Story Ute Indians

Story of the UTE INDIANS

“People of the Shining Mountains”, “High Land” or “Land of the Sun”

Links: ~ Original Territory ~ Spanish Settlements ~ After the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 ~

Mexican-American War 1846 ~ Colorado Gold Rush 1859 ~ The Treaty of 1868 ~

Brunot Agreement of 1874 ~ Meeker Massacre 1879 ~ Ute Reservations in Southern Colorado ~

~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Original Territory

Their territory included most of the states of Colorado & Utah, the NE corner of Arizona and NW

New Mexico north of the San Juan River. There were seven bands. The Northern Utes included the

Grand River, Yamparicas and Unita. The Southern Utes inhabited the four corners area the Mouache, Capote,

Weeminuche, and Tabeguache. The Mouache territory was on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

from Denver to Las Vegas NM. The Capote territory was the southern portion of the San Luis Valley CO, and the

Chama Valley in NM. The Weeminuhe territory included the northern side of the San Juan River, and the river

valleys of it’s tributaries. The Tabeguache territory was along the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers valleys, the

Uncompahgre Plateau, and the northern part of the San Luis Valley, including present day Cochetopa and Poncha

Pass routes. The Utes were a nomadic people who planted corn/beans/squash along river valleys. The Utes are

the oldest residents of Colorado

~ Original Territory ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Spanish Settlements

The Ute Indians were the first American Indians to acquire the horse (1598). They became avid horsemen.

The Plains Indians were terrified of the Utes who lived in the mountains. The Utes were also the first to trade with

the Spanish who came to the four corners in 1598. The Utes and Navajos began unrelenting attacks against the Spanish

Settlements. In 1637 the Spanish took 800 Utes as slaves. Finally the first Peace Treaty was agreed upon between the

Spanish and Utes (1670).

~ Spanish Settlements ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

After the Pueblo Revolt 1680

The Pueblo Revolt took place (1680) and the Spanish left New Mexico. After only 12 years they returned

(reconquest 1692). By this time the Comanches (Southern Plains Indians) had come into NM, causing intertribal

conflicts. The Utes, Jicarilla Apaches, and Navajo again began to raid the Spanish Settlements. A Comanche-Ute

alliance (1730) collapsed and a war begins between the two tribes. In 1747 the Utes raid the Spanish Settlers at

Chama Valley (Ute Territory that was given as a Land Grant by Spain to the Spanish Settlers). The Utes constantly

harass the Navajos in New Mexico and the Navajo leave the area (1754). Spanish forays were unsuccessful against

the Utes and Comanches.

A “peace treaty” (1789) was made between the Utes and Spanish to combine forces to fight the Comanches

and Navajo. In the late 1840’s the Utes regularly attack the Spanish Settlers in the Taos Valley NM, along the

Conejos River (CO) and the area around present day Ojo Calente NM. Ft Uncompahgre on the Gunnison River was

destroyed by the Utes (1844). Neither the Ute people or their land was ever under the control of Spain (1598-1821)

or The Republic of Mexico (1821-1846).

~ After the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Mexican-American War 1846

At the end of the United States/Mexican War (1846) Ute domain becomes US territory. The “First Treaty of

Peace and Friendship” (The Calhoun Treaty or Treaty of Abiquiu) between the Utes and US Government occurred

at Abiquiu NM (1849). This treaty permitted the US Government to build military posts and Indian agencies on their land.

They obtained fire arms from the Mormons in Salt Lake City. Ft. Massachusetts was built in the San Luis Valley (1852)

to control the Utes, but was abandoned and replaced by Ft. Garland in 1858. The Utes attack and destroy Ft. Pueblo

(1854). In 1855 a treaty was signed to end the fighting between the Utes and US Government.

~ Mexican-American War 1846 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Colorado Gold Rush 1859

The Colorado Gold Rush (1859) brought hundreds of trespasser prospectors and unauthorized mining camps

to the Ute’s “San Juan Mountains”. The “land grab” of the coveted Ute Territory began. For the next 20 years

there is constant pressure on the Utes to relinquish their land, by the United States, the State of Colorado, and mining

and railroad interests. This was done by a series of negations and treaties that the US made and broke (“Broken

Promises” Treaties).

The next treaty, Tabeguache Treaty, took place at Conejos CO. The treaty ceded one-forth of Ute Territory,

the southern San Luis Valley and other areas in Colorado. It was signed by a leader of the Tabequache Ute. The leaders

of the Mouache and Capote Band (to whom the territory belonged) refused to sign.

~ Colorado Gold Rush 1859 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

The Treaty of 1868

The Treaty of 1868, was signed by a Ute delegation in Washington DC (1868). This time one third of their

remaining land base was ceded to the US. They lost their territory east of the Continental Divide but retained the

western slope of Colorado. The treaty guaranteed that the US Government would keep out all non-Indians and no

unauthorized person would be allowed to cross the 170^th parallel. However hundreds of trappers, hunters, and

prospectors squatted on the borders waiting for the Treaty to be signed so they could move in and take the land from

the Utes. The Utes demanded the government enforce previous treaties and objected to the people overrunning their land.

The US Government was preparing to use the military to expel the squatters from Ute land but the squatters demanded

that the Utes be driven out of the mine rich mountains instead. The Government solution was to again reduce the size of

the Ute Reservation.

~ The Treaty of 1868 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Brunot Agreement 1874

The final blow came when the US neogated the fraudulent Brunot Agreement with the Utes (1874). The

Utes agreement was to let mining take place in the San Juan Mountains, and the land base of 4 million acres was

to remain Ute Territory. But instead the United States took the land (San Juan Mining District) from the Utes.

This land is the present day counties of San Miguel, Ouray, San Juan, Montezuma, La Plata, Archuleta and Hinsdale.

Not being satisfied with the land, now they wanted the Ute people to be expelled from Colorado altogether. The new

policywas “the Utes must go”. Not only did the Colorado State Legislature petitioned Congress on many occasions to

remove the Ute People but in every session of the Colorado Congress a delegation introduced bills to remove the Utes

from Colorado.

~ Brunot Agreement of 1874 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Meeker Massacre 1879

Indian Agent Nathan Meeker (Christian Reformer) at the White River Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado

(Greeley) plowed up the Ute horse race track and he and ten others were killed. After the Meeker Massacre

(1879) the Northern Utes were moved toUtah and put on reservations.

~ Meeker Massacre 1879 ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~

Ute Reservations in Southern Colorado

Now the Southern Ute Tribe, the Weeminuche, Capote and Muache Bands were all that remained in

Colorado. They were placed on a temporary reservation in SW CO along the CO/NM Border, 15 miles wide and

110 miles long. Finally in 1895 the US gave the Southern Ute Tribe the reservation land. At his time the Southern

Ute Indians divided into two separate reservations. This was based on the option of allotments in severalty offered

by the US Government. The group that is now known as the Southern Ute Tribe agreed to the allotments and

settled on the eastern half of this original reservation. Their land became a checkerboard reservation when the

un-allotted land was sold to non-Indians. The other group now known as the Ute Mountain Ute opposed the

allotments. They chose to live in a more traditional way with tribal lands held in common, and settled on the western

half of the original reservation.

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s people are of the Weeminuche Band. Their first leader was Chief Ignacio.

Their seat of government is in Towac CO. The Southern Ute Tribe are of the Capote and Muache Bands. Their

first leaders were Buckskin Charlie and Severo.

The Ute Tribes began to depend on agriculture and ranching. Both tribes faced the same problem of illegal

grazing of thousands of head of cattle and sheep on reservation land of Spanish and Anglo stock. This forced the

game animals on which they depended to leave. The Utes lacked the water they needed to sustain themselves

because the federal government failed to uphold their water rights. Corruption of Indian Agents and their abuses

caused the Utes to seek recourse through the courts, Congress and the Department of The Interior (1925-1926

The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 emphasized tribal sovereignty and the restoring of Native cultures.

Both Ute Tribes established a new Tribal Government and adopted a Constitution. (Southern Ute 1936, and the

Ute Mountain Ute 1940

In the first two decades following the establishment of the reservations they had to deal with poverty,

inadequate housing, lack of water and disease. The total Ute population was about 8,000 in the early 1800’s and by

1873 it fell to 6,000 people. The lowest population numbers for the Southern Ute was 334 people in the 1920’s.

The Ute Mountain Ute population fell to 444 people in the 1930’s. This population drop was due to disease,

starvation and loss of hunting grounds

The Ute Mountain Ute settled on arid land. It was difficult to eke out a living in the desert. The lack of

water prevented them from developing both ranching and farming. Finally in 1987 they obtained water for agriculture

from the McPhee Reservoir, and in 1990 domestic water was piped to their reservation from Cortez CO. The Ute

Mountain Utes were isolated from the beginning and avoided contact with non-Indians. In order to bring income to

the reservation they began businesses to attract tourist trade, such as the Ute Mountain Pottery Corporation (1970),

the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park (1971) which contains Anasazi Ruins, and casino gambling (1992). Other successful

undertakings included the control over their oil and gas leasing and development, the Farm and Ranch Enterprise (1984)

and the Weeminuche Construction Authority (1985).

The Southern Ute Tribe’s checkerboard reservation brought it’s people in contact with non-Indians from the

start (1895). These people were the Spanish Settlers (Ute-Spanish interaction goes way back to 1598) and the Anglo

Settlers. These three groups were competing for natural resources, farm land, grazing land, forests and water. In

addition the D&RG Railroad laid its tracks across the Reservation bringing in more non-Indian people. Even though six

rivers crossed their reservation they had little access to that water for farming or ranching. Not until the Vallecito

Reservoir was constructed (1940’s) did they get some of the water they needed, but not enough for all their requirements.

The Colorado Ute Indian Right Settlement (1986) was an agreement to provide both Ute Reservations with municipal,

irrigation and industrial water needs. This was to be diverted from the Dolores River (McPhee Reservoir) and the “someday

to be constructed” Animas-La Plata water project. TheSouthern Ute Tribe has vast coal deposits that cannot be mined

until adequate industrial water becomes available. One Southern Ute venture was the Sky Ute Downs, an equestrian facility

a race track (1973). Another project was the Sky Ute Casino and Resort. It includes a Cultural Center and Convention

Center (1993). The Red Willow Production Company

Oil and natural gas was discovered (1940’s) on both reservations. With the resulting income from these resources

living conditions started to improve. In 1975 the Utes joined the Council of Energy Tribes (CERT). This after years of the

mishandling of their resources by the BIA and USGS. Finally in 1982 the Mineral Development Act allowed the Ute Tribes to

arbitrate the disposition of those resources for themselves.The Southern Ute Tribe was first in the nation to obtain

complete ownership of their oil and gas wells. They formed the Red Willow Production Co. Oil and Gas Production business.

~ Ute Reservations in Southern Colorado ~ Story of the Ute Indians ~