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Cherokee Strip Lands
OWNERSHIP.
Cherokee Strip Lands.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 5, 1876. By the following letter from Hon. W. R. Brown, it will be seen that the Cherokee Strip Lands are to be brought into market to actual settlers, at the same price and under the same ruling as before.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D. C., June 27, 1876.
C. M. Scott: We have today passed through the House the Cherokee Strip bill. I will see Senator Ingalls today, and request him to attend to it in the Senate. I shall urge his attention, and as he is on the Indian Committee, he can put it through. W. R. BROWN.
Cherokee Strip Land Bill.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 26, 1876. WASHINGTON, July 18th.
Editor Traveler: I this day called on Representative Wm. Brown, at the capitol, for the purpose of having the Cherokee Land Bill pushed through the Senate.
I found Mr. Brown very much interested in the matter, and in company with him called on Senators Ingalls and Harvey, who both promised to do what they could. Mr. Ingalls stated that everything was in an uproar with the Committees, and but little could be done, yet before leaving he expressed himself favorable to the bill and said he would do all he could. He assured me that the settlers could go on with their improvements without the least fear of the land being sold to any corporation or private company. The bill has already passed the House of Congress and was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Lands. If the latter report favorably, the bill will pass the Senate without trouble, as the Indian delegation is decidedly in favor of it.
The manner in which Judge Brown has worked for the bill is commendable. The Kansas representatives I called on treated me cordially and pleasantly. I send a copy of the bill.
AN ACT
To provide for the sale of certain lands in Kansas.
WHEREAS, Certain lands in the State of Kansas, known as the Cherokee Strip, being a strip of land on the southern boundary of Kansas, some two or three miles wide, detached from the lands patented to the Cherokee Nation by the act known as the Kansas-Nebraska bill, in defining the boundaries thereof, said lands still being, so far as unsold, the property of the Cherokee Nation; and
WHEREAS, An act was passed by the Forty-second Congress, which became a law on its acceptance by the Cherokee national authorities, and which fixed the price of the lands east of Arkansas River at two dollars per acre, and west of said river at one dollar and fifty cents per acre; and
WHEREAS, Portions of the same have been sold under said law, and portions remain unsold, the price being too high: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the Secretary shall offer for sale to settlers all of said tracts remaining unsold at the passage of this act, at the local land offices in the districts in which it is situated, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre; and all of said lands remaining unsold after one year from the date at which they are so offered for sale at the local land offices shall be sold by the Secretary of the Interior for cash, in quantities or tracts not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, at not less than one dollar per acre.
SEC. 2. That the proceeds of said lands shall be paid into the Treasury of the United States, and placed to the credit of the Cherokee Nation, and shall be paid to the treasurer of the Cherokee Nation, on the order of the legislative council of the Cherokee Nation, or a delegation thereof duly authorized.
SEC. 3. That this act shall take effect and be in force from the date of its acceptance by the legislature of the Cherokee Nation, or of a delegation thereof duly authorized, who shall file certificate of such acceptance.
Passed the House of Representatives June 27, 1876.
Attest: GEO. M. ADAMS, Clerk.
Bill To Re-Open Cherokee Strip Lands Now Before the Senate.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 9, 1876. The bill relative to re-opening the Cherokee Lands to actual settlers is now before the Senate, with but very little prospect of being passed during this session of Congress, as two of the members of the committee to whom it was referred are sick and a third one is absent, and there are 2,000 bills before the House to be acted on. The difficulty of getting the committee together and the large amount of business still before Congress to be attended to before its adjournment will probably prevent its passage.
Bill Extending Time of Sale of Cherokee Strip Lands Passed Congress.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 23, 1876. We have the satisfaction to announce to our readers that the bill before Congress for the extension of time, and sale of the Cherokee Strip Lands, has passed the House and Senate and will be a law as soon as signed by the President.
The land will be offered for sale under the same ruling as heretofore, except that it is to be $1.25 per acre instead of $1.50, requiring six months’ settlement, permanent improve-ments, and the intention of making it a home. By this act, thousands of acres of the best land in Kansas is brought into market, that in a few years will be developed into fine farms and pastures. Already hundreds of families have located thereon, yet there is room for thousands more. That portion lying east of the Arkansas River is almost entirely unsettled, and affords excellent opportunities for fruit, stock, and grain farms. A few weeks ago it seemed as though the bill could not be made a law, but the untiring efforts of Hon. W. R. Brown and Senators Ingalls and Harvey soon accomplished the desired result. The people of the border, and Cowley and Sumner will ever feel grateful to the parties who brought about this long cherished end.
Report from C. M. Scott on Visit to Washington, D. C.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 30, 1876.
Our main object in visiting Washington was to see Congress in session and present the petition of the settlers asking that the Cherokee Strip Lands be brought into market again. The latter we did, and had the satisfaction of knowing our efforts were not altogether useless before we left, and before arriving home, we were made aware that the bill had passed.
The Cherokee Strip.
Winfield Courier, August 31, 1876.
Much inquiry is made about the Cherokee land that is in market for actual settlers under a recent act of Congress, and there seems to be a very general misunderstanding about it.
The land referred to is a strip of land about three miles wide, in this State, adjoining the south line thereof, and extending from the southwest corner to nearly or quite the west line of the State. In 1871 or 1872 it was opened for settlement; until 1875 it so remained, during which time nearly all the valuable land was occupied by actual settlers, Most of them proved up, some did not. The land was then offered for sale to bidders. In this way some of it was sold. Now it is again open to settlement. There is not much valuable land on the strip east of the west line of Sumner County.
Cherokee Nation Has No Title To Cherokee Strip.
Cowley County Courant, May 11, 1882.
The Cherokee Indians never had a fee simple title, nor in fact, any title to what is known as the Cherokee Strip.
They traded their lands on the Atlantic for lands in what is now the eastern portion of the Indian Territory, and in addition received for the purpose of a hunting “outlet” a strip running westerly from their lands as far as the United States territorial possession then extended. This was about 1828. Subsequent treaties confirmed and reiterated this “outlet” grant without conveying title. In 1866 the Cherokee resigned this “outlet” to the government, which now holds it free from claim or title by anybody.
Bill Introduced to Throw Open Cherokee Strip.
Winfield Newspaper Union, Saturday, January 17, 1891. WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.
In the house today Mr. Mansur, of Missouri, introduced for reference a bill to throw open the Cherokee strip. Mr. Mansur said, in explanation of the bill, that the Cherokee commission were hopeless of coming to an agreement with the Cherokees; therefore this measure was introduced. It had the practical endorsement and sanction of the administration. The bill was framed on the proposition contained in the act creating the commission, which was authorized to offer $1.25 per acre for the land. The bill recites the law by which the government has a right to take the land and pay the Indians 47.9 cents an acre, but it waives the right, and agrees to pay $1.25. Of the amount paid $5,000,000 is to remain in trust, drawing interest at 6 percent, and $2,700,000 is to be distributed among the Cherokees entitled thereto under treaty stipulations. This would give the Indians $108 per capita.
Miscellaneous Item...
[CHEROKEE STRIP: JURISDICTION.]
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, November 27, 1886. From Wednesday’s Daily.
Col. H. T. Sumner went to Topeka this afternoon to attend some cases the firm of Sumner & Miller have in the supreme court now in session there. One is the Soule murder case. In the trial of Ollie Soule at Wichita before Judge Foster recently, the question was raised concerning the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Strip, as that is the place where the defendant shot Handy. Judge Foster referred the case to the higher court. Judge Sumner will argue the question before Judges Miller, Brewer, and Foster Friday. This point has never been raised before and we look for the decision with interest.
