THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES 483 



the white men who have gained a foothold whatever progress 

 has been made is due. The white or non-citizen population is 

 variously estimated at from 250,000 to 350,000, outnumbering 

 the citizens by at least four to one. 



There is a United States agent for the Five Civilized Tribes 

 located at the Union agency at Muscogee, in the Creek Nation. 

 All business of the Indians with the Department of the Interior 

 is conducted through this agent. He has under his control the 

 Indian police force, numbering some forty men. 



There are three United States judicial districts and four judges 

 who together constitute the U. S. court of appeals. The juris- 

 diction of these courts was at "first limited to civil cases, the 

 criminal business relating to non-citizens being tried in certain 

 U. S. courts in Arkansas and Texas, but the courts of these 

 States have at present no jurisdiction within the territory. A 

 United States statute prohibits the introduction into the terri- 

 tory of any kind of intoxicating liquor, but the law is continu- 

 ally being violated, and at least one-half of all the indictments 

 are against whiskey-peddlers for " introducing." 



There is a general impression that the Indian Territory is an 

 extensive prairie with very little timber within its limits. On 

 the contrary, the major portion of the country is rugged and 

 mountainous, covered with forests, which are principally oak. 

 There are also some large forests of yellow pine, mainly in the 

 southeastern section of the Choctaw Nation. In the same na- 

 tion there is much black walnut timber, some of which is being- 

 shipped out of the territory. From Talihina, on the line of the 

 " Frisco " road, in the Choctaw Nation, cedar is being shipped 

 abroad for the manufacture of lead-pencils. In many localities 

 sawmills are engaged in cutting pine. 



Along the valleys of the Arkansas, North Fork, Canadian, 

 Grand, and Verdigris rivers the soil is extremely rich and fer- 

 tile, producing good crops of cotton, oats, wheat, etc. Else- 

 where the soil is diversified, ranging from good, rich prairie land 

 to stony hillsides, and a large proportion is practically worthless 

 for agricultural purposes. On the rolling prairies in the Chero- 

 kee, Chickasaw, and small portions of the Choctaw nations a 

 large quantity of wild hay is annually cut for the purpose of 

 winter feeding to the cattle which range over these prairies. 

 Great herds of cattle are brought from Texas to fatten before 

 final shipment to market, and immense pastures are fenced in 

 for their use. Some stock, including horses, mules, sheep, and 



