Senator James E. Murray of Montana launches an unsuccessful campaign to persuade the federal government to declare “Hill 57” in Great Falls a reservation. This Indian community, named after a nearby billboard that advertises 57 varieties of pickles, was settled in the 1940s by landless Cree, Ojibway, and Metis, who came to Great Falls looking for wage work. Poor and homeless, many squatted in Hill 57 in squalid conditions that came to symbolize the poverty of the many Indians driven to cities by the Relocation and Termination policies. The United States rejects Murray’s petition, maintaining that the squatters should return to their reservations or relocate to other urban areas.
The Indian Vocational Training Act is passed.
Through the Indian Vocational Training Act, Congress authorizes the creation of job training centers near reservations and in some cities. The centers are to provide free vocational education to Indians to help prepare them for jobs in urban areas. Many unemployed Indians, even those resisting relocation to cities, welcome the opportunity to train for trades.
State of Washington v. Satiacum encourages northwestern Indian fishing.
The Washington State Supreme Court hears State of Washington v. Satiacum, a case involving the arrest of Robert Satiacum, a Puyallup and Yakama Indian who is accused of fishing steelhead trout with gill nets out of season. The court dismisses the charges, which will encourage many northwestern Indians to start taking more advantage to the fishing rights granted to their ancestors by treaties with the United States.
World History
