock holdings had been
reduced almost to the vanishing point
and work was not to be had unless one
were skilled or semiskilled mechanic.
Survey Is Made
This was the picture as seen by the
official party and they realized ener-
getic measures must be taken to re-
juvenate the Blackfeet. Meetings were
held with the tribal council and Super
lntendent Graves. Irrigation projects
were given close inspection. Reports
we're made TO Washington and govern
mental machinery was set in motion.
rehabilitation program was put
under way and the first phase of
his program is about to be brought
20 a successful conclusion 1t was de-
;ided that a sincere effort be made
20 move homeless Indians to irrigated
areas, build them homes, barns and
lenhouSes, pillow and fence their lands, =
urnish seed and machinery, drill wells
md purchase livestock.
The government, through the Indian
'ffice, allocated 500 to be used for
ehabllitation purposes only. The tribe
uickly matched this with q like
mount from their own funds. The
>CC, through Director Murphy, dug
70 $35, 900 to be used for repair and
leaning present canals, drilling wells,
tc. The tribe, through the council, set
side $4,000 more from their revolving
IlndS to be used in the form of loans
D prospective settlers. This made q
otal Of $4,000 which later was aug
tented by $4,000 secured from con- Il
reSs by direct appropriation to be 81
sed for the revival of the Blackfeet n
rigation project In the meantime the "
Overnment, through its submarginaI It
md acquisition act, took options on
)-called alienated irrigated forties to "
le amount of $67 900. These tracts, o
)rmerly tribally owned, had in the al
asst been fee patented and bought by q
hites but are now being repurchased pf
2 the government for the tribe.
Twenty Families Chosen pC
Twenty families were chosen from It's
Ter 100 applicants to move to Seville We
! the Two Medicine project. AS the tn
,plicants were without money, loans -
I'd TO be arranged from the tribal c
volving fund, the credit committee II
the tribal council meeting daily for II
er q week. The council studied II
nltly histories, credit rating, reputa- II
N and other data. Working In close II
operation with the Indian office, II
e loans were quickly made and 10 II
miles have actually moved to Sc II
lie. II
Inc pru1c1pal requisite 10 be hurQleQ ii
each applicant was that he or a II
smber of his immediate family must III
tually own at least one 40-acre tract II
irrigated land as a building site and H
expected to lease or control addi- II
nal acreage to make the effort worth III
lille. Land trades between members III
the tribe neceSSitated considerable HI
'uhle and delay in some cases, but III
sntuaily order succeeded chaos and n
ogress was being made. Tentative III
ms for buildings were approved III
ster1alS ordered and soon work was III
der way. Loans granted by the tribe III
J purely character loans, as the APP III
cants with one or two exceptions II
We no property or assets of bank III
lie nature. The tribe to protect itself III
res an assignment on the land in HI
lved, holding crop mortgages for HI
sstock and machinery purchased. HI
Many Homes Completed Hi
0f the 10 homes being built, over III
shalt are completed or nearing III
npletion, q paint job being all that III