The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma seek your support on an
issue which is now of critical importance to our people. We are seeking
the return of tribal lands which were taken by the United States
government in 1883. These lands were originally taken for the purpose of
building a military fort for the protection of the Cheyenne and Arapaho
people. In 1908, the War Department declared the lands surplus. It is
our contention that the lands should have reverted back to the Cheyenne
and Arapaho Tribes at that time. Over the past 67 years, we have
exhausted all of the judicial and legislative remedies available, to no
avail. We now seek the return of our land through an Executive order
from the President of the United States. The Cheyenne and Arapaho
Tribes of Oklahoma need you to voice your support at this critical
juncture. We ask that you:
1.) Please take the time to read the following letter to the
President of the United States, William Clinton, from the Cheyenne and
Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
2.) Send a letter or e-mail to the White House expressing your
strong support for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma in our
efforts to regain possession of the Fort Reno lands through an Executive
order. (Details on how and what to send to the White House will be found
at the end of the following letter to the President.)
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
__________________________________________________________________
January 16, 1996
The Honorable William J. Clinton
The President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
My name is Franklin Harrison. I am an American citizen. I served proudly
with the U. S. Army and I am a decorated Vietnam Veteran. I am also a
Native American of the Arapaho Nation. Since my honorable discharge
from the military in 1970, I have dedicated myself to helping the
Arapaho people rise up from the poverty and destitution under which we
have suffered for over a century. As a representative of the Tribal
Business Committee of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, I
wish to inform you of my intent to help my people in the recovery of the
lands of Ft. Reno, Oklahoma. It is my belief that the very survival of
the Cheyenne & Arapaho Nations is dependent upon on the reclamation and
development of this property. Please allow me a moment to give you a
brief historical overview of the Fort Reno lands and our efforts to
regain it.
The original Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation of Oklahoma was established by
an Executive order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on August 10,
1869. On July 17, 1883, a total of 9,493 acres, located within the
boundaries of this reservation, were set aside through an Executive
order signed by President Chester A. Arthur for the Fort Reno Military
Reservation. The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes found the idea of a
military fort appealing, as it would offer them protection from harsh
winters, bands of renegade Indians, and other lawless factions of the
West. For many years, the Tribes camped just outside the Fort.
The Executive order which established Fort Reno contained a provision
which had been recommended to President Arthur by the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs and by the Secretary of the Interior, through a letter
from the Secretary of War, Robert T. Lincoln dated July 17, 1883. It
states: "That whenever any portion of the land so set apart may be
required by the Secretary of the Interior for Indian purposes, the same
shall be abandoned by the military upon notice to that effect to the
Secretary of War." The military abandoned Fort Reno in 1908 turning it
over to the Quartermaster Corps. It is the contention of the
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma that the Fort Reno lands should have
reverted back to tribal ownership at that time.
The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma have made several attempts to
re-acquire the Fort Reno lands, both judicially and legislatively.
Judicial action, instigated in 1929, extended over more than ten years
and was subsequently dropped, yielding no results. On April 21, 1948,
the Fort Reno lands were declared surplus by the War Department and
transferred to the Department of Agriculture. On August 25, 1949,
Congressman Toby Morris of Oklahoma introduced HR6114, which would have
returned 7,000 acres of the Ft. Reno lands back to the tribes. This bill
was passed in the House of Representatives. The bill was reported
favorably to the Senate floor on August 4, 1950 but was never brought to
a vote. In 1952, the Department of Agriculture created an Agricultural
Experimental Station on the Ft. Reno lands. The Tribes most recent
efforts to gain sponsorship for the enactment of Congressional
legislation to transfer the Fort Reno lands were met with resistance and
opposition from the Congressional delegation from Oklahoma,
Representative Frank Lucas and Senator Don Nickles, who continue to
appropriate funds for the Department of Agriculture's Experimental
Station.
Mr. President, my people face terrible hardships. Every day, we confront
poverty, hunger and high unemployment. And even more terrible is the
high rate of teen suicide. The current tribal land base, consisting of
10,405 non-contiguous acres, is remotely situated and not conducive to
economic development. With the tribal population now at over 11,000, we
have outgrown this land base. The reclamation and development of the Ft.
Reno property presents the Cheyenne- Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma with a
critically important opportunity. It offers us the chance to build
economic, political, and cultural stability within our tribes, and even
more importantly, it offers us the chance to work together, to rebuild
our pride and self-confidence, to establish our independence and to
seize our future.
The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes have produced a comprehensive conceptual
prototype of land use development which offers a creative and
economically viable plan for the utilization of the Fort Reno property.
This land holds great potential for economic development in the form of
businesses which would serve the Native American community and the local
non-Native community. Tribal plans for the land also include
agricultural development which would provide not only food and
employment, but a very real opportunity to work hand in hand with the
Department of Agriculture in a way that would be beneficial both to the
Agricultural Experimental Station and to the Tribes.
Oklahoma's Master Plan for marketing tourism calls for the promotion of
our Western Heritage and our Native American Culture. The Fort Reno
lands offer a unique opportunity to develop this type of tourism as well
as recreational projects. Recent statistics gathered by the Oklahoma
State Tourism Department reflect that some 24 million tourists per year
travel through this geographic area, along Interstate 40, which runs
through the Fort Reno land. Pre-existing off ramps are ideally situated
for taking advantage of the historical value of Fort Reno. When Fort
Reno is restored, it will be the largest Indian Cultural Center in
Oklahoma and the greatest tourist attraction on I-40. Educational
opportunities include the planned construction of a Native American
Museum to house and display artifacts which are to be returned to the
tribes under an agreement with both the Smithsonian Institute in
Washington D. C. and the Field Museum in Chicago. This facility would
help us educate the public and teach our young people about our rich and
ancient heritage.
Mr. President, it is my duty to inform you that the principles which you
outlined in your "MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES" of April 29, 1994 concerning "Government-to-Government
Relations with Native American Tribal Governments" have been violated
every step of the way in the case of the Fort Reno land transfer. The
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes have made every effort to surmount every
bureaucratic requirement with which we have been confronted, only to be
continually frustrated in our efforts.
We ask that you:
1.) take appropriate steps to remove all bureaucratic and procedural
impediments to working directly and effectively with our tribal
government.
2.) initiate a resolution of this matter through
government-to-government discussions between our sovereign nations .
3.) initiate a transfer of the Fort Reno lands in trust for the
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes by way of Executive order.
It has been the unfortunate history of the United States government to
make promises to the American Indian Nations through treaties or
executive orders and then, when it is inconvenient to follow through, to
change the agreement or renege all together. The Native American
community has made great sacrifices in answering this country's call to
arms. We have shed our blood and given our lives on foreign soil only to
return home and face social ostracism. Through many generations of
economic deprivation, we have retained our humanity and our spiritual
integrity. We demand the rights which are guaranteed to each American
citizen under the U. S. Constitution. We expect to be treated with
respect, dignity, and equality. This is, perhaps, the last opportunity
for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma to pursue our own
economic prosperity and independence as a sovereign people. We ask for
your assistance in the Fort Reno land transfer.
Sincerely Yours,
Franklin Harrison
Representative of the
Tribal Business Committee
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
__________________________________________________________________
Dear Friends,
The letter you have just read was e-mailed to President Clinton on
January 17, 1996. What follows is a letter of support which the Cheyenne
and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma now ask that you send to the President of
the United States. Every single letter or e-mail message that goes to
the White House will be counted. It is critically important to send a
large volume of support mail to the White House. Please send the
following message along with your signature, to the White House.
>>> -------> copy and paste <--------<<<
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The Honorable William J. Clinton
The President of the United States
The White House
1600 PennsylvAnia Avenue, NW
Washington D. C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I strongly support the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma in their
efforts to regain possession of the Fort Reno lands through an Executive
order.
Sincerely,
(Place your name here)
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>>> --------> copy and paste <-------<<<
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT
To e-mail this letter of support to the President, please follow these
steps:
1.) Type your name into the space provided in the above letter of
support.
2.) "Copy" and "paste" this letter of support into your e-mail program
as a "new message" (Please copy only the material between the dotted
lines above. )
3.) Add any additional words of support or leave as is.
4.) "Copy" and "paste" in the subject "Return Fort Reno"
5.) "Copy" and "paste" in the President's e-mail address which is:
6.) "Send" the message to the President.
7.) "Forward" a copy of this entire message to all of your friends. (Use
the "Forward" function in your e-mail program.) Be sure subject heading
reads, "Return Fort Reno (Forward)"
8.) You can also mail a copy of the above letter of support to:
The Honorable William J. Clinton
The President of the United States
The White House
1600 PennsylvAnia Avenue, NW
Washington D. C. 20500
My Friends,
We have an opportunity today, to test the power of the internet as a
tool for focusing the "Voice of the People". We have an opportunity to
directly shape the human rights policy of our nation through democratic
action. Please help us spread this message far and wide. Please help us
in our appeal to the heart and conscience of our President.
Letters of support may also be sent directly to the Cheyenne and Arapaho
Tribes by mailing to:
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
ATT: Miss Clara Bushyhead
P. O. Box 38
Concho, OK 73022
Or they may be e-mailed to: