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Document:
Proclamation regarding Nez Perce Reservation, 1895
Whereas, pursuant to section five, of the act of Congress approved February 8, 1887, (24 Stats., 388), entitled "An act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to the Indians on the various reservations, and to extend the protection of the laws of the United States and the Territories over the Indians, and for other purposes", certain articles of cession and agreement were made and concluded at the Nez Perce Agency, Idaho, on the first day of May, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, by and between the United States of America and the Nez Perce Indians, whereby said Indians, for the consideration therein mentioned, ceded and conveyed to the United States all their claim, right, title and interest to all the unallotted lands set apart as a home for their use and occupation by the second article of the treaty between said Indians and the United States, concluded June ninth, eighteen hundred and sixty-three (14 Stats., 647), and included in the following boundaries, to wit:
Commencing at the N.E. corner of Lake Wa-ha, and running thence, northerly, to a point on the north bank of the Clearwater river, three miles below the mouth of the Lapwai, thence down the north bank of the Clearwater to the mouth of the Hatwai creek; thence due north to a point seven miles distant; thence eastwardly, to a point on the north fork of the Clearwater, seven miles distant from its mouth; thence to a point on Oro Fino Creek, 5 miles above its mouth; thence to a point on the north fork of the south fork of the Clearwater, one mile above the bridge, on the road leading to Elk City, (so as to include all the Indian farms now within the forks;) thence in a straight line, westwardly to the place of beginning, saving and excepting the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections of each Congressional township, which shall be reserved for common-school purposes and be subject to the laws of Idaho, and excepting the tracts described in articles one and two of the agreement, viz:
The said Nez Perce Indians hereby cede, sell, relinquish, and convey to the United States all their claim, right, title, and interest in and to all the unallotted lands within the limits of said reservation, saving and excepting the following described tracts of lands, which are hereby retained by the said Indians, viz:
In township thirty-four, range four west: Northeast quarter, north half and southeast of northwest quarter, northeast quarter of southwest quarter, north half and east half of southwest quarter, and the southeast quarter of southeast quarter, section thirteen, four hundred and forty acres.
In township thirty-four, range three west: Sections ten, fifteen, thirty-six, one thousand nine hundred and twenty acres.
In township thirty-three, range three west: Section one; northwest quarter of northeast quarter, north half of northwest quarter section twelve, seven hundred and sixty acres.
In township thirty-five, range two west: South half of northeast quarter, northwest quarter, north half and southeast quarter of southwest quarter, southeast quarter section three; east half, east half of northwest quarter, southwest quarter section ten, section eleven; north half, north half of south half, section twenty-one; east half of northeast quarter, section twenty; sections twenty-two, twenty-seven, thirty-five, four thousand two hundred acres.
In township thirty-four, range two west: North half, southwest quarter, north half and southwest quarter and west half of southeast quarter of southeast quarter, section thirteen; section fourteen; north half section twenty-three, west half of east half and west half of northeast quarter, northwest quarter, north half of southwest quarter, west half of east half and northwest quarter and east half of southwest quarter of southeast quarter, section twenty-four; section twenty-nine, two thousand seven hundred acres.
In township thirty-three, range two west: West half and southeast quarter section six; section sixteen, twenty-two, twenty-seven; north half and north half of south half section thirty-four, two thousand eight hundred and eighty acres.
In township thirty-four, range one west: West half section two; sections three, four; north half and southwest quarter section eight; north half section nine; north half and north half of southwest quarter section eighteen; northwest quarter section seventeen, two thousand nine hundred and sixty acres.
In township thirty-seven, range one east: Section twenty; section twenty-one, less south half of south half of southwest quarter of southeast quarter (ten acres), one thousand two hundred and seventy acres.
In township thirty-six, range one east: South half of sections three, four; sections eleven, twelve, one thousand nine hundred and twenty acres.
In township thirty-six, range two east: Sections sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, twenty; all of section twenty-five west of boundary line of reservation; sections twenty-six, twenty-seven, four thousand two hundred and forty acres.
In township thirty-five, range two east: North half of sections sixteen, seventeen, section twenty-seven; north half of section thirty-four, one thousand six hundred acres.
In township thirty-four, range two east: East half and east half of west half of southeast quarter section twenty-four, one hundred acres.
In township thirty-four, range three east: South half of sections nineteen, twenty; north half; north half of south half; southwest quarter and north half of southeast quarter of southwest quarter; north half of south half of southeast quarter section twenty-three; north half; north half and north half of southwest quarter and southeast quarter of southwest quarter; southeast quarter section twenty-four; north half and southeast quarter of northeast quarter; north half of northwest quarter section twenty-five; south half of northeast quarter of northeast quarter section twenty-six; section twenty-nine; northeast quarter of northeast quarter and south half section thirty; northwest quarter and north half of southwest quarter section thirty-one; northeast quarter; north half and southeast quarter of northwest quarter section thirty-two; northwest quarter; north half of southwest quarter, section thirty-three, three thousand seven hundred acres.
In township thirty-three, range four east: South half of southeast quarter section eighteen; northeast quarter and fraction northeast of river in east half of northwest quarter section nineteen; fraction west of boundary line of reservation, in section twenty-two; west half and southeast quarter of section thirty-five, one thousand four hundred and forty acres.
In township thirty-two, range four east: Fraction in west half of northeast quarter of southwest quarter; fraction in northwest quarter of southeast quarter section one; section two; south half of section six; west half and southeast quarter of northeast quarter of section nine, one thousand four hundred and ten acres.
In township thirty-one, range four east: South half of northeast quarter; southeast quarter of northwest quarter; northeast quarter of southwest quarter; southeast quarter section seventeen; northwest quarter section twenty-one, four hundred and eighty acres. Total, thirty-two thousand and twenty acres.
ARTICLE II.
It is also stipulated and agreed that the place known as "the boom" on the Clearwater River, near the mouth of Lapwai Creek, shall be excepted from this cession and reserved for the common use of the tribe, with full right of access thereto, and that the tract of land adjoining said boom, now occupied by James Moses, shall be allotted to him in such manner as not to interfere with such right. Also that there shall be reserved from said cession the land described as follows: "Commencing at a point at the margin of Clearwater River, on the south side thereof, which is three hundred yards below where the middle thread of Lapwai Creek empties into said river; run thence up the margin of said Clearwater River at low-water mark, nine hundred yards to a point; run thence south two hundred and fifty yards to a point; thence southwesterly, in a line to the southeast corner of a stone building, partly finished as a church; thence west three hundred yards to a point; thence from said point northerly in a straight line to the point of beginning; and also the adjoining tract of land lying southerly of said tract, on the south end thereof; commencing at the said corner of said church, and at the point three hundred yards west thereof, and run a line from each of said points. One of said lines running on the east side and the other on the west of said Lapwai Creek; along the foothills of each side of said creek; up the same sufficiently far so that a line being drawn east and west to intersect the aforesaid lines shall embrace within its boundaries, together with the first above described tract of land, a sufficient quantity of land as to include and comprise six hundred and forty acres: and excepting the land embraced in the William Craig donation claim, in Township 35 North, range 3 west. (See case of Caldwell v. Robinson, Federal Reporter, Vol. 59, p. 653); and
Whereas it is further stipulated and agreed by article six of the agreement that any religious society or other organization now occupying under proper authority, for religious or educational work among the Indians, any of the lands ceded, shall have the right for two years from the date of the ratification of this agreement, within which to purchase the land so occupied, at the rate of three dollars per acre, the same to be conveyed to such society or organization by patent, in the usual form; and
Whereas, it is further agreed by article nine of the agreement that the lands by this agreement ceded, those retained, and those allotted to the said Nez Perce Indians shall be subject, for a period of twenty-five years, to all the laws of the United States prohibiting the introduction of intoxicants into the Indian country, and that the Nez Perce Indian allottees, whether under the care of an Indian agent or not, shall, for a like period, be subject to all the laws of the United States prohibiting the sale or other disposition of intoxicants to Indians; and
Whereas, it is provided in the act of Congress, accepting, ratifying, and confirming said agreement, approved August fifteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four (28 Stats., pp. 286 to 338), section 16:
That immediately after the issuance and receipt by the Indians of trust patents for the allotted lands, as provided for in said agreement, the lands so ceded, sold, relinquished, and conveyed to the United States shall be opened to settlement by proclamation of the President, and shall be subject to disposal only under the homestead, town-site, stone and timber, and mining laws of the United States, excepting the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections in each congressional township, which shall be reserved for common-school purposes and be subject to the laws of Idaho: Provided, That each settler on said lands shall, before making final proof and receiving a certificate of entry, pay to the United States for the lands so taken by him, in addition to the fees provided by law, the sum of three dollars and seventy-five cents per acre for agricultural lands, one-half of which shall be paid within three years from the date of original entry; and the sum of five dollars per acre for stone, timber, and mineral lands, subject to the regulations prescribed by existing laws; but the rights of honorably discharged Union soldiers and sailors, as defined and described in sections twenty-three hundred and four and twenty-three hundred and five of the Revised Statutes of the United States, shall not be abridged except as to the sum to be paid as aforesaid; and
Whereas all the terms, conditions, and considerations required by said agreement made with said tribe of Indians hereinbefore mentioned, and the laws relating thereto, precedent to opening said lands to settlement have been, as I hereby declare, provided for, paid and complied with:
Now, therefore, I, Grover Cleveland, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested by the statutes hereinbefore mentioned, and by said agreement, do hereby declare and make known that all of the unallotted and unreserved lands acquired from the Nez Perce Indians, by said agreement, will, at and after the hour of 12 o'clock, noon, (Pacific Standard time) on the 18th day of November 1895 and not before, be opened to settlement under the terms of and subject to all the conditions, limitations, reservations, and restrictions contained in said agreement, the statutes above specified and the laws of the United States applicable thereto.
The lands to be so opened to settlement are for greater convenience particularly described in the accompanying schedule, entitled "Schedule of Lands within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, Idaho, to be opened to settlement by Proclamation of the President", and which schedule is made a part hereof.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this 8th day of November in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twentieth.
GROVER CLEVELAND
By the President:
RICHARD OLNEY
Secretary of State.
29 Stat., 873.