Past News Items

To help the Colorado River Indian tribes of western Arizona in a fight against juvenile delinquency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is proposing to give the Indians a 10 percent discount in power rates for lighting a tribal recreation area, Acting Commissioner w. Barton Greenwood announced today,

Restoration of mineral rights in 480 acres on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming to the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes of that reservation was announced today by Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton.

The lands involved in the restoration were originally among the unallotted and unreserved lands of the Wind River Reservation and were homesteaded by non-Indians during the 1930's. Mineral rights, however, were reserved to the United States.

Three changes in the Federal regulations governing the leasing of Indian lands for development of minerals other than oil and gas were announced today by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons.

One change, involving the acreage of Indian land which may be leased to any one operator in a single State for development of uranium and associated minerals, removes the previous limitation of 960 acres and permits leasing for such purposes without acreage limitation.

Appointment of Herman E. O'Harra as superintendent of the Hopi Indian Agency, Keams Canyon, Ariz., was announced today by Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs W. Barton Greenwood.

It is real pleasure to be back in Oklahoma and meeting once again with so many of the State's fine Indian people and with delegates to the NCAI annual convention. All of us, it seems to me, owe a hearty debt of thanks to our good friend and host, Bill Keeler, for making this gathering possible and bringing us together in such excellent surroundings.

Reflecting the increasing Indian Bureau emphasis on encouraging the growth of industry around Indian reservations, Acting Secretary of the Interior Hatfield Chilson today announced the appointment of Noel Sargent, a longtime principal staff member of the National Association of Manufacturers, as consultant on the Bureau’s industrial development program and creation of a new branch of industrial development in the Bureau’s Washington office.

Two Indian Bureau personnel changes involving positions in North Dakota were announced today by the Department of the Interior.

Harold W. Schunk, superintendent of the Turtle Mountain Agency at Belcourt, N. Dak. for the past three years, was transferred June 30 to the comparable position at Standing Rock Agency, Fort Yates, N. Dak. He succeeds Joseph W. Wellington whose transfer to the superintendency of the Wahpeton School, Wahpeton, N. Dak., was previously announced.

The Department of the Interior announced today award by the Bureau of Indian Affairs of a $256,932 contract for permanent dormitory facilities at Holbrook, Arizona.

The contract was awarded to Bryant Whiting of Springerville, Arizona. Eight higher bids, ranging from $277,777 to $309,941, were received.

The Holbrook project is a part of the Bureau's long-range educational program. One of the objectives of this program is to arrange for the transfer of Indian children from Federal to public schools as rapidly as feasible.

Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton today urged enactment of four Congressional bills which would in combination bring an end to Federal trusteeship over the property and affairs of 38 small Indian reservations or “rancherias” in California in line with recommendations made by the Indian owners.

Haumont Contracting Company of Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded a contract covering construction of about 11 1/2 miles of road on the Navajo Indian Reservation running easterly from Tuba City, Arizona, toward Keams Canyon and Window Rock, the Department of the Interior announced today.

Haumont's bid of $267,721.04 was the lowest of eleven received. The others ranged from $276,725.73 to $419,467.05.