The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1949-10-13

LNs04O.OO0 -
52) Forest reservations of the
United States today include S.
$4,000 acres (Rec. P. $3.50 and
other millions have been sold
or given by the United States to
settlers and the Northern Pa
cific Railroad from this 1851
Grow domain.
The Yellowstone National
Park comprising 2,192,640 acres
was created partly out of the
Crow 1851 territory. Cree. PIP.
239, 259, Royce. Sec. SIT, Mon
tana / and wyoming /, also
Nos. GIG and 635. Montana u.
A second treaty concluded at
Fort Laramie, Dakota territory,
May 7, 1853, ratified July 25,
1868, us Stat, 649) proclaimed
August IL, 1885, reduced the Or
iginal area of the reservation
by the 1868 treaty to 100000
acres.
The Act of April II, 1882, 90
Stat, 42) ratified Engagement
of June IL, 1880 providing for
the sale of a portion of the
reservation to the United
States, in return for which the
Government was to survey and
allot the remaining land and
to issue patents.
The Act of july 10, 1882 (22
Stat, 150 granted a right-of-
way to the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company. A total of
$3.50 acres was involved for
which the company paid the
Crows $4,000.
The agreement of December
8, 1890, ratified by the Act of
March 8, 1891 (26 Stat, 1039)
provided for selling additional
lands to the United States. Part
OF the proceeds from this sale
were to be used for the con-
struction of irrigation facilities
in the valleys of the Big and
Little Horn Rivers and on Pry-
or Creek and other streams.
The agreement of August IA,
1899 ratified by the Act of APP
ril 81, 1904, (33 Stat, 1922 pro-
vided- among other things for
further cession of lands to the
Government a portion of the
payment for which was to be
used for extension and compile
ton of the irrigation system
and for maintaining and oper-
ating it.
These cessionS reduced the
area of the reservation to ap-
proXimately 2,282, 760 acres or
to about one-fourth of the ORR
ginal area.
The Act of June Is 1910 (36
Stat, $500 provided that each
living Indian was to receive l.
900 units of land of which 4
units were equivalent to / acre
under Government constructed
bitches, 2 units equivalent to
2 acres of agricultural land not
under Government ditch and 1
unit equivalent to l acre of
grazing land.
The total area within the re-
servation is 2,282,7 60 acres of
which 262,942 acres are in white
ownership. OF the net Indian
owned land amounting to g.
018,555 acres, $500 acres are
classified as irrigable, 1,487, 245
acres as grazing land and 343,-
397 acres as timber. A total of
1,735,931 acres are allotted to
individual Indians and the bal
ance, 281 ,024 acres are in tri-
bal ownership and 1t is upon
this area that the proposed
dam is to be located.
Congress has added its voice
in the dam controversy. In
response to Senator Murray and
his amendment submitted Au-
gust Is, the purport of which
was: a request to appropriate
2k million dollars from the
peoples federal treasury to
begin the immediate conStruc-
ton of the proposed YelloWtail
dam. The contentious and rep
reservations of the Crow Indi-
ans as owners from time i'm
memorial of the lands to be
taken to the contrary, not with
standing. The congress through
its senate appropriations sub
committee chairman Senator
Hayden of Arizona, asked Sen
ator Murray if che had an un-
derStanding with the Grow
Tribe on the question of Just
compensation agreeable to the
Crows in writing Senator