AGREEMENT AT FORT BERTHOLD 1866 When other settlers flocked to the West, the government, under pressure from railways and settlers for more land, approached the tribes to surrender other lands. On July 27, 1866, the Arickaras (Sahnish) signed an agreement granting such priority rights to the territories east of Missouri in exchange for a pension of $10,000 for the next twenty years. When the treaty was submitted for ratification, Congress added an endorsement to the agreement, including mandan and Hidatsa in its terms, and provided for the surrender of an area on the east bank of Missouri, about forty times twenty-five miles. (Kappler, 1904-41, report. Ed. 1971, 2, 1052 to 56). On March 3, 1901, Congress passed a law providing for the use of a number of special agents to visit Indian reserves and negotiate the sale of “surplus” land. James McLaughlin, a veteran agent of many tribes, arrived at Fort Berthold in June 1902. He suggested that the Mandan, Hidatsa and Sahnish sell about 315,000 hectares of their land. You were against it. When the tribes reached an agreement, they agreed to sell 208,000 hectares for 1.25 $US per hectare, build a fence and buy bulls, mares, mowers and rakes. The remaining funds should be allocated equally among each of them. For unknown reasons, this proposal submitted to Congress has never been ratified.
A bill has been introduced to open the reserve. The tribes objected because the government did not give advice with them and got its approval of the proposed legislation. The law of June 1, 1910 provided for the complete surrender of thirteen full communes and eight broken communes and the rest of the reserve north and east of Missouri, with the exception of individual allowances. Some land was also reserved for agency, school and mission purposes on the left bank of the river, and protection of the Like-a-Fishhook village site was also provided. Allocations of 160 hectares of farmland or 320 hectares of pasture should be allocated to each member of the tribes, particularly previous allocations. Individuals should receive an amount corresponding to the assessed value, not a lump sum as proposed. Although it was a victory for the Indians, not everyone was satisfied. The reserve has become a narrow strip on both sides of the Missouri River.
More land has been removed from Indian property. In 1870, a group of Hidatsa and some Manddanians who wanted to maintain their traditional way of life left the village to go up 120 miles (outside the reserve boundary) and let themselves go to Fort Buford, near present-day Williston, North Dakota. There were a number of reasons for this, but you might have been a disagreement between Crow Flies High and government-backed leaders, Poor Wolf and Crows Paunch. Another applied with the distribution of rations and internal leadership conflicts. For the economic stability and livelihoods of the tribes, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (October 17, 1988). This legislation approved Class III casino games on Indian Reservations. The law also gave Indian tribes the opportunity to enter into management agreements with outside investors to develop gambling opportunities. In the early 1990s, the three affiliates entered into a compact game with the state of North Dakota. The tribes renovated the existing Four Bears Motor Lodge (1974, Office of Economic Opportunity Project), converted the small gas station into a convenience store, and built a recreation centre.