Later, much of the unallocated reservation land was declared "in excess" of Indian needs and opened for development by non-Indian settlers and companies.
The non-Indian settlers also suffered from the raiding parties who were trying to feed their starving people on the Bosque Redondo.
This became a problem once non-Indian settlers began moving into the area and using the Milk River as a water source for their settlements.
Owners were never required to live on their properties, and many eventually sold their lands to non-Indian settlers.
As non-Indian settlers began moving closer to the Fort Belknap Reservation, the settlers claimed rights to the water.
Bethel Acres was opened to non-Indian settlers during the Land Run of 1891.
Afterwards, non-Indian settlers off the reservation constructed dams in the river that interfered with the tribe's agricultural use of the water.
The area was opened to non-Indian settlers on September 16, 1893, during the Cherokee Outlet Opening.
Lonaconing: The first non-Indian settlers in the late 18th century were explorers, hunters and farmers.
Manual Gonsalus was the first non-Indian settler in Mamakating, New York.