Federal Investigation Exposes Land Grabbing on the Yakima Reservation
A government inquiry uncovers how a syndicate of white men seized control of vast swathes of tribal land, prompting new, restrictive leasing rules.
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Charles M. Dickson, a federal agent sent to the Yakima Indian Reservation to investigate Superintendent Jay Lynch, has returned east. Dickson spent a month at Fort Simcoe conducting a thorough investigation, including a review of how tribal lands were being leased to white settlers. While Dickson declined to discuss the specifics of the case against Superintendent Lynch, he confirmed that serious irregularities were found. Most notably, Dickson highlighted that the current leasing system had allowed a single white man to control 8,000 acres of reservation land. Under new federal regulations, the limit is now set at 640 acres, and subletting is strictly prohibited. An attempt by a syndicate of men to lease 110,000 acres of land newly opened by irrigation projects was also blocked. Furthermore, the government is mandating that all tribal members live on their respective allotments to prevent the practice of living in tepees in the brush along the river.
“At present one white man controls 8,000 acres, of reservation land. This practice must be stopped.”
The struggle for control over reservation land and water rights remains a defining issue in the Pacific Northwest today. This report highlights a century-old battle between government paternalism, settler land-grabbing, and the persistent sovereignty of the Yakama Nation.
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