1904 Devils Lake Land District Certificate For An Applicant To Make Homestead Entry From The Ceded Lands Of The Sisseton, Wahpeton, And Cut-Head Band Of The Sioux Tribe Of Indians Within The Devils Lake, North Dakota, Land District

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Publication: Devils Lake Land District Certificate, 1904, Grand Forks

8" x 10 1/2" thick vanilla sheet, printed on one side only and filled in by manuscript. Certificate issued August 15, 1904, certifying that a Mr. Andreason was a qualified and registered, "applicant to make homestead entry from the ceded lands of the Sisseton, Wahpeton, and Cut-Head bands of the Sioux tribe of Indians within the Devils Lake, North Dakota, land district…" The certificate, which had to be presented along with an application for entry, was required before the bearer could "enter upon and examine the unallotted and unreserved portion of said ceded lands, for the sole purpose of aiding him in making selection and entry of said lands, but not for the purpose of effecting a settlement thereon prior to entry." The U.S. Government's policy of allowing non-Indian settlement of land not allotted to a tribal member within the boundary of the tribe's ceded land or reservation has been, and continues to be, a source of discontent among American Indian tribes and bands. The policy is one of those "broken treaty" promises. Land was ceded to tribes and then after tribal members were given allotments, the unallotted land was "taken away" from the tribe by opening it up to non-Indian settlement. The Devils Lake Land District was created in 1904 to encourage settlement in the portion of North Dakota around Grand Forks, the office of the district. The act was successful and many homesteads were taken out in the region, particularly along the Great Northern railroad line. The Devils Lake Land District office at Grand Forks was closed in 1913. Two horizontal fold creases else very good.

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