The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1951-02-15
Crows are Offered
S1,5OO,0OO
For YeIloWfaiI Site

The Crow Indians were asked
this week to consider an offer
OF $1,500,000 to pay them for
their land and their interest in
the proposed Yellowtail dam
project on the Big Horn river.
50 miles southwest of Hardin.
The offer was transmitted to
them by Paul L. Fickinger, Bill
hngS area director of the Indian
service, on instruction from the
secretary of the interior.
The dam would be built in
the Big Horn canyon, which the
indian service ranks as the
third largest in North America,
and would back up water for a
total distance of about II miles
from a point AZ miles north of
the Montana = wyoming line.
The plan for the project was
enacted by congress on Deem
her %, 1914, but actual con-
struction has been indefinitely
postponed for lack of funds.
The offer conveyed by Flick
niger in a letter to Robert Vel
loWtail, chairman of the Crow
tribal council, concerns an ap-
plication of the federal bureau
of reclamation for rights of way
on Indian lands for the pro-
posed reservoir, camp site and
recreational area and for the
right to build and operate the
dam on tribal lands. The ap-
plication was made to the sec
rotary of the interior.
Unlike the situation which
developed two years ago when
members of three small tribes
in North Dakota faced the pros
pect of having to give up their
homes to make way for the Fort
Berthold reservoir, no diSpoS-
session of Crows would be in
volved in the Yellowtail project.
According to Fickinger'S letter.
a total of 6,846 2/3 acres would
be required, but it would be for
the most part uninhabited land
in the wild, craggy depths of
Big Horn and it's tributary can
yons.
In his letter to Yellowtail,
Fickinger related that A. L.
Ain, omaha consulting engin-
eer, had been engaged to make
a study of the Crows interests
in the project and had arrived
at a valuation of $28,952 for the
land, $1,000 for timber on it
and $1,374,000 for relinquish-
ment of rights in the dam site,
making a total of $1,401,856.
This amount" Fickinger
wrote, twas determined by am
ortizing the annual net power
return from the hydroelectric
development capitalized on the
basis IF 100 years life and in
terest. AZ 2a per cent with half
of the sum thereby determined,
for credit to the tribe as own,
erS of the site. and halffo
credit to the investor for his
contribution"
Fickinger said that the bu-
reau of reclamation at the same
time had made an independent
study and arrived at a figure
of $1,410,800 as a "fair reim-
bursement" for the Grows.
after completion of these
two independent studies" he
wrote, "the two bureaus entered
into discussions which resulted
in an agreement that in order
further to protect the interests
of the tribe and at the same
time simplify negotiations, a
rounded sum of 1,500, 900 would
be a fair offer to the members
of the Crow tribe for the Indian
lands and interests in the dam
and reservoir sites. This recon-
mendat;on was approved by the
secretary of the interior for
presentation to the Crow peo-
pie"
Fickinger asked Yellowtail to
present the secretary's offer of
81, SOC, 900 to the Crows for con-
sideration and to make reply
through the tribal council to
the Billings area office of the
Indian service. He said he was
sending mimeographed copies
of the appraisal report for dis
tribution among the Indians
and he offered the services of
his staff for consultation with