Bureau of Indian Affairs 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, commonly called the Office of Indian Affairs until 1947, was created within the War Department in 1824 where it operated until 1849. In 1849 the Office of Indian Affairs was transferred to the Department of Interior, where it remains today. General correspondence and records of the BIA are filed under Record Group 75 and include reports, vital statistics, tribal census rolls, probate records, annuity and allotment records, accounting records, individual case files, and school records.

Supervision of Indian affairs was achieved through two types of field jurisdiction--superintendencies and agencies. Responsibility for Indian affairs in geographic areas fell to superintendents whose main duty was to supervise relations among Indian peoples and to supervise conduct of Indian agents.

Initially agents were viewed as diplomatic representatives of the United States, preserving and restoring peace among Indian peoples and non-Indians, while inducing Indian nations to cede their lands to the federal government. During the reservation era, their roles shifted toward the education and civilization of Indian peoples. The Bureau of Indian Affairs continues to operate offices at all of the South Dakota Agencies listed below.

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Letters Received, 1861-1880 (M18).

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1861 56 4894
1861 57 4895
1862 58 4896
1862 59 4897
1863 60 4898
1863 61 4899
1864 62 4900
1864 63 4901
1865 64 4902
1865 65 4903
1866 66 4904
1866 67 4905
1866 68 4906
1867 69 4907
1867 70 4908
1867 71 4909
1867 72 4910
1868 73 4911
1868 74 4912
1868 75 4913
1868 76 4914
1869 77 4915
1869 78 4916
1869 79 4917
1869 80 4918
1870 81 4919
1870 82 4920
1870 83 4921
1870 84 4922
1871 85 4923
1871 86 4924
1871 87 4925
1871 88 4926
1872 89 4927
1872 90 4928
1872 91 4929
1872 92 4930
1873 93 4931
1873 94 4932
1873 95 4933
1873 96 4934
1874 97 4935
1874 98 4936
1874 99 4937
1874 100 4938
1875 101 4939
1875 102 4940
1875 103 4941
1875 104 4942
1876 105 4943
1876 106 4944
1876 107 4945
1876 108 4946
1877 109 4947
1877 110 4948
1877 111 4949
1877 112 4950
1878 113 4951
1878 114 4952
1878 115 4953
1878 116 4954
1879 117 4955
1879 118 4956
1879 119 4957
1879 120 4958
1879 121 4959
1880 122 4960
1880 123 4961
1880 124 4962
1880 125 4963
1880 126 4964

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Letters Received, 1881-1907 (P2186).

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1881 1 4581
1881 2 4582
1881 3 4583
1881-82 4 4584
1882 5 4585
1882 6 4586
1882 7 4587
1882-83 8 4588
1883 9 4589
1883 10 4590
1883-84 11 4591
1884 12 4592
1884 13 4593
1884 14 4594
1884-85 15 4595
1885 16 4596
1885 17 4597
1885 18 4598
1885-86 19 4599
1886 20 4600
1886 21 4601
1886 22 4602
1886 23 4603
1886-87 24 4604
1887 25 4605
1887 26 4606
1887 27 4607
1887 28 4608
1888 29 4609
1888 30 4610
1888 31 4611
1888 32 4612
1888-89 33 4613
1889 34 4614
1889 35 4615
1889 36 4616
1889 37 4617
1889-90 38 4618
1890 39 4619
1890 40 4620
1890 41 4621
1890 42 4622
1890-91 43 4623
1891 44 4624
1891 45 4625
1891 46 4626
1891 47 4627
1891 48 4628
1891-92 49 4629
1892 50 4630
1892 51 4631
1892 52 4632
1892 53 4633
1892 54 4634
1892 55 4635
1893 56 4636
1893 57 4637
1893 58 4638
1893 59 4639
1893 60 4640
1893-94 61 4641
1894 62 4642
1894 63 4643
1894 64 4644
1894 65 4645
1894 66 4646
1894-95 67 4647
1895 68 4648
1895 69 4649
1895 70 4650
1895 71 4651
1895 72 4652
1895 73 4653
1895-96 74 4654
1896 75 4655
1896 76 4656
1896 77 4657
1896 78 4658
1896 79 4659
1897 80 4660
1897 81 4661
1897 82 4662
1897 83 4663
1897 84 4664
1897-98 85 4665
1898 86 4666
1898 87 4667
1898 88 4668
1898 89 4669
1898 90 4670
1898-99 91 4671
1899 92 4672
1899 93 4673
1899 94 4674
1899 95 4675
1899-00 96 4676
1900 97 4677
1900 98 4678
1900 99 4679
1900 100 4680
1900 101 4681
1900-01 102 4682
1901 103 4683
1901 104 4684
1901 105 4685
1901 106 4686
1901 107 4687
1901 108 4688
1901-02 109 4689
1902 110 4690
1902 111 4691
1902 112 4692
1902 113 4693
1902 114 4694
1902-03 115 4695
1903 116 4696
1903 117 4697
1903 118 4698
1903 119 4699
1903 120 4700
1903 121 4701
1903-04 122 4702
1904 123 4703
1904 124 4704
1904 125 4705
1904 126 4706
1904 127 4707
1904-05 128 4708
1905 129 4709
1905 130 4710
1905 131 4711
1905 132 4712
1905 133 4713
1905 134 4714
1905-06 135 4715
1906 136 4716
1906 137 4717
1906 138 4718
1906 139 4719
1906-07 140 4720
1907 141 4721
1907 142 4722
1907 143 4723
1907 144 4724
1905-06 145 4725
1906 146 4726
1906-07 147 4727

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Letters Received - Index, 1881-1907 (P2187).

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1881-86, A-K 1 4546
1881-86, L-Z 2 4547
1887-92, A-C 3 4548
1887-92, D-G 4 4549
1887-92, H-L 5 4550
1887-92, M-P 6 4551
1887-92, Q-S 7 4552
1887-92, T-Z 8 4553
1893-99, A-C 9 4554
1893-99, D-F 10 4555
1893-99, G-J 11 4556
1893-99, K-M 12 4557
1893-99, N-Q 13 4558
1893-99, R-S 14 4559
1893-99, T-Z 15 4560
1900-06, A-B 16 4561
1900-06, C-D 17 4562
1900-06, E-F 18 4563
1900-06, G-H 19 4564
1900-06, I-K 20 4565
1900-06, L-M 21 4566
1900-06, N-O 22 4567
1900-06, P-R 23 4568
1900-06, S 24 4569
1900-06, T-Z 25 4570
1907, A-B 26 4571
1907, C-D 27 4572
1907, E-F 28 4573
1907, G-H 29 4574
1907, I-K 30 4575
1907, L-M 31 4576
1907, N-O 32 4577
1907, P-R 33 4578
1907, S 34 4579
1907, T-Z 35 4580

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Letters Sent, 1860-1881 (M-21).

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1860-61 65 4750
1861 66 4751
1861-62 67 4752
1862 68 4753
1862-63 69 4754
1863 70 4755
1863 71 4756
1863-64 72 4757
1864 73 4758
1864 74 4759
1864 75 4760
1864-65 76 4761
1865 77 4762
1865 78 4763
1865-66 79 4764
1866 80 4765
1866 81 4766
1866-67 82 4767
1867 83 4768
1867 84 4769
1867-68 85 4770
1868 86 4771
1868 87 4772
1868-69 88 4773
1869 89 4774
1869 90 4775
1869 91 4776
1869 92 4777
1869-70 93 4778
1869-70 94 4779
1870 95 4780
1870 96 4781
1870 97 4782
1870 98 4783
1871 99 4784
1870-71 100 4785
1871 101 4786
1871 102 4787
1871-72 103 4788
1871 104 4789
1871-72 105 4790
1872 106 4791
1872 107 4792
1872 108 4793
1872-73 109 4794
1872-73 110 4795
1873 111 4796
1873 112 4797
1873 113 4798
1873 114 4799
1873-74 115 4800
1873-74 116 4801
1874 117 4802
1874 118 4803
1874 119 4804
1874 120 4805
1874 121 4806
1874-75 122 4807
1874-75 123 4808
1875 124 4809
1875 125 4810
1875 126 4811
1875 127 4812
1875-76 128 4813
1875-76 129 4814
1876 130 4815
1876 131 4816
1876-77 132 4817
1876 133 4818
1876-77 134 4819
1876 135 4820
1877 136 4821
1876-77 137 4822
1877-78 138 4823
1877 139 4824
1877-78 140 4825
1877 141 4826
1878 142 4827
1878 143 4828
1878-79 144 4829
1877-78 145 4830
1878-79 146 4831
1879 147 4832
1879 148 4833
1879 149 4834
1879 150 4835
1879-80 151 4836
1879-80 152 4837
1878 153 4838
1879-80 154 4839
1880 155 4840
1878 156 4841
1880 157 4842
1880-81 158 4843
1880-82 159 4844
1878-79 160 4845
1879 161 4846
1880-81 162 4847
1879 163 4848
1879-80 164 4849
1880 165 4850
1880-81 166 4851

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Publications

Title Location
Office of Indian Affairs Bulletins, 1921-23. (H82-73) box 3600A
American Indians and the Federal Relationship; Plus a Partial Listing of Other United States Indian Groups. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1972. E93. A52
Biographical and Historical Index of American Indians and Persons Involved in Indian Affairs. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1966. Research Room Z1209. U494
Federal Indian Policies, from the Colonial Period through the early 1970’s. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1975. Oversize E93. U6388
Indians of the Central Plains. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1968. E78.K16 U5
Indians of Montana, Wyoming. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1977. E78.M9 U5
Department of the Interior, Reports of the Board of Indian Commissioners, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1869-1932. E93. U58
Letter from the Secretary of the Interior, Communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of December 8, 1879, information in relation to the number of mining camps located on the Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado. Washington, 1880. E99. U8 U5
Peyote. Bulletin 21. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Office of Indian Affairs, 1929. E98. R3 U52
Preliminary inventory of the records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Washington, 1965. CD3026. A32 no. 163
Regulations Relating to the Determination of Heirs and Approval of wills, except members of Five Civilized Tribes and Osage Indians. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1915.

 

 E98. P9 U7 1915
Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1824-1939 E98. U72
School facilities on the Sioux Indian reservation; letter from the Secretary of the Interior, submitting a report as to the probable cost of providing adequate school facilities for the children of the Sioux tribes. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1917. E97.5.U51
Special files of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1807-1904. Washington: GSA, 1971. E93. U5 S64
Welsh, William. Report of a visit to the Sioux and Ponka Indians of the Missouri River/ made by William Welsh to the Secretary of the Interior. July 1872. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1872. E99. D1 G6 W5 R2

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Report Books of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1860-1885 (M348).

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1860-62 12 4852
1862-64 13 4853
1864-65 14 4854
1865-66 15 4855
1866-67 16 4856
1867-68 17 4857
1868-69 18 4858
1869-70 19 4859
1870-71 20 4860
1871-72 21 4861
1872-73 22 4862
1873-74 23 4863
1874 24 4864
1874-75 25 4865
1875 26 4866
1875-76 27 4867
1876-77 28 4868
1877 29 4869
1878 30 4870
1878 31 4871
1879 32 4872
1878-1882 33 4873
1879 34 4874
1879 35 4875
1880 36 4876
1880 37 4877
1880-81 38 4878
1881 39 4879
1881 40 4880
1882 41 4881
1882 42 4882
1882 43 4883
1882-83 44 4884
1883 45 4885
1883-84 46 4886
1884 47 4887
1884 48 4888
1884 49 4889
1884-85 50 4890
1885 51 4891
1885 52 4892
1885 53 4893

 Special Files of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1807-1904 (M574). 85 rolls. Inventory available from NARA.

Dates NARA roll # SD Archives roll #
1832-57 1 1519
1837-58 2 1519
1831-58 3 1520
1834-53 5 1520
1812-58 6 1521
1831-56 8 1521
1853-57 10 1522
1830-57 18 1522
1854-62 22 1523
1834-59 26 1524
1840-65 43 1525
1829-57 44 1526
1851-1900 62 1527
1838-78 63 1528
1848-78 65 1528
1836-88 66 1529
1861-79 67 1530
1870-78 68 1531
1835-79 69 1531
1852-81 72 1532
1834-85 73 1533
1877-85 74 1534
1854-86 75 1535

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SD State Archives,  605-773-3804, fax 605-773-6041; email archref@state.sd.us