The Department of the Interior today announced the completion of property distribution plans on six additional Indian rancherias of California under terms of a 1958 law.
The rancherias involved are Alexander Valley (54 acres, 11 members) and Lytton (50 acres, 33 members) in Sonoma County, Chicken Ranch (40 acres, 16 members) in Tuolumne County, Mooretown (80 acres, 4 members) in Butte County, and Potter Valley (96 acres, 11 members) and Redwood Valley (80 acres, 27 members) in Mendocino County.
Under the 1958 enactment the group property of these rancherias, totaling 400 acres, was divided among the 102 Indian beneficiaries in accordance with plans approved by the Indians in referendum ballot. In all cases unrestricted title was conveyed to the distributees.
With the completion of these plans, the distributees are no longer eligible for special services from the Federal Government because of their status as Indians and the laws of the several States now apply to them as they do to other citizens.
This brings to 13 the total of property distribution plans which have now been completed under the 1958 enactment. Twenty-seven others are in process. The law covers 41 Indian rancherias in California but gives the members of each the option of deciding whether or not they wish to adopt property distribution plans.
