EXECUTIVE MANSION, May 15, 1876. Whereas an Executive order was issued November 16,1874, defining the limits of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, which purported to cover, but did not, all the lands theretofore set apart by act of Congress approved March 3, 1865, and Executive order dated November 22, 1873; and whereas the order of November 16, 1874, did not revoke the order of November 22, 1873, it is hereby ordered that all lands withdrawn from sale by either of these orders are still set apart for Indian purposes; and the following are hereby declared to be the boundaries of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona and California, viz: Beginning at a point where La Paz Arroyo enters the Colorado River and 4 miles above Ehrenberg; thence easterly with said Arroyo to a point south of the crest of La Paz Mountain; thence with said mountain crest in a northerly direction to the top of Black Mountain; thence in a northwesterly direction over the Colorado River to the top of Colorado River; thence down said west bank to a point opposite the place beginning; thence to the place of beginning. Monument Peak, in the State of California; thence southwesterly in straight line to the top of Riverside Mountain, California; thence in direct line toward the place of beginning to the west bank to a point opposite the place of beginning; thence to the place of beginning. U.S. GRANT
Executive Order—Reaffirmation of Boundaries for the Colorado River Indian Reservation
Executive Brief • At a Glance
All lands withdrawn from sale by either of these orders are still set apart for Indian purposes; and the following are hereby declared to be the boundaries of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona and California, viz: Beginning at a point where La Paz Arroyo enters the Colorado River and 4 miles above Ehrenberg; thence easterly with said Arroyo to a point south of the crest of La Paz Mountain; thence with said mountain crest in a northerly direction to the top of Black Mountain; thence in a northwesterly direction over the Colorado River to the top of Colorado River; thence down said west bank to a point opposite the place beginning; thence to the place of beginning.
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on May 15, 1876, this order concerns Reaffirmation of Boundaries for the Colorado River Indian Reservation. All lands withdrawn from sale by either of these orders are still set apart for Indian purposes; and the following are hereby declared to be the boundaries of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona and California, viz: Beginning at a point where La Paz Arroyo enters the Colorado River and 4 miles above Ehrenberg; thence easterly with said Arroyo to a point south of the crest of La Paz Mountain; thence…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
All lands withdrawn from sale by either of these orders are still set apart for Indian purposes; and the following are hereby declared to be the boundaries of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona and California, viz: Beginning at a point where La Paz Arroyo enters the Colorado River and 4 miles above Ehrenberg; thence easterly with said Arroyo to a point south of the crest of La Paz Mountain; thence with said mountain crest in a northerly direction to the top of Black Mountain; thence in a northwesterly direction over the Colorado River to the top of Colorado River; thence down said west bank to a point opposite the place beginning; thence to the place of beginning.
Monument Peak, in the State of California; thence southwesterly in straight line to the top of Riverside Mountain, California; thence in direct line toward the place of beginning to the west bank to a point opposite the place of beginning; thence to the place of beginning.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order, Reaffirmation of Boundaries for the Colorado River Indian Reservation (May 15, 1876), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-reaffirmation-boundaries-for-the-colorado-river-indian-reservation.