Murray ~ Indian Land Transactions

Montana Senator James E. Murray had been hearing the same thing from his Native constituents for years: we are losing our land. In response, he compiled a nearly 900-page memorandum called "Indian Land Transactions: An Analysis of the Problems and Effects of Our Diminishing Indian Land Base, 1948-57."

Across hundreds of pages of text and nearly 400 tables of data Murray's memorandum highlighted the alarming loss of over 2 million acres of Indian trust land.

Murray called for a moratorium on land sales (which was temporarily granted) and drew national attention to the problem.

The National Congress of American Indians and the American Association on Indians used it in their lobbying efforts.

The Standing Rock tribal chair wrote to Murray and told him that "Your report is the most comprehensive documentation I have had an opportunity to study" on the subject of lost trust land.

Here you will find the complete text of Murray's memorandum as well as a digital version of the tabular data.