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Treaty

Ute (Tabaquache [Tabeguache]) at Tabaquache Agency, Conejos, Colorado Territory (1863)

In 1863 the Tabeguache Ute ceded all land outside a reserved hunting ground and allowed military posts, railroads and mining.

Signed
October 7, 1863
Senate
Ratified

What happened

The Tabeguache band of the Ute (Utah) people made this treaty with the United States on October 7, 1863, at the Tabeguache Agency at Conejos, Colorado Territory. Governor John Evans, Superintendent Michael Steck and two agents signed as commissioners.

The preamble first sets out the huge area the band claimed as their exclusive land and hunting grounds, in the words of the document. Article 2 then has the band "cede, convey, and relinquish all of their claims" to every other land in United States territory, except a smaller hunting ground reserved around the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers. The treaty adds that it should not be read as giving the Ute any greater title than they had when the Territory was acquired from Mexico.

Article 3 gave the United States the right to build military posts, railroads and mail stations on the reserved hunting ground the band kept, and said any citizen of the United States could mine "in any part of the country hereby reserved" without interference.

In return, Article 8 promised ten years of $10,000 in goods and $10,000 in provisions each year, and Article 9 five stallions. Article 10 offered cattle and sheep to chiefs who began farming or herding. The treaty was ratified March 25, 1864, and proclaimed December 14, 1864.

Summarized with AI assistance from 3 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Well supported by the sources below.

  1. cede, convey, and relinquish all of their claims, right, title, and interest in and to any and all landsTribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University): Ute (Tabaquache [Tabeguache]) at Tabaquache Agency, Conejos, Colorado Territory (1863)
  2. Any citizen of the United States may mine, without interference or molestation, in any part of the country hereby reserved to said IndiansTribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University): Ute (Tabaquache [Tabeguache]) at Tabaquache Agency, Conejos, Colorado Territory (1863)
  3. ten thousand dollars’ worth of goods, and also ten thousand dollars’ worth of provisionsTribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University): Ute (Tabaquache [Tabeguache]) at Tabaquache Agency, Conejos, Colorado Territory (1863)

Research notes. This account covers the signed terms only; the treaty text does not say what happened afterward. The area the band claimed and the reserved hunting ground are described only by landmarks in the treaty and are not mapped here.

What happened next

Everything the record holds about this land and this treaty, in order: what earlier agreements said, what this one did, and what the United States, the courts and the nations did afterwards.

Who is doing the work today

The nations connected to this treaty come first, then groups returning land and defending treaty rights. Support goes directly to them.

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Sources

  1. treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-utah-tabeguache-band-1863-0856reference work
    Treaty with the Utah-Tabeguache Band, 1863 Oct. 7, 1863. | 13 Stat., 673.

Shapes are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land, title or jurisdiction.