[•Itl .C92U61 'bV v-o^ ^oV" .4 o^ ^^•^.^ ■ip .^^^^ <. ^ « o '* y '^o^ " ^;^fe '^-o^'^ :>§^^ 'Vo^ "" ^:M^ '^^- <^' < o A o. ,0 r 48th Congress, ) SENATE. i Ex. Doc. 2d Session. / « ) No. 80. L E T T E R THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, TUANSMrrriNG Papers additional to those transmitted Becemher 30, 1884, re lative to lea s- ing lands on the Grow Indian Reservation, in Montana. Fkbkuauy 19, 1885. — Referred to the Committee on Iiuliiui Allairs and ordered to bo printed. Department of the Interior, Washington, February 17, 1885. Sir : Keferring to the report made by me ou December 30, 1884, in reply to Senate resohitiou of December 17, 1884, regardiug the leasing of hind ou the Crow Eeservation, in Montana Territory, printed in Senate Ex, Doc. No. 22, Forty-eighth Congress, second session, I now have the honor to submit the following papers on that subject which have come to hand since that report was made, viz : Exhibit 1 : Department letter of December 22, 1884, to Agent Arm- strong, calling for report on complaints that he is holding a flock of sheep on the Crow Reservation. Exhibit 2: Copy of Agent Armstrong's reply, dated December 30, 1884. Exhibit 3 : Copy of Department instructions of December 23, 1884, to Henry Ward, United States Indian Inspector, to examine and report as to the proposed lease of land by the Crow Indians for grazing pur poses. Exhibit 4: Copy of Department instructions by telegraph to Inspector S. S. Benedict, to join Inspector Ward in making the examination and report on Crow lease. Exhibit 5: Copy of instructions of same date to Inspector Ward. Exhibit 6 : Copy of rei)ort and accompanying papers made by In- spectors Wardaud Benedict, dated February 9, 1885, as to the making of the lease by the Crow Indians, the character of the laud proposed to be leased, and as to the compensation provided therefor in said pro- posed lease. Exhibit 7 : Copy of letter of February 13, 1885, to this Department from Wilson & Blake, trustees, by J. C. Wilson, attorney in fact, otter- ing to increase rental for the territory covered by the proposed lease to $40,000 for the first year and to $50,000 for eax;h year of the lease there- after. Very respectfully, H. M. TELLER, Secretary. The President pro tempore of the Senate. 2 LEASING LANDS ON CROW INDIAN RESERVATION, MONTANA. EXHIIJIT No. 1. Department of the Interior, December 22, 1884. It is reported here that you have a sheep ranch with a herd of 4,000 sheep on the Crow Reservation, and that the iarmer, Mr. Caniplieli, has a lierd of cattle on the res- ervation. I shall he pleased to hear from yon with reference to this matter. Very respectfully, -— ^^^om;/^ Y-M-^nqfj H. M. TELLER, Secretai'if. Henry J. Armstrong, United States Indian Agent, Crow Reservation, Montana. Exhibit No. 2. United States Indian Service, Croio Agency, Montana, December 30, 1884. Sir: I have the honor to state in reply to your communication dated December 22, that I am not now and never have been interested in sheep, either a large or small band, on this reservation or oft' it. I have never oAvned, or been interested in any way in sheep to the extent of one head in my life. I have no friends or acquaint- ances who have sheep on ihis reservation or in the vicinity. Mr. Kagy, who was for- merly herder at this ajjency and discharged, drove a large band of sheep — reported to have been 4,000 — across the reservation last fall, without my knowledge or consent, howtver. As soon as I heard of it I suspected he (Kagy) might attempt to hold the sheep on the reservation, and wrote to Dr. H. A. Knssell, our physician, who was act- ing agent at the old agency, about the matter. I am informed by Dr. Russell that the sheep are not on the reservation at all but south of it. 1 immediately instructed Dr. Russell to collect toll from Mr. Kagy, as has been customary, but he has not re- ported on the matter. In regard to the cattle which Campbell is reported to have on this reservation, Campbell purchased a small lot — about twenty — from Joe Hill, a white man, married to a Crow Indian woman, and who resides upon the reservatiou, be (Hill) being com- pelled to sell because he was in distress on account of a lingering sickness. I ordered Campbell to remove the cattle, but he could not do so uutil we had our spring round- up, it being then mid-winter, just a year ago. But before we had our spring round- up I brought Campbell down here to the new location, so that he was not on the ronnd-u]j and could not remove his cattle. I again ordered Campbell to remove his cattle when we had a round-np late in tlie snumier, and am iulbrmed that he did so. Knot, I am deceived, and his cattle are there without my knowledge or conseut. As soon as Campbell rt turns to this agency, which will be in three days, I will require him to make affidavit that the cattle have been removed. Very respectfully, Hon. H. M. Teller, Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D. C. H. J. ARMSTRONG, Agent. Exhibit No. 3. Department of the Interior, December 23, 1884. Sir : A paper has been submitted to this Department purporting to be a lease made October 29, 18H4, by and between the Crow tribe of Indians of the Crow Reserva- tion in Montana, of the tirst part, and J. C. Wilson, of Topeka, Kausas, and John T. Blake, of Saiida, Colorado, trustees, their heirs, &c., of the second part, for the lease by said tribes of Indians to said parties of the second part, of "all that part or portion of said Crow Reservation lying west of a line beginning at Pompey's Pillar, on the Yel- lowstone River, on the northern boundary of said reservation, running in a southerly direction to a point 10 miles west of Fort C. F. Smith; tbeuce south to the southern boundary of said reservation on the line separating the same from the Territory of Wyoming, excepting such portions of said described Territory, or what is knowu as the Yellowstoue Bottom, which have been surveyed by the United States Government ior the purpose of setting apart in severalty to the members of said Crow tribe of In- dians for agricultural purposes,'' LEASING LANDS ON CROW INDIAN RESERVATION, MONTANA. 3 The leased portiou of the reservation is described as containing about 1,500,000 acres of grazing land, balance rocky, monntainous, and not adapted to agricultural or grazing purposes. The lease contains privileges for fencing the leased land, or any portion of it, erect- ing necessary ranches, bniUlings, corrals, - --^^ >.OvV ^^- ^ K / OOBBS BROS. „ i^ . P) ^ * ^^:^W/'^y* , ^o V^' ^^■^^, -•" ST. AUGUSTINE 'd LIBRARY OF CONGRESS III I 010 742 875 6