Garfield County News | 1955-02-24 | Page 26 | Navajo Tribal Lands May Hold New Wealth

Navajo Tribal Lands May Hold New Wealth WINDOW ROCK. Ark. G. Warren Spauldlng, superintendent of the Navajo reservation Indian agercy, visualizes a .ime in the near future when natural resources on the tribal land will bring great wealth. "The surface hasn't er a been scratched," he says of the "vast potentialities here la uranium, gas and olL" "People are co ulng in with millions of dollars in backing, including big organization which are pulling their operations out of Utah." says Spauldlng. "At the rate these majors are coming In, we really are going to have something." Uranium development on Navajo land has so tar resulted In payment to the Navajos of more than $1,600,000. That particular phase of development of natural resources is In Its Infancy. Oil and gas leases have brought la a total of $18 million so far, some of the oil lease going for as much as $300,000. Spauldlng reveals that a total of 720.000 of the reservation's more than IS million acres are now under oil and gae leases, while only 33,000 acres are under mining permits and leases because of the limitation of 960 acres for any single operation.