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[[preprinted]] 106 [[/preprinted]]

[[underlined]] 5 [[/underlined]]

The Indians all live in the cañons, and it is a descent of half a mile or more perpendicular to reach them, & one must go most of the way on foot, the trails being too steep for the horses to manage a heavy load. The plats of this region and the field notes fail to give any picture of the reservation, for instance, on the north boundary of Sec. 3. T. 33 N. Range 3. East you descend suddenly over 2000 feet within one mile of horizontal measurement, yet no mention is made of it.  The retracing of lines is rendered difficult because of the inaccuracy of the marking on the stones set on the corners. They are seldom marked with the section — nor are they notched, and frequently the Surveyor has had to run back to some point he had already established, perhaps 10 miles away, before he could ascertain not only what section was intended, but the Township & and Range; "16" & "32" being all the stones would tell.

The Indians are likely to suffer heavily from the long continuous drought. Their cattle are thin & almost starved. White men are, some of them, taking their stock away to pastures even near the Canada line, and all are anticipating heavy loss. It is very hard for the Indian to lose his stock, because white men's stock have destroyed the grass, particularly as the Indians lose a large part of their increase each year by white men branding Ind. calves. Stock is still confiscated by white settlers, as the property of "hostiles" — i.e. Nez Perce who were in the Joseph War of 1877.!.

Respectfully
[[signature]] Alice C. Fletcher [[/signature]]
Special Ind. Agt.