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Once again, the three tribes were forced to move from the sheltered river valley onto the prairie, from a subsistence economy to a cash economy. For the past 45 years, they have struggled to regain the self-sufficiency they had before the construction of the Garrison Dam. Gone are the rich river bottom lands and the cattle ranches that existed on both sides of the Missouri. Gone are the willows that sheltered the cattle and from which several generations of ranchers drove the cattle to the spring and fall round-ups. Gone is the traditional spirit of working together and the stockmen's associations that fostered that spirit. When families moved from the river bottom communities, 234 of them owned cattle. The largest grazing area on the reservation was west of the Missouri River, land which had been leased by white homesteaders since the late 1800s. A drift fence had been built to separate the non-Indian leases from the land used by the tribal cattlemen. Many families moved to their allotments with a plan to continue ranching. They had to start over, to build fences, barns, corrals and homes. Cattlemen had to overcome many barriers to continue ranching. On the prairie, 25 acres of land were required per animal unit. It was difficult to continue the support systems established in the river bottom communities; there was no access to credit. Many families became discouraged and moved into the communities created after the construction of the dam. Today, about 100 families are still involved with ranching, some with just a few head and about forty with workable cow-calf operations. The Fort Berthold Land and Livestock Association is an active advocate for the tribal ranchers. In the 1960s, the community made some headway and managed to regain grazing rights along the Missouri River. On October 30, 1992, the U.S. Congress enacted Public Law 102-575, which reads in part: "Congress declares that the Three Affiliated Tribes are entitled to additional financial compensation for the taking of one hundred and fifty-six thousand acres of their reservation land, including thousands of acres of prime agricultural bottom lands, as the site for the Garrison Dam and Reservoir. . . ." "Ahead of the Herd", an article published in the Fort Berthold Press (January 15, 1986) contains testimony for just compensation legislation with respect to ranching operations. Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 Fort Berthold | Okanagan | Wood Mountain Introduction | Early Ranching | Ranching Life | Contemporary Ranching Life | Community Stories | Transition to Rodeo SACRED BEINGS | RANCHING | ENTERTAINMENT | RODEO | ARTS AND INDUSTRIES |
