SCOPE AND CONTENT

The George F. Wright papers, consisting of the records of Wright's work as attorney for the case of the Washo Tribe of Nevada and California before the United States Indian Claims Commission were donated to the Special Collections Department by Mrs. Lou Wright in July 1990. Previous to this donation, the records had been maintained and used in the Anthropology Department of the University of Nevada, Reno since 1982. Dr. Warren d'Azevedo, professor emeritus of Anthropology, was instrumental in arranging for the initial donation of the papers to the University, and for their subsequent transfer to the Special Collections Department.

The Wright papers consist of nine cubic feet of records dating from 1931-1972, with copies of some maps which date from 1535-1706 and 1803-1853. There are no restrictions on use of the collection.

The papers were divided into six series. Of these, Series I, Correspondence, and Series II, Indian Claims Commission Docket No. 288 are the most important in providing an overall picture of the Washo's claims case against the federal government. In this claim the Washo sought compensation for lands and economic resources taken from them by white encroachment beginning in the 1850s.

Series I consists of correspondence between Wright and associated attorneys; appraisers of land, timber, minerals, and fisheries; anthropological experts whose testimonies described the cultural and economic worlds of the Washo and other California Indians prior to and after contact with whites; the federal government; and Washo tribal members. This correspondence helps to clarify the reasons why the Washo case required twenty-two years to arrive at a settlement, and the difficulties imposed by that lengthy litigation on all involved, from the Washo to the appraisers to Wright himself. This correspondence is supplemented by the court documents found in Series II, which form part of the official record of the claims case. Especially useful for students of the Washo culture and world are the reports filed by experts in appraisal of minerals, real estate, timber and fisheries values. These reports were based on extensive historical research, required months to prepare, and detailed conditions as they existed until the mid 1860s in the area occupied by the Washo. Students of the Comstock era of Nevada history will find them especially useful, as they describe not only mining but the related industries of logging and transportation.

Wright also collected materials related to the claims case for the Indians of California, Docket Nos. 31 and 37 before the Indian Claims Commission. Although the antecedents of this case differed from the Washo's case, there were many parallels in the evidence presented by expert witnesses and in how the cases were managed. The testimony by anthropological witnesses is extremely valuable. Men notable in their field spent days testifying in 1954 and 1955 about the Indians' culture, geographical territories, nature of Indian government, economic resources necessary for survival, religion, and language. These experts included Alfred L. Kroeber, Robert F. Heizer, Samuel A. Barrett, Edward Winslow, and Shelburne Friend Cook, among others. These testimonies form part of Series III, as do other printed court documents. Lengthy descriptions of these two claims cases follow in this collection guide.

Wright also collected selections of court documents for about two hundred other Indian claims case dockets. Usually there are only a few documents, or even just one document in each case file. This series has been left as Wright arranged it, so researchers should be aware that it also contains some materials from Docket No. 288 and Docket Nos. 31 and 37.

The map series includes copies of maps presented as evidence in the Washo claims case. The originals of most of the copies came from the National Archives. A few original maps are included in this series; they consist of U.S.G.S. maps with the varying boundaries of the Washo delineated as described by the anthropological experts.

Most of the photographs in this collection were also used as evidence in the Washo case. All but a few images are aerial views of the Lake Tahoe, Carson Valley, and Washoe Valley regions of Nevada and California. A list of those views is included in this guide.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: November 9, 1990

UNITED STATES. INDIAN CLAIMS COMMISSION AND DOCKET NO. 288

The Indian Claims Commission (hereafter referred to as the "Commission") was created by an act of Congress of August 13, 1947 (60 Stat. 1049) entitled "An Act to Create an Indian Claims Commission...." Recognizing that many of the Indian tribes in the United States had been deprived of their land and economic resources by the federal government without compensation, Congress gave the Commission authority to hear and determine claims against the U.S. on behalf of any identifiable group of American or Alaskan Indians and to determine an amount to be awarded to successful claimants. It was then up to Congress to authorize payment.

The Washo Tribe of the States of Nevada and California (referred to in this collection as Washoe) met on April 21, 1948 and directed the tribal council to hire legal counsel and file a claim on behalf of the tribe. George F. Wright, an attorney in Elko, Nevada, signed a contract with the tribe which was approved by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in October of that same year. A fifty percent interest in Mr. Wright's contract was assigned by Wright to Washington, D.C. attorneys C.T. Busha, Jr. and John Lewis Smith, Jr. to facilitate handling of the case. Some years later after the death of Busha and retirement of Smith, the fifty percent interest was transferred to the Washington, D.C. law firm of Armour, Herrick, Kneipple & Allen.

The attorneys for the Washo claims case were required to prove certain basic tenants: that the tribe was then and at the time of filing, an identifiable Native American entity; that prior to the encroachment of whites, the tribe occupied a fixed geographical area of a determinable amount of acres; that the tribe utilized economic resources within that territory; that those territories and resources were taken from the tribe without compensation or by coercion; and that such losses had a determinable dollar value.

The tribe's original petition of August 9, 1951 asked for a judgment in the amount of $43,811,985.84 based on the 1862 value of the land, fish and game rights, and minerals and timber which had been wrongfully removed, plus interest from 1863. To establish these values, Wright contracted with several professional appraisers who prepared extensive reports which subsequently became part of the exhibits in the Washo legal case.

The Commission moved slowly on this docket (No. 288), as several hundred similar claims were filed by Indian tribes across the U.S. The Commission issued an interlocutory order on July 24, 1959 which declared that lands possessed by the Washo Tribe were taken by the U.S. without payment on [or by] December 31, 1862 in Nevada, and March 3, 1853 in California. The Commission further ordered the case to proceed in order to determine the amount of acreage and value lost. Voluminous testimony was given by experts to establish the basis upon which the final judgment was rendered.

The federal government finally settled this claim in 1970 with a payment of about $5,000,000 to the tribe. This payment was based on a land area significantly reduced from the Washo's original petition. $2,000 was distributed by the tribe to each authenticated Washo member and with part of the balance the tribe established a commercial recreation and camping area on the Carson River. Thus ended the Washo's and George Wright's twenty-two year old claims case to recover compensation for resources lost one hundred and eight years previously.

The papers of George F. Wright are arranged into the following series:

I. Correspondence

II. United States. Indian Claims Commission. Docket No. 288. The Washoe Tribe of the States of Nevada and California vs the United States

III. United States. Indian Claims Commission. Dockets No. 31 & 37. Clyde F. Thompson, et al and Ernest Risling, et al vs the United States [Indians of California vs the U.S.]

IV. United States. Indian Claims Commission. Dockets of Other Indian Tribes

V. Maps

VI. Photographs

90-37/1 - Series 1. Correspondence. 1948-1971. 1 cu. ft. Box 1.

This series contains letters between George F. Wright and others and is related exclusively to the Washo Tribe suit before the Indian Claims Commission. Correspondents include the Washington, D. C. law firm of Armour, Herrick, Kneipple & Allen who represented the tribe in Washington; real estate appraiser Noble T. Murray; mining geologists Sheldon and Full; forestry appraiser Myron Wall; expert witnesses Alfred L. Kroeber and Robert F. Heizer; leaders of the Washo Tribe; and the U. S. Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs. The subjects discussed varied but included discussions of strategy; reports on historical, geological, or topographical research; contract negotiations and payment problems between Wright, the experts, and the Interior Department; the annual Washo Tribal Picnic; and decisions made by the Claims Commission.

This series originally included numerous court documents. When these materials were not attached to or referred to by a specific letter, they were removed and placed in either Series II or III as appropriate. This series is arranged chronologically.

90-37/II - Series 2. United States. Indian Claims Commission. Docket No. 288. The Washoe Tribe of the States of Nevada and California vs the Unites States. 1951-1970. 2 cu. ft.

Series 2 contains printed actions and decisions of the Commission; court exhibits such as valuations of real estate, minerals, timber, and fishery resources; and research conducted by Wright or his team of expert appraisers and witnesses. The printed Commission actions and decisions include petitions and motions filed by both the plaintiff and defendant, and judgments issued by the Commission. Not all such documents originally filed with the Commission are found in these papers but included are significant reports on the value of mineral rights, land, timber, and fishery values. These are arranged chronologically by filing date.

Also included in this series are research notes for the case. These include Wright's drafts of questions for expert witnesses, historical research notes, financial statements from Wright's witnesses and experts, report to the Washo Tribe on the status of the case, material from a Nevada Inter-Tribal Indian Conference (1964), rules for appraisal of Indian lands, extracts from precedent decisions, drafts of court documents submitted by the plaintiffs, and other miscellaneous research materials. These follow the printed materials and are arranged in no particular order. Additional materials for this docket are located in Series IV in the file for Docket No. 288.

Box 2

II/1 Plaintiff's Petition. Aug. 9, 1951.

II/2 Exhibits Vol. 4B- Statutes of the State of California, 4B-1 to 4B-7 and 4B-12A. Patents issued by the U.S. - Washoe Lands in California, 4B-8 to 4B-11, 4B-12. Statutes of Nevada, 4B-13. Land sold in Nevada, 4B-14 and 4B-15. Patents issued for Nevada-Washoe Lands, 4B-16 to 4B-20. Deeds of Nevada-Washoe Lands, 4B-21 and 4B-22. Sept. 1955.

II/3 Findings of Fact. Mar. 20, 1959.

II/4 Plaintiff's Objections to Defendant's Requested Findings of Fact and Plaintiff's Reply. Mar. 1959.

II/5 Reply to Defendant's Brief. Mar. 1959.

11/6 Opinion of the Commission. Mar. 20, 1959.

11/7 Interlocutory Order and Findings of Fact. July 24, 1959.

11/8 Motion for Continuance. Oct. 18, 1961. Motion for Extension of Time. July 9, 1966.

11/9 U.S. General Accounting Office. Report Regarding Petition of the Washoe Tribe of the States of Nevada and California. Oct. 1961.

II/10-14 An Evaluation Study of the Mineral Resources in the Lands of the Washoe Tribe as Decided on Mar. 20, 1959 and Amended June 25, 1959 Before the Indian Claims Commission. Vols. 1-5. Philip J. Shenon and Roy P. Full, Mining Geologists. Nov. 1961.

II/15-16 Plaintiff's Exhibit No. M-9. [Real estate appraisal.] Vol. II, Basic Data Report; and Vol. III, Photographs. Noble T. Murray, Real Estate Appraiser. Mar. 1963.

Box 3

II/17 Timberland Valuation Study, Vol. I. Myron Wall and Associates. Mar. 1963.

II/18 Timberland Appraisal of the Lands of the Washoe Indian Tribe in Parts of Nevada and California as of the Following Dates: Nevada - Dec. 31, 1862. California - Mar. 3, 1853. By Ernest Oberbillig [Defendant's Exhibit G-38]. Mar. 1963.

II/19 Appraisal of the Lands of Washoe Tribe of Indians, in Nevada - Dec. 31, 1862; in California - Mar. 3, 1853. By Homer Hoyt. Mar. 1963.

II/20 Supplement to Appraisal of Washoe Lands, Part 2, Minerals. Hoyt.

II/21 Number not assigned.

II/22 Plaintiff's Exhibit R-1. Fishery Evaluation by Arthur W. Reber. April 1963.

II/23 Index and Digest of Plaintiff's Exhibits. April 1963.

II/24 Plaintiff's Proposed Findings of Fact and Brief of Valuation of Washoe Tract. Oct. 1965.

II/25 Plaintiff's Objections to Defendant's Requested Findings of Fact on Valuation and Plaintiff's Reply. Sept. 1966.

II/26 Plaintiff's Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Set Aside Nevada Valuation Date and Valuation Hearings. Sept. 1963.

II/27 Amended Rules of Procedure of Indian Claims Commission. 1968.

II/28 Interlocutory Order. Oct. 31, 1969.

II/29 Opinion of the Commission. Oct. 31, 1969.

II/30 Motion for Leave to Amend Plaintiff's Proposed Findings of Fact and Brief on Valuation. Sept. 1969.

II/31 Number not assigned.

II/32 Findings of Fact. Oct. 31, 1969.

II/33 Defendant's Requested Findings of Fact and Brief on Offsets Other than Allotments. Dec. 1969.

II/34 Plaintiff's Requested Findings of Fact, Objections to Defendant's Requested Findings of Fact, and Brief with Respect to Offsets Other Than Allotments. Jan. 1970.

II/35 Defendant's Objections to Plaintiff's Requested Findings of Fact and Reply Brief with Respect to Offsets other than Allotments. Mar. 1970.

II/36 Plaintiff's Proposed Findings of Fact and Brief on Valuation of Washoe Tract. n.d.

II/37 Number not assigned.

II/38 Miscellaneous, 1947-1961. Attorney's contract, Wright's questions for experts, court documents, correspondence.

II/39 Case notes, Rules for Appraisal of Indian Lands.

II/40 Miscellaneous research on railroads, Nevada-California border surveys, roads, towns, and Indians.

II/41 Miscellaneous research on food hunted, tribal division.

II/42 Miscellaneous research.

II/43 Wright's questions for expert witnesses, extracts from precedent decisions.

II/44 Miscellaneous case data; history notes, appraisers' statements, expenses.

II/45 Nevada Inter-Tribal Conference. May 1-2, 1964.

II/46 Miscellaneous research, report to Washo Indians regarding claims case. Sept. 1966.

II/47 Copies of deeds for lands purchased for the Washo [Pinenut]. 1938.

II/48 Washo timber appraisal notes by Myron Wall.

II/49-50 Misc. drafts of court documents, research notes.

II/51 Summary of opinions by Indian Claims Commission (for other dockets). 1959.

II/52 Xerox copies of published materials not kept with the manuscript collection (most materials transferred to the Special Collection's stacks or Government Publications Dept.).

90-37/III - Series 3. United States Indian Claims Commission Dockets Nos. 31 & 37. Clyde F. Thompson, et al, Docket No. 31; and Ernest Risling, et al, Docket No. 37 [Indians of California] vs the United States. 1932-1962. 1.5 cu. ft.

The history of the claims of the Indians of California against the federal government predates that of the Washo Indians. The U.S. House of Representatives bill H.R. 491, 70th Congress, 1928, allowed the Indians of California to sue the federal government for compensation promised but not delivered by eighteen unratified treaties pertaining to California Indians in the early 1850s. The claim was prosecuted by the California Attorney General on behalf of the Indians; a judgment of $5,025,000 was awarded in 1944 [Court of Claims No. K-344]. In 1950, Congress authorized the payment of $150.00 from that larger sum to each individual on the official roster of California Indians.

Congress amended the 1928 act to allow appeals until June 1955. The 1928 act had not compensated Indians for all lands lost to the federal government. Based on that issue, twenty-three claims for California Indian tribes wholly within California were filed under the 1947 Indian Claims Commission Act (60 Stat. 1049). The claims were initially dismissed by the Commission when it ruled that the Indians could not prove they were identifiable tribes or groups; this ruling was later reversed by the Court of Claims and denied certiorari by the Supreme Court.

Hearings in June 1954 and September 1955 called on notable anthropological experts Alfred L. Kroeber, Samuel A. Barrett, Robert F. Heizer and Edward W. Gifford as witnesses for the plaintiffs. Their testimony resulted in the ruling that the Indians of California were an "identifiable group" entitled to present a claim before the Commission. The Claims Commission in 1964 ordered those claims for Indians wholly within California combined into one claim and they became Docket Nos. 31 & 37: Clyde F. Thompson, et al [Docket No. 31], and Ernest Risling, et al [Docket No. 37].

Rather than endure further costly litigation, the Plaintiffs agreed to their attorneys' suggestion of a negotiated settlement. The 1964 Final Determination from the Commission awarded $29,100,000 to the Plaintiffs. Final distribution was completed in December 1972; almost 70,000 Indians received $668.51 each.

Series 3 of the Wright papers contains many of the most notable court documents filed on behalf of the Indians of California. From an anthropologist's point of view the most important item is the multi-volume 1954 and 1955 testimony of Kroeber, Heizer, Barrett, and Gifford. Each one of these men in his capacity as expert witness described the culture of the Indians of California, population and number of tribes before and after white contact, patterns of kinship, political organizations, language, tribal boundaries, economic resources and their uses, and religion. Their testimony, provided over the course of many days, was essentially a summation of their collective years of research and study, beginning with Kroeber in 1900 when the discipline of modern anthropology was in its infancy.

The earliest items in this series include the First Amended Petition, 1932; Brief for the U.S. in Opposition, 1942; Petition for Writ of Certiorari, 1943; and Bill to Appoint a Commission to Settle the Claims of the Indians of California, 1944. The latest document is a multi-part Appeal in the U.S. Court of Claims, 1962. All of these materials originated in different legal entities, i.e., the Court of Claims, U.S. Supreme Court, House of Representatives, Indian Claims Commission, and California Senate. The usual archival practice of arrangement would have been to separate the documents according to their agency of origin. However in this case, the documents have been intermingled and arranged chronologically so that the researcher may follow the legal sequence of events more easily. Some additional documents for this docket are located in Series IV under the file for Docket No. 31.

Box 4

III/1 U.S. Court of Claims. No. K-344. Indians of California vs the U.S. First Amended Petition. Mar. 1932.

III/2 U.S. Supreme Court. Indians of California vs the U.S. Brief for the U.S. in Opposition. Oct. 1942.

III/3 U.S. Supreme Court. Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Court of Claims. Mar. 1943.

III/4 U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings on H.R. 3622. A Bill to Appoint a Commission to Settle the Claims of the Indians of California. Part 2. Jan. 1944.

III/5 U.S. Court of Claims. Appeals Docket No. 9: Clyde F. Thompson, et al vs the U.S., on Appeal from the Indian Claims Commission. Brief for the Appellants, and Appendix to Appellant's Brief. May 1951.

III/6-25 U.S. Indian Claims Commission. Docket Nos. 31 & 37. [Transcripts of testimony of expert witnesses for the Plaintiff].

- 6. Vol. I. June 22, 1954. Alfred Louis Kroeber.
- 7. Vol. II. June 23, 1954. Kroeber, con't.
- 8. Vol. III. June 24, 1954. Kroeber.
- 9. Vol. IV. June 25, 1954. Kroeber and Robert F. Heizer.
- 10. Vol. V. June 28, 1954. Heizer and Kroeber.
- 11. Vol. VI. June 29, 1954. Kroeber and Heizer.
- 12. Vol. VII. June 20, 1954. Heizer, Kroeber and Edward W. Gifford.
- 13. Vol. VIII. July 1, 1954. Kroeber and Donald Colgett Cutter.
- 14. Vol. IX. July 2, 1954. Cutter and Shelburne Friend Cook.
- 15. Vol. X. July 5, 1954. Laudelino Moreno, Cutter, Cook.
- 16. Vol. XI. July 6, 1954. Samuel A. Barrett.
- 17. Vol. XII. June 27, 1955. Kroeber.
- 18. Vol. XIII. June 28, 1955. Kroeber, Zenadia Mary Talbot, Cutter.
- 19. Vol. XIV. June 29, 1955. Cutter.
- 20. Vol. XV. July 1, 1955. Kroeber.
- 21. Vol. XVI. July 5, 1955. Kroeber.
- 22. Vol. XVII. July 6, 1955. Kroeber.
- 23. Vol. XVIII. July 12, 1955. Commissioners' and Attorneys' Discussions.
- 24. Vol. XIX. Sept. 7, 1955. Defendant's Demurs.
- 25. Vol. XXIII. Sept. 13, 1955. Dr. Beals (Excerpt).

Box 5

III/26 California Senate. Interim Committee on California Indian Affairs. Progress Report. Jan. 1955.

III/27 U.S. Indian Claims Commission. Docket Nos. 31 & 37. Petitioners' Reply Brief, Vol. I; and Petitioners' Objections to Defendant's Proposed Findings and Response to Defendant's Objections to Petitioners' Proposed Findings, Vol. II. April 1957.

III/28-29 U.S. Court of Claims. Appeal No. 2-61. U.S., Appellant vs Clyde F. Thompson, et al and Ernest Risling, et al, Appellees; and Thompson, et al, and Risling, et al, Appellants vs U.S., Appellee. Parts I, II. Jan. 1962.

III/30-31 U.S. Court of Claims. Appeal No. 2-61. Supplement 1 to Brief of Indians of California. Parts 1 & 2. Jan. 1962 [Kroeber testimony].

III/32 U.S. Court of Claims. Appeal No. 2-61. Supplement 2. Illustrative maps. Jan. 1962.

90-37/IV - Series 4. U.S. Indian Claims Commission. General Materials and Other Dockets. 1931-1973. 5 cu. ft.

This series is divided into two sections. The first contains materials of a general nature about the Commission: a policy statement; memorial to Commissioner William McKinley Holt; calendars of hearings, 1962-1973; annual reports, 1969-1972; and a Survey of Conditions of Indians in the U.S., Part 21, 1932, U.S. Senate Subcommittee of the Committee on Indian Affairs. Part 21 of the survey contains testimony from hearings held in southern and northeastern California, Reno, and eastern Oregon and Washington. The Reno hearing produced testimony about the territory and conditions of the Western Shoshone. An Elko attorney, Milton T. Badt, spoke about the homeless Te-Moak Indian Tribe, unsatisfactory efforts made by the government to provide for them, and action they would like the government to take.

The second section of this series contains materials from specific dockets before the U.S. Court of Claims and the Indian Claims Commission. The Court of Claims materials are from one case, No. M-107, the Northwestern band or Tribe of Shoshone Indians and the Individual Members Thereof, vs the U.S., 1931-1942. Not all documents produced by this claims case are present; what is here is arranged chronologically.

The Indian Claims Commission dockets include a variety of case documents, but no docket file is complete (in fact, most files contain only a few items). These files are arranged numerically by docket number.

Box 5

IV/1 Policy Statement, Dec. 1968. Memorial to Commissioner William McKinley Holt, 1971.

IV/2-4 Commission calendars. 1962-1973.

IV/5-6 Commission annual reports. 1969-1972.

IV/7 U.S. Senate. Subcommittee of the Committee on Indian Affairs. Survey of Conditions of the Indians of the U.S., part 2. Hearings in southern and eastern California, Reno, and eastern Oregon and Washington. 1932.

IV/8-14 U.S. Court of Claims. No. M-107. Northwestern Band or Tribe of Shoshone Indians and the Individual Members Thereof, vs the U.S. 1931-1942.

- 8. Petition. Mar. 28, 1931.
- 9. Evidence for the Plaintiff. April 1936 and Jan. 1937.
- 10. Defendant's Objections to Findings of Fact Requested by Plaintiffs, Request for Findings of Fact, Brief, and Appendix. Dec. 1940.
- 11. Appendix to Defendant's Brief. Dec. 1940.
- 12. Plaintiff's Objections to Findings of Fact Requested by Defendant, Reply to Defendant's Objections to Findings of Fact Requested by Plaintiffs, and Reply Brief. Feb. 1941.
- 13. Appendix to Plaintiff's Reply Brief. Feb. 1941.
- 14. Defendant's Request for Supplemental Findings of Fact. Nov. 1943.
- 15. Vol. 2, Record of Determination of the Amount Recoverable After Deduction of the Amount of Offsets. Mar. 2, 1942.

Box 6

Individual Dockets

IV/16 Docket No. 10. Pawnee.

IV/17 Docket No. 11. Otoe and Missouria.

IV/18 Docket No. 13. Chippewa.

IV/19 Docket No. 15. Pottawatomi.

IV/20 Docket No. 17. Snake or Piute [Paiute] of Malheur Reservation.

IV/21-22 Docket No. 18-A. Red Lake, Pembina, White Earth Bands. Docket No. 113. Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Docket No. 191. Little Shell Band of Chippewa.

IV/23 Docket No. 18-F. Bay Mills, Sault Ste. Marie.

IV/24 Docket No. 19. Chippewa.

IV/25 Docket No. 21. Creek.

IV/26 Docket No. 22-A. Jicarilla Apache Tribe.

IV/27 Docket No. 22-C. Lipan Apache, Mescalero Apache, Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation and Pueblo de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur.

IV/28 Docket No. 27-A and 241. Delaware, Absentee Delaware.

IV/29 Number not assigned.

IV/30 Docket Nos. 29-D, E, J, K. Potawatomi.

IV/31 Docket Nos. 30 & 48 and 30-A & 48-A. Chiricahua Apache.

IV/32 Docket No. 31. Clyde Thompson et al.

IV/33 Docket No. 44. Uintah Ute.

IV/34 Docket No. 45. Uintah Ute.

IV/35 Docket No. 46. Nooksack.

IV/36 Docket No. 47. Yakima.

IV/37 Docket No. 54. Crow.

IV/38 Docket No. 61. Salish, Kootenai.

IV/39 Docket No. 65. Peoria.

IV/40 Docket No. 67. Miami.

IV/41 Docket No. 71. Potawatomi.

IV/42 Docket No. 72. Absentee Delaware, Delaware.

IV/43 Docket No. 73. Seminole.

Box 7

Individual Dockets

IV/44 Docket No. 74. Sioux Nation.

IV/45 Docket No. 75. Emigrant New York Indians and the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

IV/46 Docket No. 76. Miami.

IV/47 Docket No. 78. Sioux Tribe of Lower Brule Reservation.

IV/48 Docket No. 79-A. Iowa Tribe.

IV/49 Docket No. 81. Coeur D'Alene Tribe.

IV/50 Docket No. 83. Sac and Fox.

IV/51-53 Docket No. 87. Northern Paiute.

IV/54 Docket No. 88. Southern Paiute.

IV/55 Docket No. 90. Hualapai.

IV/56 Docket No. 92. Upper Skagit.

IV/57 Docket No. 93. Snoqualmie.

IV/58 Docket No. 94. Lower Pend D'Oreille or Kalispel Tribe.

IV/59 Docket No. 95. Sac and Fox.

IV/60 Docket No. 96. Potawatomi.

IV/61 Docket No. 98. Muckleshoot.

IV/62 Docket No. 100. Klamath and Modoc.

IV/63 Docket No. 101. Potawatomi.

IV/64 Docket No. 102. Papago.

IV/65 Docket No. 105. Osage.

IV/66 Docket No. 106. Osage.

IV/67 Docket No. 108. Osage.

IV/68 Docket No. 109. Duwamish.

IV/69 Docket No. 110. Lummi.

IV/70 Docket No. 113 Chippewa.

IV/71 Docket No. 114. Sioux.

IV/72 Docket No. 123. Cherokee.

IV/73 Docket No. 125. Snohomish.

IV/74 Docket No. 132. Suquamish.

IV/75 Docket No. 134. S'Klallam.

IV/76 Docket No. 135. Iowa, Sac and Fox.

IV/77 Docket No. 137. Pueblo de Zia.

IV/78 Docket No. 138. Iowa, Sac and Fox.

IV/79 Docket No. 142. Sisseton and Wahpeton Bands and Docket Nos. 359, 360, 361, 362 and 363. Lower Sioux.

IV/80 Docket No. 143. Sac and Fox.

IV/81 Docket No. 144. Pillager Bands of Chippewa.

IV/82 Docket No. 146. Potawatomi.

IV/83 Docket No. 148. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.

IV/84 Docket No. 152. Seminole.

IV/85 Docket No. 153. Iowa, Sac and Fox.

IV/86 Docket No. 155. Quileute.

IV/87 Docket No. 156. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.

IV/88 Docket No. 157. Shoshone.

Box 8

Individual Dockets

IV/89 Docket No. 161. Yakima Tribe: Docket No. 222. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Palouse Band; and Docket No. 224. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Moses Band.

IV/90 Docket No. 162. Yakima.

IV/91 Docket No. 165. Yakima Tribe, Wishram Band.

IV/92a Docket No. 166. Creek Tribe.

IV/92b Docket No. 167. Creek Tribe.

IV/93 Docket No. 168. Creek Tribe.

IV/94 Docket No. 169. Creek Tribe.

IV/95 Docket No. 173. Cherokee.

VI/96 Docket No. 175. Nez Perce.

IV/97 Docket No. 177. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

IV/98 Docket No. 178. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

IV/99 Docket No. 179. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

IV/100 Docket No. 180. Nez Perce.

IV/101 Docket No. 181. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

IV/102 Docket No. 182. Apache.

IV/103 Docket No. 184. Fort Peck.

IV/104 Docket No. 186. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

IV/105 Docket No. 187. Chitina, Alaska.

IV/106 Docket No. 188. Chippewa.

IV/107 Docket No. 189. Red Lake Band.

IV/108 Docket No. 190. Cherokee.

IV/109 Docket No. 195. Sac and Fox.

IV/110 Docket No. 198. Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation.

IV/111 Docket No. 200. Tatitlek Village, Alaska.

IV/112 Docket No. 204. Seminole.

IV/113 Docket No. 205. Seminole.

IV/114 Docket No. 206. Squaxin.

IV/115 Docket No. 207. Stillaguamish.

IV/116 Docket No. 208. Steilacoom.

IV/117 Docket No. 217. Potawatomi.

IV/118 Docket No. 218. Cowlitz.

IV/119 Docket No. 219. Sac and Fox.

IV/120 Docket No. 220. Sac and Fox.

IV/121 Docket No. 226. Caddo.

IV/122 Docket No. 227. Pueblo of Laguna.

IV/123 Docket No. 228. Gila River Pima-Maricopa.

IV/124 Docket No. 230. Cayuga.

IV/125 Docket No. 231. Sac and Fox.

IV/126 Docket No. 233. Swinomish.

IV/127 Docket No. 236. Gila River Pima-Maricopa.

IV/128 Docket No. 237. Upper Chehalis.

IV/129 Docket No. 240. Tillamook, Chinooks, Siletz.

IV/130 Docket No. 242. Quinaielt and Queets Tribe.

IV/131 Docket No. 243, 244, 245. Winnebago Tribe and Nation.

IV/132 Docket No. 247. Seminole.

IV/133 Docket No. 248. Seminole.

IV/134 Docket No. 250. Fort Belknap Indian Community, or Gros Ventre Tribe and Assiniboine Tribe.

IV/135 Docket No. 251. Miami.

IV/136 Docket No. 253. Miami.

IV/137 Docket No. 255. Miami.

IV/138 Docket No. 256. Miami.

IV/139 Docket No. 257. Kiowa, Comanche and Apache.

IV/140 Docket No. 258. Kiowa, Comanche and Apache.

IV/141 Docket No. 259. Kiowa, Comanche and Apache.

IV/142 Docket No. 261. Samish.

Box 9

Individual Dockets

IV/143 Docket No. 263. Kikiallus.

IV/144 Docket No. 264. Umatilla.

IV/145 Docket No. 266. Pueblo de Acoma.

IV/146 Docket No. 268. Chickasaw.

IV/147 Docket No. 272. Creek.

IV/148 Docket No. 273. Creek.

IV/149 Docket No. 274. Creek.

IV/150 Docket No. 275. Creek.

IV/151 Docket No. 276. Creek.

IV/152 Docket No. 278. Tlingit and Haida.

IV/153 Docket No. 279. Blackfeet and Gros Ventre.

IV/154 Docket No. 280. Creek Nation East of the Mississippi.

IV/155 Docket No. 281. Creek.

IV/156 Docket No. 282. Eastern Cherokee.

IV/157 Docket No. 283. Mohave.

IV/158 Docket No. 284. Village of Gambell.

IV/159 Docket No. 288. Washoe.

IV/160 Docket No. 289. Peoria.

IV/161a Docket No. 290. Oneida.

IV/161b Docket No. 293. Swinomish.

IV/162 Docket No. 294. Skagit.

IV/163 Docket No. 295. Mohave.

IV/164 Docket No. 296. Skokomish.

IV/165 Docket No. 300. Stockbridge, Munsee.

IV/166 Docket No. 301. Oneida.

IV/167 Docket No. 303. Ottawa.

IV/168 Docket No. 304. Ottawa.

IV/169 Docket No. 305. Ottawa.

IV/170 Docket No. 312. Potawatomi.

IV/171 Docket No. 314. Peoria.

IV/172 Docket No. 316. Kickapoo.

IV/173 Docket No. 317. Kickapoo, Peopria.

IV/174 Docket No. 319. Quechan.

IV/175 Docket No. 320. Quechan.

IV/176 Docket No. 321. Tuscarora.

IV/177 Docket No. 322. Ponca.

IV/178 Docket No. 323. Ponca.

IV/179 Docket No. 324. Ponca.

IV/180 Docket No. 326. Shoshone.

IV/181 Docket No. 327. Ute.

IV/182 Docket No. 328. Ute.

IV/183 Docket No. 329. Cheyenne-Arapaho.

IV/184 Docket No. 331. Spokane.

IV/185 Docket No. 332. Yankton Sioux.

IV/186 Docket No. 334. Absentee Shawnee.

IV/187 Docket No. 337. Absentee Delaware.

IV/188 Docket No. 340. Tuscarora.

IV/189 Docket No. 341. Seneca-Cayuga.

IV/190-191 Docket No. 342. Seneca.

IV/192 Docket No. 344. The Six Nations.

IV/193 Docket No. 345. Papago.

IV/194 Docket No. 346. Ridaught Band.

IV/195 Docket No. 349. Ute.

IV/196 Docket No. 350. Fort Berthold Reservation.

IV/197 Docket No. 351. Chemehueve.

IV/198 Docket No. 352. Aleut.

IV/199 Docket Nos. 354, 355, 356. Pueblo.

IV/200 Docket No. 357. Pueblo of Taos.

IV/201 Docket No. 358. Pueblo of Nambe.

IV/202 Docket No. 363. Sioux.

IV/203 Docket No. 370. Natives of Palmer, Alaska.

90-37/V - Series 5. Maps. 1535-1706; 1803-1959. 41 items.

Series 5 of the Wright papers consists of maps used as evidence in Docket No. 288, Washoe Indians vs the U.S. before the Indian Claims Commission. They consist of photostatic copies of maps in the National Archives of the United States and printed maps with additions added for the claims case, such as tribal boundary lines drawn by expert witnesses. Most of the maps are of western Nevada and eastern California, with additional maps depicting exploration of the Great Basin region. There are two United States maps: one illustrates territories of Indian tribes and linguistic stocks; the other is an historical map of the U.S.

All maps are stored in the manuscript map case.

N.T. = no title given on map.

Map Folder #1

N.T. Composite map of Washo Territory by O. C. Stewart, 1955. Based on U.S.G.S. (United States Geographical Survey) maps of California and Nevada. 2 copies, marked Petitioner's exhibit 7-13.

N.T. Boundary Disputes over Washo Territory. Siskin, 1938; O.C. Stewart, 1939; S.A. Barrett, 1917; Swanton, 1952; R.B. Dixon, 1905; Omer C. Stewart, 1954; Powell, 1890; A.L. Kroeber, 1925; Royce, 1897. Also shows Nisenan Territory (Maidu) by Beals, 1933.

N.T. California and Nevada with Lake Tahoe in the center. Pet. ex. 7-11, from National Archives Record Group (R.G.) 77.

N.T. Map of northwestern Nevada and northeastern California, with portions of Washington Territory and Oregon. Pet. ex. 7-10, from National Archives R.G. 75.

"Washo Boundary 1866," from Franklin Campbell, U.S. Indian Agent for Nevada, 1866.

"American Explorations of the West, 1803-1852." Pet. ex. 7-14, from Paullins Atlas, 1803-1852.

"The Washoe Tribe of the States of Nevada and California versus the United States. Docket No. 288. Tract Delineated as described in Finding 16 and Decided Mar. 20, 1959, as Amended."

Map Folder #2

N.T. Map of the Great Basin from Fremont's Report, pp. 275-276. Pet. ex. 7-6 , from the National Archives, R.G. 77. n.d.

N.T. Map used to compute Washo-Maidu disputed area. 2/28/58. M.A.B. Composed of U.S.G.S. maps of the Portola, Beckworth, and Sierraville area.

"The State of Nevada," published by Warren Holt, 1866.

The Northern Paiute Nation et al vs the U.S. Docket No. 87. Tracts delineated as described in Findings 21, 22, 23 and decided Mar. 24, 1959 as amended June 4, 1959.

"Humboldt River Project Restudy. Authorized Plan of Improvement." n.d. 15 maps and charts.

"Indian Tribes of North America," (portion) compiled by Driver, Cooper, Kirchhoff, Libby, Massey, Spier. n.d. Pet. ex. 7-15 [Western U.S.].

N.T. Map of Oregon, California and Nevada by Capt. J.C. Fremont, 1848. Pet. ex. 7-9, from National Archives R.G. 77.

Map Folder #3

"The Western Possessions of the U.S., including Texas and Part of Mexico." Chapin, 1839. Pet. ex. 7-5.

"Map of the Western Division of the Ft. Kearney, South Pass and Honey Lake Road, Surveyed by F.A. Bishop, 1857." Pet. ex. 7-16 from the National Archives.

"Map of Oregon and Upper California from the Surveys of John Charles Fremont." 1848. Pet. ex. 7-7, from the National Archives R.G. 77.

"Profile of the Travelling Route from the South Pass of the Rocky Mts. to the Bay of San Francisco," and map of the Oregon & Missouri Territories, and the Great Basin and California. n.d. Pet. ex. 7-7 (p. 2), from the National Archives R.G. 77.

"Bancroft's Map of the Washoe Silver Region of Nevada Territory." 1862. Fig. 6.

N.T. Northwestern Nevada and California showing Lake Bigler in the center. n.d. Pet. ex. 7-8, from the National Archives R.G. 77.

"Degroot's Map of Nevada Territory," 1863. Pet. ex. 7-10 (p. 1) and (p. 2), from the National Archives R.G. 75. [Two halves of what was originally one map.]

"Spanish Explorations in the Southwest, 1535-1706." From Atlas of the Historical Geography of the U.S. n.d. Pet. ex. 7-3.

"Indian Tribes and Linguistic Stocks, 1650." From Atlas of the Historical Geography of the U.S. Pet. ex. 7-2.

Map Folder #4

"Historical Map of the U.S." National Geographic Society, 1957. Pet. ex. 7-12.

Amended Claims Case maps:

Amended boundary map from Shenon & Full, showing original Paiute boundary and original and amended Washoe boundaries. On U.S.G.S. maps of 1956 (3 maps).

Washoe Tribe vs U.S. Docket No. 288. Tract delineated as described in Finding 16 and decided Mar. 20, 1959 as amended. 2 copies.

Washoe Tract - Showing Mining Districts in Nevada Prior to 1863.

90-37/VI - Series 6. Photographs. ca 1963. 114 Photographs.

Photographs in this collection were primarily derived from an exhibit in the Washoe Claims case and consist of aerial views of the areas around Lake Tahoe, the Carson Valley, and Washoe Valley, They are in two locations: a book of photos is filed in Box 2, Series II/16 (as part of an exhibit by an expert witness); and in the photo archives section of the Special Collections Department. The images in the photo archives were loose items but seem to be in part duplicates of the images in Box 2.

In general, the following areas are represented pictorially:

Steamboat Valley

Spooner Summit

Tahoe City

Fallen Leaf Lake

Slaughter House Canyon

Lapham Meadow, Lake Tahoe

Dresslerville

Huffaker Hills

Jacks Valley

Hope Valley

Pinenut Range

Como Mining District

Pleasant Valley

Donner Lake

Beckworth Pass

Carson Valley

Clear Creek

Glenbrook

South Tahoe

Lake Valley

Zephyr Cove

Minden

Verdi

Glendale

Dog Valley

Long Valley

Washoe Lake

Squaw Valley

Webber Lake

Martis Valley

Four of the photos were of unidentified people working in an office. A fifth photo is a copy of an 1872 Hiller photo at the Kaibab Plateau. It shows a number of men reclining around a picnic cloth; those people who were identified were Maj. G. W. Ingalls (who died in 1916), Maj. John Wesley Powell, Chief Dave, Moran (an artist), and a New York Times artist/correspondent.