i9o8 WORK IN A NATIONAL FOREST 245 



ent at once to a quarter-section of land range and has become a strong sup- 



— so that it can be alienated for a little port to the forest. 



whisky. A few short-sighted friends There was the more recent. case of 

 of the Indian want him to wait till "Bill Grant's wife's mother," an In- 

 he can get an allotment in some remote dian woman who claims a field that 

 future, or even run the risk of an im- she had cleared years ago and had 

 mediate patent because they think it surrounded by a brush fence. She 

 "mere justice." So the Indian is too lives with Bill, who has a quarter see- 

 often told, "You want s^me paper tion; but this little outside field is her 

 white man get." own. A white man came along, entered 

 Meanwhile, and until those in au- under Act of June 11 an adjacent quar- 

 thority settle the procedure, what do ter, and securing a permit to begin 

 the Indians in the forests get? They operations, calmly took possession of 

 have, I think, absolute protection here the Indian woman's field, plowed, 

 and now, in all their rights of what sowed grain there, and made prepara- 

 lawyers call "useage" as against any tions to build. An Indian rode up one 

 interloper. True, it depends on the night and told me all about it. 

 forest officer and the Service, but do "What she do?" 

 not white men's rights depend on The next morning I sent a ranger 

 white men's courts? A friend of mine there— a two day's trip— and the 

 is just now trying to dispossess a fel- white man was moved back to his own 

 low who jumped his patented claim land with a terse warning to be good, 

 in a town, in broad daylight, and is or somethmg worse would follow; 

 Hving there at the present time. The and Bill Grant's wife's mother is 

 Indians up here, believe me, are much again in possession. If she had a 

 better off patent, but no Forest Service at hand, 



^, ' ,, . ^. ^ how could she hire lawyers when a 



There was he case of_ Jim Roan ^^^.^^ ^^^ -^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^l^j^. 



He is a full-blood Indian of first _,, . , . ,_ ^ 



class standing and he wanted to build ^here is the case of Mrs. Emma, 



"one cabin on my land, where I live ^ho is a famous laundress, and knows 



long time ago". One trouble about -^ ^^^^ f . f ^^ody does when she is 



handling Indian cases is to get exactly ^'^^\'^ ^^f^ , ^^f '^''S^\ ',^" ^"^ 



,, T J- • ^ £ ' ^u the lines of the land she wanted and i 



the Indian point of view, ihey move ^ ,, , , . 1 , . jj%-^ 4.^ 



J jjiu^4.uuij told her she might put an addition to 



around a good deal ; but they hold j^^^ fence? plow and sow just as 



tenaciously to the belief that to every ^^^ ^^^ j ^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^^^ 



place where they once dwelt they have ^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^1^ 



some sort of a possessory right. ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^.^^ ^^^ 



The Roan case came up in old Land fencing of Sight Rock Range Station. 

 Office days. When I looked it up it j ^^^^j^ ^^jj ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^-^^ ^^ 

 was perfectly evident that Jim had ^^^^ j^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ homes of the 

 once had a cabin there; that it had j^dians in this .forest under Service 

 burned down; that he had always management. But is this really 

 called it his own little flat, m the oak enough? And. further, how shall In- 

 country over by Ahwahnee. But some (jj^ns who have no homes as yet ac- 

 white neighbors immediately objected q^ire them, unless by leases? Would 

 for all sorts of irrelevant reasons. The j^ not be well to have each Supervisor 

 real reason was that they had cattle, empowered to allot to Indian families 

 and the little flat was handy. But whatever lands they can use, on some 

 outside range was near and abun- carefully thought out lease system, and 

 dant, and even if it had not been, Jim's to have the Indian Commission take 

 claim was a better one in equity. So steps to show these Indians how best 

 he rebuilt his cabin, fenced his little to improve and utilize these small 

 garden, runs his few horses on the holdings? 



