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Show Ppening of the Flathead Reservation ,rv stale of tho Union, .Cl . and west, M.c call l' , i,n. west lias boon ""'nneninc oC the great hC Station in norl.h-d.l8n. norl.h-d.l8n. Lost foil the rogis-oBtii rogis-oBtii f n3 toolc dor : Uio l.i"l office ft & Snips in, fHapc lor 5000 line homesteads : f,riil i country: and the y C Mmmt ot the 1 to commence. 'the ensicni c,l;,es :m. ?K- hind winners Imvo nl-lC nl-lC i,n to co to tbe far , FSrt hel? shares of the ' fSnic export , o co singly. X and still others in 'iSinanolis, J ml a uJ ers was held recently J the Indianans were cspe-Brto cspe-Brto in the drawings. But So preceded by a dor.cn S,o have already gone to lh tho avowed intention ot r Chicago on the shores Flathead Jake EXm has thoro been a counlrv o iKfStv and promise opened W Pnt as that which ihe gov-nwt gov-nwt riflM" ft piathead lands iff Tfros lie in the fertile lB5 tho reservation, watered , Hip rear by streamlets ns-lt ns-lt Sfrf Tmonntains that cast Be,S5owB over field, stream where since time imme-tfln'dShas imme-tfln'dShas roamed at will. too, the last ot the great 5 buffalo ran wild, gazing on & prairie grasses of the wide, Re! There aro miles and miles laced lands n tbS fathead Hon and a half acres of 'rtain ns snr that could have 'mi by the Pilgrims when they bn tho Now England coast, fudlans have inhabited this land ibv. many years, but their oc-ia'has'raeanl oc-ia'has'raeanl nothing to its de-ani, de-ani, and only about the Indian 3t rlce, and the villages of itius, Bonan. Poison and Ra-vc Ra-vc a few of the more indus-enduvored indus-enduvored to till the soil to iint. For the greater part, tho olrotry remains untouched, and ire acres and acres that whito never sot foot upon. lu fact, fjot so Tory many years ago, .& r goes, that tho first, -whites tat i; ennn to become the 2Kof hundreds of luck- land fK; knows, and none will ever "Klen'thc first of the Flathends Hthu land that is now a part of Kirii)p reservation; legends arc R and the hunting songs speak K.that have passed, but mention jBtt ty which time may be- com-jEBut com-jEBut (hoy all point to a very FGMopation of tho country bo-iKliM bo-iKliM main range of the Rockies dBe Mgh peaks of the Cascades, Hjii Quite certain that Lewis and Hnea 'were the first whiles seen :1B tribe. This party, sent out by tBb. passed through the Flathead Hr.ia ,1804, and nine years later Hbghih palefaces established a iHpe mouth of the "Flathead river. Btai the rednien of the moun-jjBtre moun-jjBtre mingled with the white in-j'kt in-j'kt it is tho boast of the Fla t- head tribe that none of its members sevei; killed a white brother. The Matheads have never been warlike war-like or very numerous, but. their influence influ-ence has always becu felt; and while other tribes boast of their deeds of blood, and while other reservations of the west are saddened by the government govern-ment battleground burying nelds, tho Flathcads Etand higher than all others in their desire for things better and more worth while. And if ever a history his-tory of the Catholic church of tho west is compiled, it must give woll deserved mention to the men of e.opncr hue, who zcnlouslv sought instruction in worship instead of warfare. Soon after tho coming of the first white explorers, the Iroquois of tho eastern Canadas drifted westward, bringing with them fragments of the Bomnn Catholic religion. Among the tribes with which they became friendly were the Flathcads, " and when 'these peace-loving Indians of the far northwest north-west heard of the strange ceremonial worship of the Iroquois, increlv the rudiments of which were mingled with Iroquois customs, thev at once desired more knowledge of tho religion of the "Black Gowns," ns tbe Indians always al-ways called tbe priests. But at best the Iroquois could teach only their own children a few simple ceremonies, so the Flathcads decided to send to the then far eastern slates, where the "Black Gowns" lived, with the hope search lor religion. Twice delegations of tho Flathcads started on the long iounicy from tho western Bide of the liockios lo old Sc. Unns, but, hostile war parties aro sup-posed sup-posed to have massacred these messen- ! : I original owner of the soil from his old-timo hunting ground. .Tho life of tho Flathead tribe in virtually at an end. True, these rod nion recently elected a. now chieftain to succeed old Chief Charlotl, whose last years wero sad ones on account of gers. Finally, in 1SI57. Iwo Tudian youths paddled down tho Missouri and-the and-the Mississippi to St. Louis, and the following spring father Do Smet ol St. Louis accompanied the Indians to Iheir far northern homes and founded the first churches of tho country now being opened lo the American farmer. Later other priests went to assist. Father Fath-er Do Smet, hundreds of Indians were baptized aud additional missions were founded. Some of the first missions, as well as some of tbe first of the western forts, have been destroyed, but the old mission of St. Ignatius, founded in 1351, is still tho religious center of tho reservation. And the new settler: from the eastern and western stales will find a remarkable community here in the Indian wilds, Miles from n railroad, or nnyrhinir even hiuling at a center of civilization, and ;tl the foot of the high Mission mountains, nestles the little chapel, whose prayer stools are utilized by a motley lot' ol worshipers, Indians, half-breeds, quarter-breeds, and now and then a fow whites The communicants are chicilv full-blood Flathcads, some of whom ride horseback for miles through the mountains moun-tains everv Sundav morning. And with the church nre the schools of'Sl. .Ignatius. .Ig-natius. The priests and brothers hav cbargo of tho boys" school, where Indian In-dian arid white lad? are trained and taught. Two schools are maintained, for the girls. The Little Sisters of the Poor maintain a school where 150 little Indians are educated, while theUrsa-lino theUrsa-lino nuns conduct a school and academy for white uirls, who arc nont to I hem from all parts of the northwest. The government attested the merit, of these lnsmutions bv granting the priesis and nuns 1200 acres of choice land near their institutions, before (.lie general allotment of lands was made. For years only the Catholics havo worked nmong tlieso Indians, but last October Octo-ber the corner stone for a Methodist church was laid at Poison. If was many years after America was discovered Hint tho I'latheads first learned of Tho whites, but the years since Lewis and Clark broke through tho wilderness have been momentous ones for all Ihe western tribus. One by one they have been forcd to give up their time-honored land.s, and tho opening of (.he Flathead leaves only n fow more largo reservations in "the hands of (ho red men. The Black Feel, Sioux, Pyramid Indians and a few other tribes yet hold their lands intact, in-tact, but even with thorn it is but n question of time. A littlo over half a oentury ago the Flat-heads Avcrc as wild and free as the mountain, lions of the far west. Then, in 3855, Gon-oral Gon-oral Isaac Stevens made a trenty with the tribe, limiting its domain. Subsequent Subse-quent treaties moro and more curtailed the freedom of tho Flu (heads, and a few years ago the government decided that thin land must bo thrown open to settlement, Tho Indians wero onch given eighty acros of choice land, then the registrations aud land drawings look place, and last October hundreds all over the couuIjv were made clad bv the news that they had won Flathead Flat-head lands. And early in Mny 3f)10, tho whito settlors will rocoivc their 1G0-aero 1G0-aero allotments and take up tho task of opening this virgin country. The lucky Chicagoans who expect to build n Now Chicago on tho shoros of Flathead Flat-head lake will find themselves fihoul-der fihoul-der to shoulder with Tloosiers, .Kansans and Californians. nil crowding tho the opening of (he groat reservation; but the power of the Indian ruler is small, and each year henceforth will witness a loss ot tribal customs and Indian rites. Last July the Flathcads gathered for their last great pow-wow and dance, and with Iho breaking up of the freedom of the reservation, no moro possible when the white men eomo (o till tho soil, Poor Lp must (ako up his SO-acre farm and make the best of it, learning to bear his part of tho white man's burden. |