Judith Basin Indian Reservation

Judith Basin Indian Reservation
It is a non federally-recognized Indian Reservation which once existed in Montana.

Established on August 16, 1873

Eradicated on March 25, 1875

Principle Tribes -- The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, Blackfeet Indians, Flathead Indians, and the Nez Perce Indians

Population -- Last census may have been around 1900. Possibly 300 to 400.

History
In August of 1873, the government of the United States reached a treaty agreement with certain Little Shell Chippewa Indian leaders and Crow Indian (the Crow Indians had no rightfull claim to the territory) leaders, in which the Judith Basin Indian Reservation was established. It was done without consulting with the highest ranking leaders of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. Rightful name of the original Blackfeet Reservation, is either Judith Basin Indian Reservation or Judith River Indian Reservation. The October 17, 1855 Blackfeet Treaty (aka Lame Bull Treaty), was signed near the mouth of the Judith River which is within the Judith Basin Indian Reservation.

What was the Judith Basin Indian Reservation, was located within the boundaries of the original Blackfeet Reservation which was created on September 17, 1851 and approved on October 17, 1855. The treaty text of the October 17, 1855 Treaty, does not mention the Crow Indian Tribe nor the Dakotas. It does mention the Blackfoot Indians, Flathead Indians, and Nez Perce Indians. All are Chippewa, with the Flathead (the Flathead are the Flathead, Kalispel, Pend d'Oreilles, and Spokane) being an admixture of Algonquin Chippewa and non Algonquin.

To the north and bordering the Judith Basin Indian Reservation, was the old Fort Assiniboine Military Reservation which was established in 1879, or about 4 years after the Judith Basin Indian Reservation was eradicated. Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation (Montana) is within the old Fort Assiniboine Military Reservation, which indicates a link between the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, to the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation.

According to Little Shell Chippewa Tribe Attorney, J.B. Bottineau, the population of Little Shell Chippewa's or Chippewa's from the Turtle Mountains, was between 300 and 400, in Montana. In 1904, Bottineau claimed the Chippewa's were temporarily living in the basin in Montana. He was obviously referring to the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation. Some speculate Bottineau was referring to the Montana towns of Basin and Boulder, which are west of the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation.

It is well known among the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, that they were living where the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation was located, in the late 1870s and 1880s. They claim they established Lewistown, Montana. Lewistown, Montana is within the boundaries of the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation.

What they don't know is the Chippewa's are native to Montana. The Chippewa's did not arrive to what is now Montana until the late 1870s or 1880s. They followed prophecy (the Seven Fires Prophecy) long ago and settled in what is now Montana, centuries before the whites invaded the America's. It is important that the Chippewa's ignore the Metis account of the eventual settlement of what was the original Judith Basin Indian Reservation. The Metis are prone to side with the whites and also prophecy discrepancies or deceptions. Below is a link to a web page about Little Shell Tribe History.

It was from the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation, that Joseph Paul would emerge as a leader of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. Our earliest accounts of Joseph Paul come from his son Howard Paul. Howard Paul claimed a meeting was held on his family's ranch near Lewistown, Montana in 1921. The meeting was probably about filing a land claim lawsuit about the original Blackfeet Reservation, which the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation was within.

Joseph Paul was either 38 or 42, in 1921. His obituary stated that Joseph Paul was born on October 1, 1883 and died at the age of 75, in 1959. He could not have been born in 1883. His father, Elzear Paul, was without bride. Joseph Paul was born at Fort McGinnis, Montana. He is listed as being one of the 4 children of Elzear Paul's first wife, who died in 1881. There were 2 Forts in Montana with the name Fort McGinnis. One was located just south of Cut Bank, Montana. It was abandoned in 1879. So Joseph Paul may have been born in 1879. The other was located near Lewistown. Birth records claim Joseph Paul was born near the Fort McGinnis near Lewistown.

Joseph Paul was obviously a leader of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana in 1921 and probably years earlier. He may have known chief Rocky Boy. He may have even known chief Little Shell III and chief Red Thunder. However, they both were arrested in 1895 and forced to relocate to the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Rolette County, North Dakota. The surname, Red Thunder, was well represented during the 1956 census for the Little Shell Tribes community of Hill 57, which is adjacent to Great Falls, Montana.

If J.B. Bottineau was actually referring to the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation, then up to 400 Chippewa's were still living within and around the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation, in 1904. Most of the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation, was probably located in what is now Fergus County, Montana. According to the 2010 census, Indians make up about 1% of the population of Fergus County. That is a little over 100 people. Joseph Paul and his father Elzear Paul, eventually moved to Great Falls, Montana. They were allotted land near Lewistown, Montana but sold it as a result of it's poor quality or some other reason.

In Montana, the first Paul's probably lived in western Montana. Chief Big Face Paul, lived in the Bitterroot Valley. He requested for Christian Missionaries during the 1830s. Father DeSmet eventually made his way to the Bitterroot Valley in the 1840s. Within the Kootenai and Flathead Tribes, there were several leaders with the surname Paul during the 19th century. Even today, the Paul surname within the Flathead Reservation, is still found. However, not as important it was in the 19th century.

Howard Paul eventually became one of the first chairmen of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. He was born in 1914, near Lewistown, or near or within the old Judith Basin Indian Reservation. Both the Paul's from central Montana and western Montana, have origins which commenced in Manitoba, Minnesota, Ontario, and Quebec.

Reference

 * PDF Book about the history of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana www.indianaffairs.gov/cs/groups/xofa/documents/text/idc-001419.pdf
 * Web page about the history of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Central Montana www.littleshelltribe.com/miscdocs/history/1st_Indians_Montana.shtml
 * Lineage of Kootenai Chief Aeneas (Ignace) Paul who was related to the Flathead of western Montana www.swanrange.org/documents/Lineage_of_Chief_Aeneas.pdf
 * The Salish Chiefs (includes Coeur d'Alene, Flathead, Kalispel, Pend d'Oreilles, and Spokane) 1840-1910 www.saintmarysmission.org/BitterrootSalish-Chiefs.html
 * A list of all the Algonquian speaking tribes including from western North Americica www.wilkesweb.us/algonquin/nations.htm