Report of the Secretary of the Interior/Report of Agents to the 48th Congress;
Subject
Indians of North America; Federal Government; United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Colorado River Agency; Whites--Relations with Indians;
Place names
Washington (D.C.); Arizona; Colorado; Utah;
Keyword
Indians of North America; Federal Government; Indian Agency/ Reservations; Health; Education; Land Use; Agriculture; Alcohol; Indian/White Relations;
Tribe
Ute;
Band
Uintah;
Creator
United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Colorado River Agency;
Description
This document contains annual reports from the Colorado River Agency in Arizona, the Southern Ute Agency in Colorado, and the Cheyenne River Agency in "Dakota". The agents describe conditions on the reservations, including the nature of education, agriculture, and health;
Publisher
Digitized by: J. Willard Marriot Library, University of Utah;
Date.original
1889-08-13;
Type
Text;
Format
application/pdf;
File name
Folder 47.pdf
Source
report
Language
eng;
Rights
This material may be protected by copyright. Permission may be required for use in any form. For further information please contact the American West Center, University of Utah: 801-581-7611;
REPORTS OF AGENTS.
COLORADO RIVER AGENCY, ARIZONA,
JwyMsf 13,1833.
: « *• Tn compliance with the instructions to agents with the directions of Depart-nt
circular, dated Julv 13, 1* 83, I have the honor to submit the following as my
It annual report of affairs pertaining to the agency and Indians nnder my charge,
i to transmit the accompanving statistics relative thereto. •".'
in inv arrival at this agencvlDecember 19, 1882, I found matters in a very de-ralized
condition, and without any attempt seemingly to the care or preservation
the Government supplies by my predecessor, Colonel Biggs. What few reinain-
T suDidics there were on hand I found in very bad order. Seemingly, they had ;
; n thrown about in the utmost confusion, and distributed in no less than five
ierent places or storehouses, thereby compelling the ageut to travel all about the
Anise* wading nearly knee- deep in sand to fill the school requisitions, which had
he done once a week. I found goods perishing for want of better atteution. >
\ fter takin.' charge of- the agency January 1, 1S83, I immediately went to work
ttiu"- matters in shape and in making one general storehouse for all the agency
nnliea thcrebv arranging the goods in such order t h a t any one could sec a t a glance y
7 what supplies Avere on hand at any or all times, tis also in facilitating the tilling v
all the requisitions for t h e schools, s& c. After this work was consummated, I then
rned rav attention to the general improvement of the agency braidings and furni-re
which had also been sadlv neglected. At the end of the first quarter ( with
e aid of all the a^- encv emploves. who rendered very efficient service), I had all
incrS T, ut in order and. in fact, ready for inspection, for the- condition of which 1
spectfully refer the Department to the report of General Charles Howard, inspector,
ho visited the agency about t h e middle of last May. 4 .
RESERVATION \ - . •'•
There is doubtless among all the various reservations of our country none t h a t is 3
ore desolate and unproductive than this. There are said to be 123,000 acres in this . ^
- serve within the following described boundaries, as per report of surveys made in ' « j
Comm^ nciu? at a point trf- ere the La Paz Arroya enters the Colorado River^ 4 miles above Ehren- <.
« g ; thence rt « t « lfr with said arroya to a point south of the crest of La Paz Momtanr ttence• in • _ J
s- tiiVesterlv direction across the Colorado River to the top of Monument Peak, in the State of Call- J
- » ta, thence southwesterly in a straight line to the top of Riverside Mountain, California; thence >
. a direct line to the place olbesinnins. 0
Tlie soil within said boundary is, in my opinion, well adapted for raising almost ,- j
ny kiud of cereal matter providing water could be secured for irrigating purposes.
do not mean to convey the impression that . ill the land embraced in the above-
: amed boundary, but quite sufficient, could bo selected to produce all these Indians 4
• vonld require. In order to fully satisfy myself about the production of this >
audy soil, I made several experiments during the past season in the proptigation ot
- e a t a b l e s and other matter: and although I was deprived of t h e usual appliances to f
- cure water from the agency t a n k on account of t h e stoppage of the engine, and was
• bliged to work nnder very great disadvantages by having the water carried in •
mokets a long distance, and the area planted irrigated in that manner, the result 4
^ as very gratffving indeed, solongas the water supply iscoutmued, hntonco t h a t iscut ,
• a* everything immediately begins to wither and die; this is owing to the intense heat >
- hick prevails in thislocalitv. The water question seems to be t he only one in mymmd 1
reqniriue the attention of the Department in order to make the* e Indians selt- sup- 1
Wrting. which I am satisfied they would be after they were properly started in t h e -
"* avs and customs of tilling t h e soil. Duriug the past season I had the old ditch or
• Anal opened, cleaned for several miles, and water let m during its highest stage,
this only benefited those who reside in tho locality of the agency buildings. A very
• arge area of land in small patches was irrigated from it along the whole length of
the canal and for more t h a n a mile below tho agency buildiugs. From this small
• 5 9 *
