208 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



Indian population, based on the limited contacts of 

 colonists, were notably incorrect. That of George 

 Croghan in 1759, the first recorded, was 10,500. 

 Nine years later, Colonel Bouquet of the British 

 army, estimated 54,960. In 1769, another army esti- 

 mate, by Captain Hughes, reduced the number to 

 35,830. In 1779, John Dodge reduced it to 11,050. 

 Ten years later the Secretary of War estimated 76,- 

 ooo, which Gilbert Inboy reduced to 60,000 ten years 

 thereafter. In 1820 estimates were suddenly jumped 

 to 471,036, but in 1825 the Secretary of War re- 

 duced them to 129,366. Four years later his suc- 

 cessor, raised them to 312,930. So far, the extremes 

 of fluctuation disclose entire unreliability. 



From 1834, however, as shown in the accom- 

 panying table, reports are inclusive and consistent, 

 warranting the belief that, before the coming of the 

 white man, Indian population was not very much 

 greater, if any, than to-day. A reasonable backing 

 might even be found for the contention that, con- 

 sidered as a race, Indians have profited rather than 

 lost by our forcible seizure of their empire. With- 

 out ultimate loss of population, they have attained 

 Christianity, civilization, and prosperity. 



Few as they were originally, they were very 

 widely scattered. Columbus met Indians on the isl- 

 lands and mainland of Florida in 1492. In 1542 

 Coronado encountered them in large numbers in the 

 Southwest; his famous exploration, which even 

 touched lands now in Nebraska, was in search of 



