Historical Context
Section 14, which included the warm springs at the center of Palm Springs, and other sections surrounding Palm Springs, were "owned" by the Indians, but held "in trust" by the Federal government; the Indians charged fees for bathing in the springs and picnicking in the canyon. In 1917, Congress passed the Allotment Act (39 Stat. 969, 976) which directed the Secretary of the Interior to divide and distribute the Indian land; Harry E. Wadsworth was appointed as the alloting agent. In 1927, the Secretary instructed Wadsworth to make a new schedule of allotments, which he did for the 24 members of the Band who made written applications. (In fact the allotments were not carried out; Band member Lee Arenas sued the Federal government to have the allotments made legal and won his case in the United States Supreme Court.) In December 1944, Secretary of the Interior Oscar Chapman, acting on the advice of Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier, disapproved the alloting schedule set up by Wadsworth 17 years earlier.
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