The Sacred Buffalo Vision by Robert J. Juneau and Robert C. Juneau pg.45-46

On February 7, 1887, in forty degree below zero weather in deep snow, United States Indian Treaty Commissioners John W. Knight, Dr. Daniels, and Major Larrabee arrived at the Blackfeet Agency to treat with Indians for reduction of their reservation; remained one week and consummated treaty which, if ratified by Congress, will open to public 17,000,000 acres of Blackfoot Confederacy lands, leaving the Indians a strip of land 40 miles wide.  Indians will receive $150,000 per year for ten years in cattle, horses, implements, and assistance by the Indian Office in farming and stock raising for their land cession, but were disallowed any cash to be paid to them.  All Indian Service employee's salaries and improvements at agency to be paid from Indian land cession funds.  The Blackfoot Indians have for the first time since the famine years in 1881-1885, received adequate food.  Past winter unparalleled in severity, almost daily blizzards during December, January, and February, causing enormous stock losses, hay supply reduced agency losses, forty degrees below zero weather throughout the winter.  Congress ratified the 1887 Agreement, and the Blackfoot Indians ceded 17,000,000 acres to the United States, which Public Lands of the United States were opened to settlement of Montana Territory after May 1, 1888, but the 30,000 emigrants from the States; confederate gold miners, Texas cattle barons, Fort Benton merchants and Montana settlers had never left the Blackfoot Confederacy lands.  In April, 1888 the Agent reported, "Indians experience much uneasiness as to the near approach of the small pox.  These Indians are acquainted with this disease-it having decimated their numbers by about one half during the spring and summer of 1864 and another outbreak in 1870.  The agency physician being out of vaccine madder, I ordered from Helena at his request one thousand vaccine points.  The Indians all being anxious to be vaccinated.  The approach of Rail Road, and traveling of so many people near and through reservation, renders infectious and contagious diseases more frequent, and such assume their most malignant form here where people live so closely together, and utterly disregard many rules of health and comfort."
-The Sacred Buffalo Vision by Robert J. Juneau and Robert C. Juneau  
pg.45-46