Records of the Central Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1813-1878
Microfilm rolls MF 6903 - MF 7010
National Archives microfilm publication M856
The information below is the text of the pamphlet describing National Archives microfilm publication M856 (Washington: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1973). Kansas State Historical Society microfilm roll numbers have been added. This microfilm was purchased with funds from the Interlibrary Loan Development Program of the Kansas Library Network Board; the microfilm is available from the Kansas State Historical Society through interlibrary loan.
RICHARD NIXON, President of the United States
ARTHUR F. SAMPSON, Acting Administrator of General Services
JAMES B. RHOADS, Archivist of the United States
The records reproduced in the microfilm publication are from Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75, in the National Archives Building.
Scope and Content
On the 108 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced the records of the Central Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1851-78, and some of the records of its predecessor, the St. Louis Superintendency, 1823-50. A few records dated as early as 1813, principally relating to the Osage Indians, are also included.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was established within the War Department on March 11, 1824. Previously, the administration of Indian Affairs was directly supervised by the Secretary of War, except for the factory system operated by the Office of Indian Trade between 1806 and 1822, which was administered by a superintendent responsible to the Secretary. The Bureau was administered informally within the War Department until 1832, when a Commissioner of Indian Affairs was appointed to head its operations under the direction of the Secretary of War. In 1849 the Bureau was transferred to the new Department of the Interior where it has remained. During the 19th century the Bureau was usually referred to as the Office of Indian Affairs, and the name “Bureau of Indian Affairs” was not formally adopted until 1947.
The two principal types of field jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs in the 19th century were superintendencies and agencies. Superintendents had general responsibility for Indian affairs in a designated geographical area, such as a territory, State, or a more extensive area. Their duties included the supervision of relations among the tribes in their jurisdiction and between the tribes and non-Indians, the supervision of the conduct and accounts of agents responsible to them, the communication of instructions from the Commissioner to agents, and the granting of leaves of absence to subordinates. It was also common practice for them to receive contract bids, enter into contracts, and issue annuities to the Indians. Under each superintendent were agents, subagents, or special agents immediately responsible for one or more tribes.
There had always been some agents who reported directly to the Commissioner. This practice became more widespread as the Superintendency system was gradually discontinued during the
1870's. The last Superintendency was abolished in 1878.
An act of Congress of February 27, 1851 (9 Stab. 574), authorized the President to appoint three superintendents for the Indian tribes east of the Rocky Mountains and north of New Mexico and Texas. Accordingly, the Central Superintendency was established in 1851 as the successor to the St. Louis Superintendency, also known as the District of St. Louis. The latter had been established in 1822 as the successor to the Missouri Superintendency. The headquarters of the Central Superintendency were successively located in St. Louis, Mo., 1851-59, St. Joseph, Mo., 1859-65, Atchison, Kans., 1865-69, and Lawrence, Kans., 1869-78. During most of the 1850s and 1860s, the office was staffed only by the superintendent himself, a clerk, and perhaps a messenger. By 1877 it consisted of the superintendent, a chief clerk, an assistant clerk, a special clerk, a messenger, and a copyist.
The Central Superintendency originally was responsible for most of the Indians in what is now Kansas and Nebraska and in the upper regions of the Missouri, Platte, and Arkansas Rivers in the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Colorado. On reserves immediately west of Missouri were Indians who had removed from lands in Iowa and east of the Mississippi River from the 1820s through the 1840's; living to the north and further west were indigenous village tribes. Over many of the nomadic tribes of the Great Plains the Central Superintendency exercised only a vague jurisdiction. With the organization of new territories and the establishment of new superintendencies, the outlying areas were removed from the Central Superintendency, and it gradually became responsible for agencies located in the Indian Territory.
The original agencies assigned to the Central Superintendency in 1851 and the important tribes for which they had responsibility were as follows:
Council Bluffs Agency, at Bellevue, Neb., for the Oto, Missouri, Omaha, and Pawnee in Nebraska;
Great Nemaha Agency, on Sac and Fox land about 5 miles south of Iowa Point, Kans., for the Iowa, Kickapoo, and Sac and Fox of the Missouri in northeastern Kansas and-southeastern Nebraska;
Kansas Agency briefly at the site of Wyandot City (Kansas City) but then moved to the Shawnee Reserve in Kansas, for the Delaware, Shawnee, Stockbridge, Munsee, and Wyandot along the Kansas River in eastern Kansas;
Osage River Agency, at Paola, Kans., for the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Piankeshaw, and Miami in eastern Kansas;
Potawatomi Agency (no permanent headquarters in 1851) for the Potawatomi and Kansas, or Kaw, in eastern Kansas;
Sac and Fox Agency, on the Marais des Cygnes River in Kansas, for the Blanchards Fork and Roche de Boeuf Ottawa, Swan Creek and Black River Chippewa, and Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in eastern Kansas;
Upper Missouri Agency (no permanent headquarters in 1851) for the Arikara, Mandan, Assiniboin, Crow, various Sioux bands, and some of the Grosventre, Blackfeet, Blood, and Piegan in the upper Missouri region;
Upper Platte Agency (no permanent headquarters in 1851) for the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, Comanche, and various Sioux bands in the upper Platte region.
The Osage in what is now southern Kansas were excluded from the original jurisdiction of the Central Superintendency.(1)
Several agency changes occurred in 1855. The Kansas Agency was divided into the Delaware Agency for the Delaware and the Stockbridge and Munsee, and the Shawnee Agency for the Shawnee and Wyandot. A new Kansas Agency was established at Council Grove, Kans., on the Neosho River, for the Kaw. The Kickapoo were transferred from the Great Nemaha to a separate Kickapoo Agency, whose headquarters alternated between Kennekuk and Muscotah until 1873 when it was moved to Netawaka. The Upper Arkansas Agency was established for the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, and Comanche in what is now eastern Colorado and western Kansas; these Indian tribes previously had been attached to the Upper Platte Agency. The agent usually stayed at Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River. The Blackfeet Agency was created under the Central Superintendency at Fort Benton in present-day Montana. It had responsibility for the Blackfeet, Blood, Piegan, and Grosventre previously assigned to a special agent appointed by the Governor of the Territory of Washington.
The Council Bluffs Agency was discontinued in 1856 and the Oto, Missouri, and Pawnee were assigned to the new Oto Agency in the Big Blue River Valley in southern Nebraska. The Omaha were placed under a separate Omaha Agency located on the west bank of the Missouri River, north of Decatur, Neb.
In 1859 the Pawnee Agency was established with headquarters at Genoa, Neb. The Yankton Sioux were assigned to a separate Yankton Agency located on the Missouri River near Greenwood in what is now South Dakota. A special Ponca Agency, established in April 1859 on the south side of Ponca Creek between the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, was designated a regular agency in July 1860.
In 1861 the Yankton, Ponca, and Upper Missouri Agencies were transferred to the newly established Dakota Superintendency. The status of the Blackfeet Agency became confused because it was clamed by both the Dakota and Central Superintendencies, but in 1862 it was definitely assigned to the Dakota Superintendency. Also in 1861 the Upper Arkansas Agency was transferred to the new Colorado Superintendency. Except for the Upper Platte Agency, then situated in what is now Wyoming, all of the remaining agencies under the Central Superintendency were in Kansas and Nebraska.
The Ottawa Agency was established in 1863 for the Blanchards Fork and Roche de Beouf Ottawa and the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewa who had previously been attached to the Sac and Fox Agency. Also assigned to the new agency were the Munsee who had left the Delaware reserve and joined the Chippewa in 1859. The agency headquarters was located at Ottawa, Kans. The Ottawa Agency was made a special agency on March 24, 1864, responsible only for the Ottawa Indians, and the Chippewa and Munsee were transferred back to the Sac and Fox Agency. In 1865 the Great Nemaha, Oto, Omaha, Pawnee, and Upper Platte Agencies were transferred to the reorganized Northern Superintendency, whose office was moved from St. Paul, Minn., to Omaha, Nebr. This change left all of the remaining agencies under the Central Superintendency in Kansas.
For several years the status of the Upper Arkansas Agency had been confused, but in 1866 the agency was definitely located in Kansas (briefly at Fort Zarah and then at Fort Larned) and assigned to the Central Superintendency. The Neosho Agency was transferred from the Southern to the Central Superintendency in 1867. Established in 1851 as the successor to the Osage and Neosho Subagencies, the Neosho Agency had assumed responsibility for the Osage in southern Kansas and the Quapaw, Seneca, and Mixed Band of Seneca and Shawnee who lived on reserves east of the Neosho River in the Indian Territory. When Confederate troops invaded the Indian Territory during the Civil War, the agent moved to Kansas with many of the Quapaw, Seneca, and Shawnee. In 1864 a special agent was appointed by the Southern Superintendent for the refugee Indians in Kansas. After the war most of these Indians returned to the Indian Territory, and in 1865 the special agent established a branch of the Neosho Agency on Spring River. Under the treaty of February 23, 1867, Wyandot, Ottawa, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Piankeshaw, and other small groups of Indians gradually removed from Kansas to the old Quapaw, Seneca, and Shawnee reserves and were assigned to the Neosho Agency. The special branch of the agency in the Indian Territory, subordinate to the Neosho Agency still in Kansas, was often called the Neosho Agency, while the Neosho Agency itself was referred to as the Osage Agency.
In 1869 the Sac and Fox removed from Kansas to a new reservation west of the Creek Nation in the Indian Territory. Remaining in Kansas were the Chippewa and Munsee, who were not assigned to another agency until about 1867 when they were placed under the Potawatomi Agency. The new Sac and Fox Agency was located near the junction of the Deep Fork of the Canadian River and the Dry Fork. After 1874 the agency was also responsible for the Mexican Kickapoo.
In May 1869 the Wichita and Kiowa Agencies were temporarily consolidated under the Kiowa Agent and placed within the jurisdiction of the Central Superintendency. The Wichita Agency had been established in 1857 under the Southern Superintendency for the Wichita and other Indians who were to live in the Leased District in the Indian Territory. In 1869 its headquarters was located at the site of Anadarko. Attached to the agency were the Wichita, Caddo, Anadarko, Waco, Tonkawa, Hanai, Kichai, Tawakoni, and Delaware. The Kiowa Agency, previously unassigned to any Superintendency, had been established in 1864 principally for the Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, and Comanche in the region of the upper Arkansas River in western Kansas. By the Treaties of Medicine Lodge on October 21, 1867, these Indians agreed to settle on a reservation in the Leased District on land previously part of the reservation of the Indians of the Wichita Agency. In 1869 the agency was permanently located on Cache Creek near the site of Fort Sill. When a separate Wichita Agency was reestablished in July 1870, it remained within the Central Superintendency.
The Southern Superintendency was discontinued in 1870 and the Central Superintendent took over the duties that were stipulated by treaties with the Five Civilized Tribes. His responsibilities included the investigation of certain claims, and, particularly in the case of the Creek Agency, the selection of a site for agency buildings. Otherwise, agents for the Five Civilized Tribes reported directly to the central office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. On June 30, 1874, the Choctaw and Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole Agencies were consolidated with the Cherokee Agency. The practice of reporting directly to the central office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs continued under the new agent appointed on July 3d. The “Consolidated” Agency was renamed the Union Agency on December 22, 1874. The Union Agency headquarters was located at Muskogee in the eastern part of the Creek Nation.
In the meantime the number of agencies in Kansas was being reduced as the Indians moved to the Indian Territory and were attached to agencies in operation there. The Ottawa Agency was discontinued in 1867, the Delaware Agency in 1869, the Shawnee and Osage River Agencies in 1871, and the Kansas Agency in 1874. The Sac and Fox, Upper Arkansas (renamed Cheyenne and Arapahoe in 1874), and Osage (Neosho) Agencies were moved from Kansas to the Indian Territory when the Indians moved there. In 1869 a reservation for the Cheyenne and Arapaho was established on the North Fork of the Canadian River. The permanent headquarters of the Upper Arkansas Agency was established on the reservation in 1870 at the site of present-day Darlington.
In 1871 the Quapaw Agency relieved the branch of the Neosho Agency in the Indian Territory of responsibility for the Indians who had been living on reserves east of the Neosho River and for those formerly attached to the Osage River Agency. This change left only the Osage under the Neosho Agent. In 1871 and 1872 the Neosho Agency was moved from Kansas to the Indian Territory. In the latter year a permanent location for the agency headquarters was selected at Deep Fork on Bird Creek at the site of what is now Pawhuska.
By 1874 the Kaw tribe had settled on a tract of land detached from the northwestern corner of the Osage reservation in the Indian Territory. The old Kansas (Kaw) Agency was discontinued by Presidential order on June 12, 1874, and the Indians were assigned to the Neosho Agency along with the Osage Indians. The Kickapoo Agency was also abolished following the transfer of agency property on October 31, 1874, to the agent for the Potawatomi, who then assumed charge of the Kickapoo Indians. Thereafter, the Potawatomi Agency was often referred to as the agency for “Indians in Kansas.”
In 1876 a separate agency was reestablished for the Kaw Indians, with headquarters located at the Kaw Station in the Indian Territory. The independent agency for the Kaw was operated concurrently by the agent for the Osage, who received no salary increase under this arrangement. Also in 1876 the Pawnee Agency, now located on Black Bear Creek in the Indian Territory, was transferred from the Northern to the Central Superintendency.
Between April and July 1877 the Ponca were removed from Dakota to the Indian Territory, and in the latter month the agent began to report frequently to the Central Superintendent. The new agency was located on the Quapaw Reservation near Baxter Springs, Kans.
In October 1877 the agents under the jurisdiction of the Central Superintendency were instructed to report directly to the central office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1878 the superintendency was discontinued.
More detailed information on the administrative changes of the Central Superintendency is available in the National Archives Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-80 (1967).
The records of the Central Superintendency relate to almost all aspects of Indian administration within its jurisdiction. There are documents relating to negotiation and enforcement of treaties; land surveys and allotments; Indian removal; annuity and other payments; Indian delegations; intrusions on Indian lands; traders and licenses; enforcement of Federal laws and regulations; hostilities and military operations; depredation claims; location of agencies; school attendance and curricula; medical treatment; production at blacksmith, gunsmith, and wheelwright shops; construction and repair of buildings; and purchase and transportation of goods and supplies.
Most of the correspondence of the superintendency was conducted with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and with the agents in the superintendency. From 1858 to 1869, letters from the Commissioner constitute more than half of the incoming correspondence. Included with the correspondence from the Commissioner are letters from the Chief Clerk of the Office of Indian Affairs, as Acting Commissioner; the Secretary of the Interior; various letters forwarded by endorsements; circulars; and a few copies of letters sent. Among the correspondence from agents are letters from acting agents, agency clerks, nominees for position of agents, and former agents; agents' monthly reports and reports from agency employees; reports of changes of employees; and lists of school pupils. The superintendent also conducted correspondence with the Second Auditor and other Government officials, business firms, attorneys, real estate agents, Indians, teachers and other agency employees, the headquarters of the Department of the Missouri, and Army commanders at posts in the Indian Territory, Kansas, and Texas, and from the field.(2)
The records reproduced in this microfilm publication consist of the following records of the Central Superintendency:
1. Registers of Correspondence with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1847-66. In two volumes; (1) 1847-59 and (2) 1859-66. Each volume is divided into a section for letters received and a section for letters sent. Entries for letters received include date of receipt, date of letter, name of writer, and subject. Those for letters sent give date of letter, name of addressee, subject, and, until 1860, a page reference to the record copy of the letter. Entries in each section of each volume are arranged chronologically: by date of receipt for letters received and by date of letter for letters sent.
2. Registers of Letters Received from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1866-78. In two volumes: (1) 1866-77 and (2) 1877-78. The earlier entries give date of receipt, date of letter, name of writer, and subject. The later entries also include name of agency or tribe to which the letter relates; initials of the division or clerk in the Bureau, or that were indicated on the letter; and action taken. Entries are arranged chronologically by date of receipt of letter.
3. Records of the St. Louis Superintendency, 1813-50. These consist of letters received, copies of letters sent, contracts, lists of building materials, estimates of expenditures, vouchers, and related records. Only a few of the records are dated before 1823. They are arranged chronologically by date of document.
4. Letters Received, Contract Bids, Contracts, Accounts, and Related Records, 1851-78. The different kinds of records and their arrangement varies from year to year. For the period 1851-53 the arrangement is chronological by date of document. After 1854 the basic arrangement is by year, thereunder by kind of record or source, and thereunder chronologically by date of document. As far as possible, the various kinds of records, when extant, are grouped in the same order for each year. The most common kinds of records and their arrangement within any given year are as follows:
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Some of the letters were not registered; a few that were registered are missing from the files. Each letter endorsement usually shows the date of receipt, date of letter, name of writer, subject, and any action taken (such as the date on which it was answered, returned, or forwarded). Arranged chronologically by date of letter and thereunder by date of receipt.
Letters Received Relating to Agencies. Arranged alphabetically by name of agency, and thereunder chronologically by date of letter or other document. Special files on particular subjects, arranged chronologically by date of document, are reproduced following the agency files to which they closely relate.
Miscellaneous Letters Received. Arranged chronologically by date of letter. Special files that relate to more than one agency or tribe, arranged chronologically, are reproduced following the miscellaneous letters sent.
Letters Received From Army Field Commands. Included are letters from the headquarters of the Department of the Missouri; from posts in the Indian Territory, Kansas, and Texas; and from the field. Arranged chronologically by date of letter.
Contract Bids. There are bids to furnish and transport supplies and to construct agency buildings. Bids are arranged according to accompanying abstracts; or by date of bid advertisements, and thereunder in chronological order by date of bid; or strictly chronologically by date of bid.
Contracts. Often these are accompanied by bonds and other related records. Particularly for early years, the contracts are sometimes dispersed throughout the record. Contracts maintained in separate files are arranged chronologically according to the dates on which they were concluded.
Estimates of Funds. Estimates for the office of the Central Superintendent precede those grouped alphabetically by name of agency or Indian tribe; thereunder they are arranged by fiscal quarter.
Tabular Statements of Funds Remitted. Included for funds remitted to the superintendent are accounting heads, names of tribes concerned, purposes of expenditures, amounts for each purpose, totals, and other data. They are arranged chronologically by date of statement or by the original numbering system that roughly follows the order in which the statements were compiled.
Letters and Notices of Requisitions and Drafts Received From the Treasury Department. These are arranged chronologically by date of letter or notice.
Accounting Records. These consist of statements of funds received and disbursed, statements of account current, abstracts, vouchers, receipts, invoices, bills of lading, and other records. They were generally maintained in separate files but also dispersed throughout the letters received, particularly during the 1850's and 1860's. Closely related records are often grouped together (statements of account current - abstracts - vouchers, or vouchers - receipts - bills of lading). The records in separate files are arranged alphabetically by name of agency, and thereunder chronologically by date of controlling or individual document; or strictly chronologically by date of controlling or individual document; or in original numerical series; or a combination of the above.
5. Registers of Letters and Endorsements Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, February 1, 1866-January 12, 1878. 3 vols. The earlier entries for individual letters give date, name of addressee, and subject. The later entries include the name of the agency or tribe concerned, a page reference to the record copy of the letter, and an indication of the action taken by the superintendent on letters that were received from agents and forwarded by him. The entries are arranged roughly in chronological order by date of letter.
6. Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, May 23, 1855-January 31, 1867. 7 vols. These handwritten copies are arranged roughly in chronological order.
7. Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, September 25, 1875-January 15, 1878. 6 vols. These press copies are arranged chronologically. There is a chronological register in the first volume.
8. Letters Sent to Agents, October 4, 1858-August 22, 1871 (2 vols. of handwritten copies) and June 28, 1873-December 25, 1873, and September 4, 1875-January 8, 1878 (7 vols. of press copies). Arranged chronologically.
9. Registers of Letters Sent to Agents, February 1, 1876- January 8, 1878. 3 vols. Entries for individual letters give date of letter, page reference to press copy of letter, agency to which the letter relates, and subject. Entries are arranged chronologically by date of letter.
10. Miscellaneous Letters Sent, July 25, 1853-July 11, 1871 (2 vols. of handwritten copies) and February 1, 1876-January 12, 1878 (3 vols. of press copies). The letters are arranged chronologically.
11. Unbound Drafts and Copies of Letters Sent, 1866, 1868, and 1875. These are addressed to the Commissioner and other persons and are arranged chronologically.
12. Superintendent's Reports, 1874-78. Most of the reports refer to changes in employees. They are arranged chronologically.
13. Statements of Funds Deceived and other Statements, 1868- 78. 1 vol. From 1868 until 1875 this volume was used for statements of funds received. For 1872 there is also a chronological record of disbursements. During 1876, 1877j and January 1878, the volume was used for statements concerning weekly and monthly financial reports sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, beef and flour delivered at agencies, vouchers issued, contracts awarded, and other subjects. Entries are arranged by type of statement and thereunder for the most part chronologically.
14. Tabular Statements of Funds Remitted, 1876-77. 1 vol. These are copies of statements prepared in the Washington office of the Bureau and of statements compiled from information in the Treasury Department letters. They are arranged chronologically by date of receipt.
15. Statements of Receipts and Disbursements, 1872-78. 2 vols. The volumes are also known as cashbooks. They are records of funds received by the superintendent and the disposition made of them. Receipts and disbursements, respectively, are entered in the volumes on facing pages; entries for each are arranged chronologically.
16. Ledger for Receipts and Disbursements, 1874-78. 1 vol. The volume consists of accounts of funds received by the superintendent and of the disposition made of them. They are arranged by quarter, thereunder by appropriation item, and thereunder chronologically. There are incomplete chronological and alphabetical indexes.
17. Abstracts of Disbursements, 1849-76. 3 vols. Entries for individual disbursements usually give date, voucher number, name of person to whom payment was made, amounts under different accounting headings, total amount, and purpose of expenditure. Included are recapitulations, statements of account current, and other information. They are arranged chronologically by quarter, and thereunder by appropriation item.
18. Statements of Account Current, 1849-67. 1 vol. These statements of the United States in account current with the superintendent are arranged chronologically. Included are statements of the superintendent in account current with the Assistant Treasurer at St. Louis for 1858.
19. Statements of Account Current and Property Returns, 1853-65. 2 vols. Each volume is divided into two parts: (1) for statements of account current and (2) for property returns. There are statements of account current with the superintendent for agencies, tribes, and special purposes; arranged roughly in chronological order by date of first entry. The entries in individual accounts are arranged chronologically. There is an index in each volume. The property returns give information concerning the amounts of different kinds of goods received, issued, or on hand; they are arranged chronologically.
20. Property Returns, 1865-76. 1 vol. These are arranged chronologically.
21. Letters Sent by the Disbursing Agent at St. Louis, 1834-40. 3 vols. These handwritten copies are arranged chronologically. Included in the individual volumes are chronological registers.
The records reproduced in this microfilm publication are part of the records in the National Archives designated as Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75, Related records in the same record group reproduced on microfilm include Registers of Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880 (M18); Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880 (M234); Letters Sent by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1881 (M21); Report Books of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1838-1885 (M348); Special Files of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1807-1904 (M574); and Documents Relating to the Negotiation of Ratified and Unratified Treaties With Various Indian Tribes, 1801-1869 (T494).
Related records in Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Record Group 48, include Letters Sent by the Indian Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1849-1903 (M606); and Letters Received by the Indian Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1849-1907.
Records have also been microfilmed for other superintendencies: Michigan, 1814-51 (M1); New Mexico, 1849-80 (T21); Oregon, 1848-73 (M2); Washington, 1853-74 (M5); Southern, 1832-70 (M640); Arizona, 1863-73 (M734); and Minnesota, 1849-56 (M842).
The records reproduced in this microfilm publication were prepared for filming by Richard C. Crawford, who also wrote these introductory remarks and provided other editorial material.
Footnotes
(1) Location references are to present-day State boundaries.
(2) Included among both the letters received and sent are some press copies that are faded or illegible.
Commissioners of Indian Affairs
Name: Date of Appointment
Luke Lea: July 1, 1850
George W. Manypenny: Mar. 24, 1853
James W. Denver: Apr. 17, 1857
Charles E. Mix: June 14, 1858
James W. Denver: Nov. 8, 1858
Alfred B. Greenwood: May 4, 1859
William P. Dole: Mar. 13, 1861
Dennis N. Cooley: July 10, 1865
Lewis V. Bogy: Nov. 1, 1866
Nathaniel G. Taylor: Mar. 29, 1867
Ely S. Parker: Apr. 21, 1869
Francis A. Walker: Nov. 21, 1871
Edward P. Smith: Mar. 20, 1873
John Q. Smith: Dec. 11, 1875
Ezra A. Hayt: Sept. 27, 1877
David D. Mitchell: Mar. 13, 1851
Alfred Cumming: Apr. 23, 1853
John Haverty: Aug. 19, 1857
Alexander M. Robinson: Mar. 1, 1858
Harrison B. Branch: Apr. 8, 1861
William M. Albin: Mar. 2, 1864
Thomas Murphy: July 1, 1865
Enoch Hoag: Apr. 22, 1869
William Nicholson: Jan. 19, 1876
Contents List
Microfilm List
ABBREVIATIONS: KSHS = Kansas State Historical Society, NA = National Archives
|
NA ROLL# |
KSHS ROLL # |
DESCRIPTION |
DATES |
|
1 |
MF 6903 |
Registers of Correspondence With the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Volumes 1 and 2 |
1847-66 |
|
1 |
MF 6903 |
Registers of Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Volumes 1 and 2 |
1866-78 |
|
2 |
MF 6904 |
Records of the St. Louis Superintendency |
1813-50 |
|
3 |
MF 6905 |
Contracts, Records Concerning Accounts; Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Records Relating to Agencies, and Miscellaneous Records |
1851-57 |
|
4 |
MF 6906 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1858 |
|
5 |
MF 6907 |
Records Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, Contract Bids, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1858 |
|
6 |
MF 6908 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1859 |
|
7 |
MF 6909 |
Records Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1859 |
|
8 |
MF 6910 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1860 |
|
9 |
MF 6911 |
Records Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Letters Received Relating to Surveys of Lands in Kansas |
1860 |
|
10 |
MF 6912 |
Contract Bids, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1860 |
|
11 |
MF 6913 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1861 |
|
12 |
MF 6914 |
Letters Received Relating to Agencies |
1861 |
|
13 |
MF 6915 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received, Letters Received Relating to Surveys of Lands in Kansas, Contract Bids, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1861 |
|
14 |
MF 6916 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1862 |
|
15 |
MF 6917 |
Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1862 |
|
16 |
MF 6918 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1863 |
|
17 |
MF 6919 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1864 |
|
18 |
MF 6920 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Correspondence Relating to Councils With the Upper Arkansas Indians |
1865 |
|
19 |
MF 6921 |
Records Concerning Accounts |
1865 |
|
20 |
MF 6922 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1866 |
|
21 |
MF 6923 |
Letters Received Relating to Agencies and From Special Agents, Miscellaneous Letters Received, Contract Bids, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1866 |
|
22 |
MF 6924 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and Letters Received Relating to Agencies |
1867 |
|
23 |
MF 6925 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received, Statistics, Contract Bids, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1867 |
|
24 |
MF 6926 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1868 |
|
25 |
MF 6927 |
Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1868 |
|
26 |
MF 6928 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1869 |
|
27 |
MF 6929 |
Letters Received Relating to Agencies, Miscellaneous Letters Received, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1869 |
|
28 |
MF 6930 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1870 |
|
29 |
MF 6931 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cherokee, Creek, Delaware, Kansas (Kaw), Kickapoo, Kiowa, and Neosho (Indian Territory and Kansas) Agencies |
1870 |
|
30 |
MF 6932 |
Letters Received Relating to the Osage River, Pawnee, Potawatomi, Sac and Fox, Seminole, Shawnee, Upper Arkansas, and Wichita Agencies; and Records Relating to an Investigation of the Ottawa University |
1870 |
|
31 |
MF 6933 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received, Records of the General Council of the Indian Territory, Letters Received From Army Field Commands, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1870 |
|
32 |
MF 6934 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1871 |
|
33 |
MF 6935 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
1871 |
|
34 |
MF 6936 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw, Creek, Kansas (Kaw), Kickapoo, Kiowa, and Neosho (Indian Territory and Kansas) Agencies |
1871 |
|
35 |
MF 6937 |
Letters Received Relating to the Osage River, Potawatomi, Quapaw, Sac and Fox, Shawnee, Upper Arkansas, and Wichita Agencies |
1871 |
|
36 |
MF 6938 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.- June) |
1871 |
|
37 |
MF 6939 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.), Letters Received Relating to the General Council of the Indian Territory, and Letters Received From Army Field Commands |
1871 |
|
38 |
MF 6940 |
Contracts and Records Concerning Accounts |
1871 |
|
39 |
MF 6941 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1872 |
|
40 |
MF 6942 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
18?2 |
|
41 |
MF 6943 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw, Creek, Kansas (Kaw), Kickapoo, Kiowa, Neosho (Osage), and Potawatomi Agencies |
1872 |
|
42 |
MF 6944 |
Letters Received Relating to the Quapaw, Sac and Fox, Seminole, Shawnee, Upper Arkansas, and Wichita Agencies |
1872 |
|
43 |
MF 6945 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.-June) |
1872 |
|
44 |
MF 6946 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.), Letters Received From Army Field Commands, Contract Bids, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1872 |
|
45 |
MF 6947 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1873 |
|
46 |
MF 6948 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
1873 |
|
47 |
MF 6949 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw, Creek, Kansas (Kaw), Kickapoo, and Kiowa Agencies |
1873 |
|
48 |
MF 6950 |
Letters Received Relating to the Neosho (Osage), Potawatomi, Quapaw, and Sac and Fox Agencies |
1873 |
|
49 |
MF 6951 |
Letters Received Relating to the Seminole, Upper Arkansas, and Wichita Agencies |
1873 |
|
50 |
MF 6952 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.-June) |
1873 |
|
51 |
MF 6953 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.), Telegrams Received and Sent, and Letters Received From Army Field Commands |
1873 |
|
52 |
MF 6954 |
Contract Bids, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1873 |
|
53 |
MF 6955 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1874 |
|
54 |
MF 6956 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
1874 |
|
55 |
MF 6957 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cherokee, Consolidated Five Civilized Tribes, Kaw, Kickapoo, Kiowa, and Mexican Kickapoo Agencies |
1874 |
|
56 |
MF 6958 |
Letters Received Relating to the Neosho (Osage), Potawatomi, and Quapaw Agencies; and Records Relating to Osage Indians Killed by the Kansas State Militia on Aug. 7, 1874 |
1874 |
|
57 |
MF 6959 |
Letters Received Relating to the Sac and Fox, Seminole, Upper Arkansas, and Wichita Agencies |
1874 |
|
58 |
MF 6960 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.-June) |
1874 |
|
59 |
MF 6961 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.), Letters Received From Army Field Commands, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1874 |
|
60 |
MF 6962 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs |
1875 |
|
61 |
MF 6963 |
Letters Received Relating to the “Agency of the Captive Indians of the Indian Territory” and to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency |
1875 |
|
62 |
MF 6964 |
Letters Received Relating to the Agency for Indians in Kansas (Potawatomi Agency) and the Kiowa Agency |
1875 |
|
63 |
MF 6965 |
Letters Received Relating to the Osage Agency |
1875 |
|
64 |
MF 6966 |
Letters Received Relating to the Quapaw and the Sac and Fox Agencies |
1875 |
|
65 |
MF 6967 |
Letters Received Relating to the Union and the Wichita Agencies |
1875 |
|
66 |
MF 6968 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.-June) |
1875 |
|
67 |
MF 6969 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.), Letters Received From Army Field Commands, Contract Bids, and Contracts |
1875 |
|
68 |
MF 6970 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1876 |
|
69 |
MF 6971 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
1876 |
|
70 |
MF 6972 |
Letters Received Relating to the “Agency of the Captive Indians of the Indian Territory” and to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency |
1876 |
|
71 |
MF 6973 |
Letters Received Relating to the Agency for Indians in Kansas (Potawatomi Agency) and the Kiowa Agency |
1876 |
|
72 |
MF 6974 |
Letters Received Relating to the Osage and Kaw Agencies |
1876 |
|
73 |
MF 6975 |
Letters Received Relating to the Pawnee and the Quapaw Agencies |
1876 |
|
74 |
MF 6976 |
Letters Received Relating to the Sac and Fox and the Union Agencies |
1876 |
|
75 |
MF 6977 |
Letters Received Relating to the Wichita Agency |
1876 |
|
76 |
MF 6978 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received, Letters Received From Army Field Commands, Contract Bids, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1876 |
|
77 |
MF 6979 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Jan.-June) |
1877 |
|
78 |
MF 6980 |
Letters Received From the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (July-Dec.) |
1877 |
|
79 |
MF 6981 |
Letters Received Relating to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency and the Agency for Indians in Kansas (Potawatomi Agency) |
1877 |
|
80 |
MF 6982 |
Letters Received Relating to the Kiowa Agency |
1877 |
|
81 |
MF 6983 |
Letters Received Relating to the Osage and Kaw Agencies |
1877 |
|
82 |
MF 6984 |
Letters Received Relating to the Pawnee and the Ponca Agencies |
1877 |
|
83 |
MF 6985 |
Letters Received Relating to the Quapaw and the Sac and Fox Agencies |
1877 |
|
84 |
MF 6986 |
Letters Received Relating to the Union and the Wichita Agencies |
1877 |
|
85 |
MF 6987 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (Jan.-June) |
1877 |
|
86 |
MF 6988 |
Miscellaneous Letters Received (July- Dec.) and Letters Received From Army Field Commands |
1877 |
|
87 |
MF 6989 |
Contract Bids, Contracts, and Records Concerning Accounts |
1877 |
|
88 |
MF 6990 |
Vouchers and Receipts |
1877 |
|
89 |
MF 6991 |
Supply Reports |
1877 |
|
89 |
MF 6991 |
Letters Received and Related Records |
1878 |
|
89 |
MF 6991 |
Miscellaneous Records Relating to Indian Lands in Kansas |
ca. 1866-1875 |
|
90 |
MF 6992 |
Registers, of Letters and Endorsements Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Volumes 1-3 |
Feb. 1, 1866 - Jan. 12, 1878 |
|
91 |
MF 6993 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Handwritten Copies), Volumes 1 and 2 |
May 23, 1855 - Feb. 5, 1863 |
|
92 |
MF 6994 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Handwritten Copies), Volumes 3 and 4 |
Feb. 14, 1863 - Apr. 10, 1871 |
|
93 |
MF 6995 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Handwritten Copies), Volume 5 |
Apr. 12, 1871 - Feb. 21, 1874 |
|
94 |
MF 6996 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Handwritten Copies), Volumes 6 and 7 |
Feb. 21, 1874 - Jan. 31, 1876 |
|
95 |
MF 6997 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Press Copies), Volumes 1 and 2 |
Sept. 25, 1875 - June 30, 1876 |
|
96 |
MF 6998 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Press Copies), Volumes 3 and 4 |
Feb. 14, 1863 - Apr. 10, 1871 |
|
97 |
MF 6999 |
Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Press Copies), Volumes 5 and 6 |
Apr. 17, 1877 - Jan. 15, 1878 |
|
98 |
MF 7000 |
Letters Sent to Agents (Handwritten Copies), Volumes 1 and 2 |
Oct. 4, 1858 - Aug. 22, 1871 |
|
99 |
MF 7001 |
Letters Sent to Agents (Press Copies), Volumes 1 and 2 |
June 28, 1873 - Dec. 25, 1873 and Sept. 4, 1875 - Jan. 31, 1876 |
|
99 |
MF 7001 |
Registers of Letters Sent to Agents Volumes 1-3 |
Feb. 1, 1876 Jan. 8, 1878 |
|
100 |
MF 7002 |
Letters Sent to Agents (Press Copies), Volumes 3 and 4 |
Feb. 1, 1876 - Mar. 3, 1877 |
|
101 |
MF 7003 |
Letters Sent to Agents (Press Copies), Volumes 5-7 |
Mar. 3, 1877 - Jan. 8, 1878 |
|
102 |
MF 7004 |
Miscellaneous Letters Sent (Handwritten Copies), Volumes 1 and 2 |
July 25, 1853 - July 11, 1871 |
|
103 |
MF 7005 |
Miscellaneous Letters Sent (Press Copies), Volume 1 |
Feb. 1, 1876 - Mar. 16, 1877 |
|
104 |
MF 7006 |
Miscellaneous Letters Sent (Press Copies), Volumes 2 and 3 |
Mar. 16, 1877 - Jan. 12, 1878 |
|
104 |
MF 7006 |
Unbound Drafts and Copies of Letters |
1866, 1868, and 1875 |
|
104 |
MF 7006 |
Superintendent's Reports |
1874-78 |
|
105 |
MF 7007 |
Statements of Funds Received and Other Statements |
1868-78 |
|
105 |
MF 7007 |
Tabular Statements of Funds Remitted |
1876-77 |
|
105 |
MF 7007 |
Statements of Receipts and Disbursements, Volumes 1 and 2 |
1872-78 |
|
105 |
MF 7007 |
Ledger for Receipts and Disbursements |
1874-78 |
|
106 |
MF 7008 |
Abstracts of Disbursements, Volumes 1-3 |
1849-76 |
|
107 |
MF 7009 |
Statements of Account Current |
1849-67 |
|
107 |
MF 7009 |
Statements of Account Current and Property Returns, Volumes 1 and 2 |
1853-65 |
|
107 |
MF 7009 |
Property Returns |
1865-76 |
|
108 |
MF 7010 |
Letters Sent by the Disbursing Agent at St. Louis, Volumes 1-3 |
Aug. 1, 1834 - May 5, 1840 |
