Viewing page 73 of 485

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[preprint]] 69 [[/preprint]]

2

Will you permit me to make a suggestion, which I believe would benefit this people. It is, that your Branch should become possessed of the Milit. shops and school house at this place. If I remember correctly these buildings were erected from tribal money derived from the relinquishment of land at the Treaty of 1863. The mill machinery has been renewed recently, and this may have been done by Government Funds. If so, the cost of this machinery has been the principal outlay here of other than tribal money. These people need a graded day school here.  A primary and higher department, and industrial training which the shops could afford in the way of apprentices. I think you could find Indians here who could run the shops on a business basis, and boys could learn practically in the shops.  There should be a practical miller here for a year, one who could teach a few Indians how to run the machinery, and has what would put the mill on a paying basis.  Indians who had been taught the care of machinery, could learn how to take the mill in hand and run it in a business way. The Indians now go 50 and 60 miles to mill.  I do not think a business of a large extent could be made here, but it would do much good to the community - and I think an Indian in connection with his stock raising could make a fair living. The people need the lumber mill to get out lumber to