Eliza Roxcy Snow

“ The Fort Hall reservation is situated in Snake River val- ley, Oneida County, Idaho, and contains, it is said, 1,233,329 (one million two hundred and thirty-three thousand three hundred and twenty-nine) acres, with thousands of acres of as good farming lands as can be found in the west.
And with all this, everything about the agency wears a gloomy and forbidding aspect; very little land is cultivated, and that little very poorly and sluggishly. No marks of industry or enterprise are anywhere visible. ”

“ Cook's servant doles out to each his small pittance of meat and flour furnished by the government. So long as they draw this meagre supply, sufficient to keep them alive in a half starved state, with no stimulating influence to industry, they will not rise above their present condition.
Their buildings are mostly low huts, huddled together without regard to taste, order or convenience. Mr. Cook informed us the population of the reservation, including all ages, was but 1,500 (one thousand five hundred) , and con- stantly decreasing. ”

“ AVING remained in this locality as long as we thought proper, we moved in a westerly direction some eight miles and pitched our tent in the valley of the Ban- nock, still on the reservation, three or four miles from the western boundary and sixteen from the " Neely Settlement," situated about four miles below the American Falls. About one hundred and fifty Indians are settled in this valley, many of whom have been baptized. They cultivate a"bout one hun- dred acres of land. ”

“ His day school has numbered as high as fifty-five, with an average attendance of forty-seven. The Indian scholars are only taught the primary branches. Their great progress in penmanship is complimentary of well developed organs of imitation. ”

“ Cook for the privilege of holding meetings and preaching, but have been reftsed. He promised to write to Washington to inquire if the authorities there would give us the privilege. We were greatly surprised and disappointed in Mr. Cook in forbidding us to talk and preach to our Lamanite friends and brethren, but es he had seen proper to do so we should respect his orders, go home and wait till we hear from the head men at Washington. ”