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2. CROW AGENCY

Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS,

Crow Agency, Mont., June 19, 1958.

Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,

United States Senate, Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR SENATOR MURRAY. Transmitted herewith find tabulations of land transactions and answers to your narrative questionnaire as requested in your letter of April 17, 1958. I am pleased with the opportunity of cooperating with your committee in supplying pertinent information.

We regret that our report was not transmitted within the required time. However, we felt that the original report did not contain the full information desired, and therefore, the report was revised and due to the revision our report has been delayed.

The tabular form has been completed and the questions answered by a combination of tabulation and narrative report. The tabulation and narrative reports are given on the attached form entitled "Answers to Questionnaire on the Disposition and Acquisition of Lands Located on the Crow Indian Reservation."

Sincerely yours,

CLYDE W. HOBBS, Superintendent.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE DISPOSITION AND ACQUISITION OF LANDS LOCATED ON THE CROW INDIAN RESERVATION

PART I

The records have been revised recently and are proving to be satisfactory in meeting our daily work demands. Records maintained are allotment file, allotment or estate record card, index and heirship card, land transaction plat, office lease, competent lease, and oil and gas lease plats, rights-of-way file index and file and so forth. The records listed have been adequate to meet the requirements of our work. The method of reporting is now being revised and will expedite report preparation and increase accuracy.

The detailed tabulations of land transactions by fiscal years are provided for the answers to questions 1 and 2, 3 through 10, and 11 and 12, part I. The tabulations are submitted in the order of the questions and the following is given as a guide:

Attachment No. 1: Answers to questions 1 and 2 containing acreage summary tabulation for fiscal years 1948 through 1957.

Attachment No. 2: Answers to questions 3 through 10 containing statistical tabulation on land transactions for fiscal years 1948 through 1957, pertaining to number and nature of transactions, and the acreages.

Attachment No. 3: Answers to questions 11 and 12 containing acreage summary tabulation from July 1, 1957, through December 31, 1957.

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ATTACHMENT No. 2-CROW

Individually owned land

[No. T. Number of transactions. Ac. Acreage]

DISPOSALS-REMOVAL FROM INDIAN BUREAU JURISDICTION BY PLACING OF UNRESTRICTED FEE-SIMPLE TITLE IN OWNERS

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1 54 tracts containing 30,895 acres were fee patented during fiscal years 1948 through 1951 as a result of special legislation.

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13. Section 2 of the Crow Act of June 4, 1920 (41 Stat. 751-753), has affected the sales and limiting the purchasers of land to persons within the acreage limitation as cited. Considerable work has been encountered in checking of all bidders to insure compliance of the act. The tribal council had taken a positive stand and requested the repeal of the section 2, under resolution No. 77; dated April 14, 1956. Later the council rescinded the resolution No. 77, and passed resolution No. 132, dated June 8, 1957, retaining section 2. A congressional hearing was held on the act and Congress now has pending legislation regarding the act.

Section 2, with its limitation has affected the sales by reason of limiting the purchasers to the nonviolators or persons within the acreage limitation. The question of receiving the full market value of the lands sold arises with the purchasers limited. Although the purchase prices on the land have been adequate and sometimes well above the appraisal. The question remains, would the land be sold at higher prices if the purchasers were not limited. The resolutions referred to are submitted.

14. (a) The Crow Tribe owns no undivided interest in lands. (b) Undivided interests owned by non-Indians has been a problem. By operation of law the non-Indian heir holds an unrestricted title to the land as of the date of inheritance. The regulations and laws concerning the issuance of title to the land by the use of form such as removal of restrictions, certificate of competency, etc., would not apply to a non-Indian and would be of no effect. The regulations and laws specifically pertain to Indians and so do not apply to non-Indians. Therefore the issuing of title to the lands has been a problem and varied systems being used are not entirely satisfactory.

(c) This reservation is not under the Reorganization Act.

(d) Difficulty encountered has been mostly the leasing of multiple heirship lands. The problem of securing the signatures of all the heirs has been very difficult and time consuming and are becoming more so and at times impossible; as a result prospective lessees have been very reluctant in leasing land with multiple heirship. Therefore, several tracts of land are now unleased and heirs will not realize any rental from the lands until an acceptable bid has been received as a result of advertisement. The nonresident heirs of a multiple heirship land have been the major problem. The lack of correct addresses and the failure to notify this office of a change in address have been the main factor in this problem. Leases forwarded have been lost or returned without signature and quite frequently the letter containing

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