An Act to provide for the termination of Federal supervision over the property of the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma and the individual members thereof, and for other purposes
PL 84-887 (S.3970), enacted 08/01/1956

70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 887-AUG. 1, 1956 
Public Law 887 
CHAPTER 843 
AN ACT 
To provide for the termiuatiou of Federal supervision over the property of the 
Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma and the Individual members thereof, and for 
other purposes. 
August 1, 1956 
IS. 3970] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and Houae of Representatives 
of the 
United States of A^nerica in Congress assemiled, That the purpose of 
this Act is to provide for the termination of Federal supervision over 
the trust and restricted property of the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma 
and the individual members thereof, and for a termination of Federal 
services furnished to such Indians because of their status as Indians. 
SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act: 
(a) "Tribe" means the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma. 
(b) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior. 
(c) "Lands" mean real property, interest therein, or improvement 
thereon, and include water rights. 
(d) "Tribal property" means any real or personal property, or any 
interest in real or personal property, that belongs to the tribe and 
either is held by the United States in trust for the tribe or is subject 
to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States. 
SEC. 3. The tribe shall have a period of six months from the date of 
this Act in which to prepare and submit to the Secretary a proposed 
roll of the members of the tribe living on the date of this Act, which 
shall be published in the Federal Register. The proposed roll shall 
bs prepared in accordance with eligibility requirements prescribed 
in the tribe's constitution and bylaws. If the tribe fails to submit such 
roll within the time specified in this section, the Secretary shall prepare 
a proposed roll for the tribe, which shall be published in the Federal 
Register. Any person claiming membership rights in the tribe or an 
interest in its assets, or a representative of the Secretary on behalf of 
any such person, may, within sixty days from the date of publication 
of the proposed roll, file an appeal with the Secretary contesting the 
inclusion or omission of the name of any person on or from such roll. 
The Secretary shall review such appeals and his decisions thereon 
shall be final and conclusive. After disposition of all such appeals by 
the Secretary, the roll of the tribe shall be published in the Federal 
Register, and such roll shall be final for the purposes of this Act. 
SEC. 4. Upon publication in the Federal Register of the final roll as 
provided in section ?> of this Act, the rights or beneficial interests in 
tribal property of each person whose name appears on the roll shall 
constitute personal property which may be inherited or bequeathed, 
but shall not otherwise be subject to alienation or encumbrance before 
the transfer of title to such tribal property as provided in section 5 of 
this Act without the approval of the Secretary. Any contract made in 
violation of this section shall be null and void. 
SEC. 5. (a) Upon the request of the tribe, the Secretary is author-
ized within three years from the date of this Act to transfer to a cor-
poration or other legal entity organized by the tribe in a form satis-
factory to the Secretary title to all or any part of the tribal property, 
or to transfer to one or more trustee designated by the tribe and 
approved by the Secretary title to all or any part of such property to 
be held in trust for management or liquidation purposes under such 
terms and conditions as may be specified by the tribe and approved by 
the Secretary, or to distribute pro rata among the members of the tribe 
all or any part of such property, or to sell all or any part of such 
property and make a pro rata distribution of the proceeds of sale 
among the members of the tribe after deducting, in his discretion, 
reasonable costs of sale and distribution. 
Wyandotte Tribe, 
Okla. 
Termination of 
Fe d e ral supervi-
sion. 
Definitions. 
Membership roll. 
Pu b 11 cation in 
FR. 
Personal p r o p -
erty rights. 
Transfer or dis-
tribution of prop-
erty. 
804 
PUBLIC LAW 887-AUG. 1, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
Trust agreement. 
Burying ground, 
Kansas City, Kans. 
Sale or transfer. 
Compensation of 
agents, etc. 
S e l e c t i o n 
of 
trustees. 
Transfer of mem-
bers. 
Re m o V al of re-
strictions. 
(b) Title to any tribal property that is not transferred in accord-
ance Avith the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be 
transferred by the Secretary to one or more trustees designated by 
him for the liquidation and distribution of assets among the members 
of the tribe under such terms and conditions as the Secretary may pre-
scribe: Provided^ That the trust agreement shall provide for the 
termination of the trust not more than three years from the date of 
such transfer unless the term of the trust is extended by order of a 
judge of a court of record designated in the trust agreement: Provided 
further^ That the trust agreement shall provide that at any time before 
the sale of tribal property by the trustees the tribe may notify the 
trustees that it elects to retain such property and to transfer title 
thereto to a corporation, other legal entity, or trustee in accordance 
with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, and that the 
trustees shall transfer title to such property in accordance with the 
notice from the tribe if it is approved by the Secretary. 
(c) Title to the tract of land in Kansas City, Kansas, that was 
reserved for a public burying ground under article 2 of the treaty 
dated January 31, 1855 (10 Stat. 1159), with the Wjrandotte Tribe 
of Indians shall be transferred or sold in accordance with subsections 
(a) and (b) of this section, and the proceeds from any sale of the 
land may be used to remove and reinter the remains of persons who 
are buried there, to move any monuments now located on the graves, 
and to erect at reasonable cost one appropriate monument dedicated 
to the memory of the departed members of the Wyandotte Tribe: 
Provided^ That if S. 1335 or comparable legislation is enacted by the 
Eighty-fourth Congress, any sale or transfer of such land shall be 
deferred until three months after the report required by such legis-
lation has been submitted to Congress, during which time Congress 
shall decide whether to provide for the sale or disposition of the 
land on the basis of such report. 
(d) The Secretary shall not approve any form of organization pur-
suant to subsection (a) of this section that provides for the transfer 
of stock or an undivided share in corporate assets as compensation 
for the services of agents or attorneys unless such transfer is based 
upon an appraisal of tribal assets that is satisfactory to the Secretary. 
(e) When approving or disapproving the selection of trustees in 
accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the 
Secretary shall give due regard to the laws of the State of Oklahoma 
that relate to the selection of trustees. 
SEC. 6. (a) The Secretary is authorized and directed to transfer 
within three years after the date of this Act to each member of the 
tribe unrestricted title to funds or other personal property held in 
trust for such member by the United States. 
(b) AH restrictions on the sale or encumbrance by the owners of 
trust or restricted lands that were originally allotted to persons 
who were at the time of allotment members of the tribe, regardless 
of whether such owners are themselves members of such tribe, and 
all restrictions on the sale or encumbrance of trust or restricted land 
owned by members of the tribe (including allottees, heirs, and devisees, 
either adult or minor), regardless of where the land is located, are 
hereby removed three years after the date of this Act and the patents 
or deeds under which titles are then held shall pass the titles in 
fee simple subject to any valid encumbrance. 
The titles to all inter-
ests in trust or restricted land acquired by members of the tribe by 
devise or inheritance three years or more after the date of this Act 
shall vest in such members in fee simple, subject to any valid 
encumbrance. 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 887-AUG. 1, 1966 
(c) Prior to the time provided in subsection (b) of this section for be^^"^wJi*if 
the removal of restrictions on land owned by more than one member fo»triction«. 
of the tribe, the Secretary may— 
(1) upon request of any of the owners made within two years 
after the date of this Act, partition the land and issue to each 
owner a patent or deed for his individual share that shall be-
come unrestricted three years from the date of this Act; 
(2) upon request of any of the owners and a finding by the 
Secretary that partition of all or any part of the land is not prac-
ticable, cause all or any part of the land to be sold at not less than 
the appraised value thereof, and distribute the proceeds of sale 
to the owners: Provided, That any one or more of the owners may 
elect before a sale to purchase the other interests in the land at 
not less than the appraised value thereof, and the purchaser shall 
receive an unrestricted patent or deed to the land; and 
(3) if the whereabouts of none of the owners can be ascertained, 
cause such lands to be sold and deposit the proceeds of sale in the 
Treasury of the United States for safekeeping. 
SEC. 7. (a) The Act of June 25,1910 (36 Stat. 855), the Act of Feb- 
P'obate, etc. 
ruary 14,1913 (37 Stat. 678), and other Acts amendatory thereto shall J^ use 372 et 
not apply to the probate of the trust and restricted property of the 
members of the tribe who die six months or more after the date of 
this Act. 
(b) The laws of the several States, Territories, possessions, and the 
District of Columbia with respect to the probate of wills, the determi-
nation of heirs, and the administration of decedents' estates shall 
apply to the individual property of members of the tribe who die six 
months or more after the date of this Act. 
SEC. 8. No property distributed under the provisions of this Act 
^ " exemption, 
shall at the time of distribution be subject to Federal or State income 
tax. 
Following any distribution of property made under the pro-
visions of this Act, such property and any income derived therefrom 
by the individual, corporation, or other legal entity shall be subject 
to the same taxes, State and Federal, as in the case of non-Indians: 
Provided, That for the purpose of capital gains or losses the base value 
of the property shall be the value of the property when distributed to 
the individual, corporation, or other legal entity. 
SEC. 9. Prior to the transfer of title to, or the removal of restrictions gu'^Kiit^iD*"'*"* °' 
from, pro^ferty in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the 
Secretary shall protect the rights of members of the tribe who are 
minors, non compos mentis, or in the opinion of the Secretary in need 
of assistance in conducting their affairs by causing the appointment 
of guardians for such members in courts of competent jurisdiction, or 
by such other means as he may deem adequate. 
SEC. 10. Pending the completion of the property dispositions pro- 
Advance* ©
f 
vided for in this Act, the funds now on deposit or hereafter deposited 
in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the tribe shall be 
available for advance to the tribe, or for expenditure, for such pur-
poses as may be designated by the governing body of the tribe and 
approved by the Secretary. 
SEC. 11. The Secretary shall have authority to execute such patents. 
Execution of 
deeds, assignments, releases, certificates, contracts, and other instru- ^" *" *' * *
^
* 
ments as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of 
this Act, or to establish a marketable and recordable title to any prop-
erty disposed of pursuant to this Act. 
SEC. 12. Nothing in this Act shall abrogate any valid lease, permit, 
Prior leases, 
license, right-of-way, lien, or other contract heretofore approved. * Tranefer of funo-
Whenever any such instrument places in or reserves to the Secretary "<»""• 
any powers, duties, or other functions with respect to the property sub-
896 
PUBLIC LAW 887-AUG. 1, 1966 
[70 ST A T . 
Termination proo> 
lamation. 
P u b l i c a t i o n in 
FR. 
Citizenship. 
Educational pro-
Re v o c ation of 
charter. 
25 u s e 501-509. 
Termination of 
powers. 
Claims. 
Water rights. 
Rules and regu-
lations. 
Repeals. 
25 u s e 501-509. 
ject thereto, tlie Secretary may transfer such functions, in whole or 
in part, to any Federal agency with the consent of such agency, or 
to a State agency wuth the consent of such agency and the other party 
or parties to such instrument. 
SB5C. 13. (a) Upon removal of Federal restrictions on the property 
of the tribe and individual members thereof, the Secretary shall pub-
lish in the Federal Register a proclamation declaring that the Federal 
trust relationship to the affairs of the tribe and its members has termi-
nated. 
Thereafter individual members of the tribe shall not be en-
titled to any of the services performed by the United States for Indians 
because of their status as Indians, all statutes of the United States 
which affect Indians because of their status as Indians shall no longer 
be applicable to the members of the tribe, and the laws of the several 
States shall apply to the tribe and its members in the same manner as 
they apply to other citizens or persons within their jurisdiction. 
(b) Nothing in this Act shall affect the status of the members of 
the tribe as citizens of the United States. 
(c) Prior to the issuance of a proclamation in accordance w^ith 
the provisions of this section, the Secretary is authorized to under-
take, within the limits of available appropriations, a special program 
of education and training designed to help the members of the tribe 
to earn a livelihood, to conduct their own affairs, and to assume their 
responsibilities as citizens w^ithout special services because of their 
status as Indians. 
Such program may include language training, 
orientation in non-Indian community customs and living standards, 
vocational training and related subjects, transportation to the place 
of training or instruction, and subsistence during the course of train-
ing or instruction. 
For the purposes of such program, the Secretary 
is authorized to enter into contracts or agreements with any Federal, 
State, or local governmental agency, corporation, association, or per-
sons. Nothing in this section shall preclude any Federal agency from 
undertaking any other program for the education and training of 
Indians with funds appropriated to it. 
SEC. 14. (a) Effective on the date of the proclamation provided for 
in section 13 of this Act, the corporate charter issued pursuant to the 
Act of June 26, 1936 (49 Stat. 1967), as amended, to the Wyandotte 
Tribe of Oklahoma and ratified by the tribe on July 24,1937, is hereby 
revoked. 
(b) Effective on the date of the proclamation provided for in sec-
tion 13 of this Act, all powers of the Secretary or other officer of the 
United States to take, review, or approve any action under the con-
stitution and bylaws of the tribe are hereby terminated. 
Any powers 
conferred upon the tribe by such constitution which are inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby terminated. 
Such termina-
tion shall not affect the power of the tribe to take any action under its 
constitution and bylaws that is consistent with this Act without the 
participation of the Secretary or other officer of the United States. 
SFX;. 15. Nothing in this Act shall affect any claims heretofore filed 
against the United States by the tribe. 
SEC. 16. Nothing in this Act shall abrogate any water rights of a 
tribe or its members. 
SEC. 17. The Secretary is authorized to issue rules and regulations 
necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Act and may in his discre-
tion provide for tribal referendums on matters pertaining to manage-
ment or disposition of tribal assets. 
SEC. 18. All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with this Act are 
hereby repealed insofar as they affect the tribe or its members. The 
Act of June 26, 1936 (49 Stat. 1967), and the Act of .lune 18, 1934 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 890-AUG. 1, 1956 
(48 Stat. 984), as amended by the Act of June 15,1935 (49 Stat. 378), 
shall not apply to the tribe and its members after the date of the proc-
lamation provided for in section 3 of this Act. 
SEC. 19. If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof, 
to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the 
Act and the application of such provision to other persons or circum-
stances shall not be affected thereby. 
Approved August 1, 1956. 
25 u s e 461-479. 
SeparabUity. 
Public Law 
CHAPTER 844 
AN ACT 
To increase the minimum postal savings deposit, and for other purposes. 
August 1, 1956 
iguat I, 1 
[S.1873] 
Be it enacted hy the Seriate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 6 of 
the Act of June 25,1910, as amended (39 U. S. C. 756), is hereby fur-
ther amended by striking out "$1" wherever it appears therein, and 
by inserting in lieu thereof "$5". 
Approved August l, 1956. 
53 Stat. 1121. 
Public Law 889 
CHAPTER 845 
AN ACT 
To provide for the development of the Federal fish hatchery, known as the 
Holden trout hatchery, at Pittsford, Vermont. 
Jeua 
TS. 3998] 
Be it enacted hy the ScTiate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary j, "tch***" Vitt"* 
of the Interior shall develop, reconstruct, equip, operate, and maintain ford, vt. 
the Federal fish hatchery, known as the Holden trout hatchery, at 
Pittsford, Vermont, in accordance with the program established by 
the Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, for the 
improvement of such hatchery. 
SEC. 2. There is authorized to be appropriated the sum of $220,000 
Appropriation, 
to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Approved August 1, 1956. 
Public Law 890 
CHAPTER 846 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To authorize the vessel operations revolving fund of the Department of Commerce 
to be used for expenses in connection with the chartering of merchant ships 
under jurisdiction of the Secretary of Commerce. 
August 1,1956 
[H. J. Res. 613] 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled. That the vessel operations ^^^ 
revolving fund created by the Third Supplemental Appropriations fund. 
Act, 1951, approved June 2, 1951 (Public Law 45, Eighty-second 
Congress; 65 Stat. 52, at 59), shall, beginning July 1,1956, be available 
for expenses incurred in connection with the activation, repair, and 
deactivation of merchant ships chartered under the jurisdiction of the 
Secretary of Commerce. There shall be credited to such fund all re-
ceipts on account of operations after July 1, 1956, under charters of 
Government-owned ships under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 
Commerce. 
Approved August 1, 1956. 
s s e 1 opera-
r e v o l v l n g 
69225 O - 5 7 - 6 1 (Vol. 70)