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United States. Office of Indian Affairs / Annual report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, for the year 1905, Part I
([1905])
Reports concerning Indians in South Dakota, pp. 328-352
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Page 328
328 REPORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. the past year. The school has a fine farm, which has been allowed to remain idle for the two years last past. The farmer and his detail, assisted by one laborer, have succeeded in plowing 370 acres; 200 acres are in summer fallow. It will be sown in wheat and barley this fall. One hundred and seventy acres was planted in spring crop; 800 bushels of barley and 700 bushels of excellent wheat have been harvested and thrashed, and about 50 tons of hay. The mar- ket value of this grain and hay is $1,250. Thirteen acres of potatoes are yet to be dug, and an excellent garden, 6 acres in extent, will furnish an abundance of fresh vegetables for school use. Besides this work, the industrial force and detail have moved two sheds from the agency to the school site and rebuilt them. They have also done much plumbing, repaired the plastering, and calcimined all the rooms in the boys' and girls' buildings, wainscotted the boys' sitting room, partitioned off a dress- ing room, and also wainscotted the boys' parlor. I feel that the farmer, Mr. Christensen, and his detail are entitled to much praise for their excellent work. The boys and girls each have very neat, well-furnished parlors in their re- spective buildings, which they fully appreciate. Sanitary conditions.-The health of the school has been good. Diphtheria and scarlet fever were very prevalent in the agency during the year. The school was kept under rigid quarantine, and no cases appeared. However, an epidemic of mumps prevailed, and the school had to close earlier than planned on account of a threatened epidemic of measles. The medical service has been excellent and no deaths have occurred at the school during the entire year. Improveents.-A new commissary is absolutely needed. A superintendent's cottage should be built. A milk house arranged so the water from the spring would flow through it would be of great benefit to the school. New floors should be laid throughout the girls' building and the stairway rebuilt. An acetylene gas plant should be installed. Agency. The agency is in a very demoralized condition, owing to the irregu- lar methods in which business has been done for a long series of years. These methods are well known to you. I have not been able to do as much toward cleaning up this condition as I wished and had hoped, for reasons also weu known to you. The Indians have been under a very bad influence for years, and are, with few exceptions, headstrong, lazy, shiftless, and are hard drinkers. They dis- like Government regulations and are very adverse to discipline or control of any kind. This cQndition has chiefly, if not entirely, arisen from the demoralizing practice of outside leasing, wherein the profligate Indian could hold up his tenant for money at any time. However, I believe the Indians will soon accom- modate themselves to their changed conditions, and I notice with pleasure that more of them are farming small fields than in any previous year, and that a number of new houses are being built. JNo. J. McKoIN, Superintendent and Special Disbursing Agent. REPORTS CONCERNING INDIANS IN SOUTH DAKOTA. REPORT OF AGENT FOR CHEYENNE RIVER AGENCY. CHEYENNE AGENCY, S. DAK., August 29, 1905. This agency is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, in the extreme eastern part of the reservation, which is 20 miles from Gettysburg, S. Dak., the terminus of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, from whence all supplies are received and hauled by Indian freighters. Mail is received daily, except Sundays. The telegraph station' is Gettysburg, S. Dak., which is connected with the agency by telephone. There are two substations, one at Cherry Creek, 100 miles southwest of the agency, on the Cheyenne River, and one at Whitehorse, 40 miles from the agency, on the Moreau River. There are four day schools, namely: Day School No. 1, at Green Grass, 65 miles northwest of the agency, on the Moreau River; Day School No. 5, at On- the-Trees-Camp, 50 miles from the agency, on the Moreau River; Day School No. 7, at Whitehorse, 40 miles from the agency; and Day School No. 5, 90 miles from the agency, near Cherry Creek. Poputation.-The census of the Indians belonging and enrolled at this agency
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