Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation - Grazing Licenses, 1882 To 1885

Grazing Licenses, 1882 To 1885

During the early 1880s the vast majority of the reservation was licensed for grazing to large cattle outfits in 8 large parcels at the rate of 2 cents per acre, about a third of the fair market price. They were not leases as an actual lease of reservation land was forbidden by law. Miles, the Indian agent, called a council of chiefs and cattlemen on December 12, 1882 to consider grazing permits, and believed he had obtained the consent of the vast majority of the representatives of the tribes. There was however, strong opposition, particularly among the Cheyenne camped at Cantonment who responded with both killing of cattle for food and cultural resistance by the soldier societies which began requiring participation in medicine ceremonies and punishing Cheyenne who farmed or sent their children to school. Miles resigned on March 31, 1884. Miles replacement, D. B. Dyer, neither respected the Cheyenne nor got on well with them. His approach to disorder was to request troops, which were not provided. Escalating conflict continued between Indians and the cattlemen and in July, 1885, by the presidential order of Grover Cleveland, the cattlemen were ordered off the reservation, the reservation placed under military control, and Dyer was replaced by an army officer, Captain Jesse M. Lee.