Originally established as Red Cloud Agency in 1871, it was located on the North Platte River near Fort Laramie in eastern Wyoming and was primarily responsible for the Oglala band of the Lakota. In 1873 the agency moved to the White River near Camp Robinson in Nebraska; in 1877, to the Missouri River at the mouth of Medicine Creek in present day South Dakota; and in 1878, to White Clay Creek where it became know as Pine Ridge Agency. Prominent among Oglala leaders were Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, American Horse, Young Man Afraid of His Horses, Little Wound, and Conquering Bear. These men defended their homelands against the encroachment of non-Indians in the latter part of the 19th Century and became famous for their efforts. In 1890 the Wounded Knee Massacre ended widespread, armed conflict between the United States government and the Lakota. Today Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the 2nd largest American Indian population in the United States. Located in southwestern South Dakota, it has a land base of 1.7 million acres and stretches across Shannon and Jackson counties. Billy Mills, 1964 Olympic gold medal winner in the 10,000-meter race, was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Indian Census Rolls, 1892-1924 (M595). (Sioux and Cheyenne Indians)
(Oglala Sioux Indians)
Correspondence and Related Records Concerning Law Enforcement, 1905-1926 (Bulk 1910-1925). These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.Arranged by case file number. Case files 3-540 (with gaps) are included. One unnumbered file is at the start of the series. The files contain originals and copies of correspondence relating to agency investigations of lawbreaking on the reservation. Some files also included related documentation such as affidavits or informal testimony of witnesses. There are also some oaths of office of agency employees. Other files are empty, but are labeled with the case number and name. Correspondents include the superintendent, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and other Office of Indian Affairs officials, the US Attorney and Assistant Attorney for South Dakota, US Marshalls, the Secretary of the Interior, reservation stock detectives, alleged lawbreakers, witnesses and others. Some of these cases were taken to the US Attorney for possible prosecution in the Federal Courts; most appear to have been resolved locally by the superintendent. Among the subjects dealt with are criminal and non-criminal matters, including land leases, land improvements, the liquor traffic, tax payments, the use of peyote, theft, trespass, assault, forgery, threats exchanged between Indians and between Indians and non-Indians, larceny, rape, murder, suicide, automobile accidents, delinquent students and escaped and wanted criminals. See Series 73 (Criminal Case Files) for law enforcement files covering the years after 1926.
Field Notes of Boundary Surveys, 1875-1905. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.Arranged chronologically by survey, thereunder all surveys are arranged by township and range number. The following listing is arranged in the order the item appears on each roll of microfilm and is not in chronological order.
General Correspondence: by subject, 1905-1926. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by subject heading and thereunder chronologically by date of letter. These records are closely related in content and form to the correspondence described in Series 7 (General Correspondence, Alphabetical). This series is arranged strictly by subject, however, with each subject assigned a separate folder or folders. Together the two series comprise the agency’s main correspondence files between 1907 and the final commitment to a decimal file in 1925-26. Most replies to letters received between ca. 1905-June 30, 1914, and in Series 6 (Copies of Miscellaneous Letters Sent). Replies to letters received from July 1, 1914-ca. 1926 are usually found with the letter received, in this series. Most of the correspondence is typescript, but some is in manuscript. Some folders have a table of contents on the reverse side.
Letters (Miscellaneous) Sent by the Agents or Superintendents at the Pine Ridge Indian Agency, 1876-1914 (M1229).
Letters Sent to the Office of Indian Affairs by the Agents or Superintendents at the Pine Ridge Agency, 1874-1914 (M1282)
Letters Received, Miscellaneous, 1871-1907. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.The correspondence is arranged chronologically by date of letter through 1890; from 1891 it is arranged alphabetically by surname of sender; from 1896 it is again arranged chronologically. These letters, addressed to the Pine Ridge Agent, were from military officers; commercial suppliers (bills, receipts and bills of lading are sometimes included); the Office of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Dakota (at Yukon); other Indian agencies; US Marshals; other Government officials; agency employees (including education officials such as the Superintendent of Oglala Boarding School); US consulates in Europe and Australia; Indians residing on the Pine Ridge Reservation and elsewhere; missionaries; the Secretary of the Interior; the Board of Indian Commissioners; and other persons doing business with or interested in the Pine Ridge Agency. Also included are a few Treasury Department notices of requisitions drawn for agency funds, inventories of agency stock, and letters received from the Treasury Department and the OIA concerning the agency’s accounts. In some boxes documents relating to supply accounts will be found in a separate folder. All aspects of the business of the agency were discussed in this correspondence, including Indians abandoned in Europe or Australia by wild west shows, employment applications, reports from subordinate agency employees, financial matters, general policy, and the purchase of supplies. Occasionally letters sent to the acting agent by the agent while the latter was away from the reservation are present. There are form letters from Indians authorizing the agent to pay the per capita (annuity) money due them to another person while they were away working for a wild west show (April 30, 1894; filed under "authorizations"). There is also a folder of copies of correspondence with and among military officers on and off the reservation, April 2, 1873-September 22, 1893 (in the first box of the series). There are gaps of up to six months in these records.
Main Decimal File, 1900-1965. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.Arranged according to the local modification of the Office of Indian Affairs Field Service Subject Decimal Code of December 11, 1925. This large series comprises the agency's main correspondence and record holding file for the period 1925-60. It succeeded the files described in Series 7 (General Correspondence, Alphabetical) and Series 8 (General Correspondence, by Subject). As early as 1921 the superintendent's office was utilizing a decimal filing scheme for some of its records. With the adoption of the field office decimal code provided by the Office of Indian Affairs in 1925, most of the superintendent's office records were channeled into this file. The file was used through 1960; some records dated 1961-65 have also been found in it. Apparently the agency placed pre-1925 documents in the decimal file as well, as correspondence created as early as 1900 appears. The heaviest concentration of records derives from the period 1920-60. Much of the file consists of letters received and copies of letters sent; correspondence with all classes of agency correspondents, from the Office of Indian Affairs (Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1947) to business firms, agency employees and private individuals, are represented. In addition, there are forms, reports, maps, bills, receipts and various other documents created or received in the course of operating the agency. While the superintendent's office was directly involved in the creation of receipt of much of the documentation, other agency officials and administrative divisions are also represented.
Manuscript Collections
Miscellaneous Records Series (Series 14-17 and 67-71), 1867-1934. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.Arranged numerically my series number. Series 14: Correspondence Of Earl S. Cleaver (Records of District Farmers and Field Agents), 10/30/1924-2/09/1927. The correspondence is arranged chronologically by date of letter. These are letters received by the superintendent from Cleaver, the district farmer for the Medicine Root District. There are also copies of letters sent to Cleaver by the superintendent and copies of letters sent by Cleaver to other parties. The subjects covered include the farmer's responsibilities as, in effect, a sub-agent: such matters as allotment leases, work for Indians, applications for pro-rata shares of tribal funds, census sheets and the character of certain non-Indians on the reservation. Series 15: Correspondence Of J.J. Guyer (Records of District Farmers and Field Agents), 1/07/1932-6/26/1934. Arranged chronologically by date of letter. These are mostly original letters, notes and telegrams sent to the superintendent and endorsed by him for the attention of Mr. Guyer, the agency's field agent. Correspondents were usually agency employees (such as district farmers), ranchers, reservation Indians, other Indian agents, business firms and unidentified parties. There are also some letters sent by the superintendent to Guyer or by Guyer to the superintendent, and occasional enclosures. There is an undated list of Indians who had been issued sorghum syrup and two land plats (for Township 42, Range 41 and Township 43, Ranges 41 and 42). The subjects include such problems as cattle trespass, abandonment of a work crew in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, unlawful use of allotted land, the late delivery of supplies, the improper use of Government property and similar complaints. Series 16: Monthly Reports Of District Farmers And Related Lists, 2/01/1888-2/09/1903. Arranged chronologically by date of report. The reports were forwarded by the district "additional farmers" to the OIA through the agent. They include an accounting of time spent and work accomplished while undertaking various sorts of agricultural and related work with the Indians of the farmer's district. There are blanks for reporting the condition of stock and farm equipment; the need of the district for equipment, stock, seeds and lumber; and "general remarks." The reports are for the period February 1, 1888-July 1, 1890 (with gaps). The remainder of this series' time span is taken up by related lists of Indians who have left the reservation without permission, who own specified numbers of cattle, who are taking up farming, or who have otherwise come to the attention of one of the district farmers. Series 17: Anonymous Journal, 7/28/1920-4/19/1921. The entries are arranged chronologically by date of entry. This is apparently the journal of one of the reservation's district farmers. Included are entries related to the handling and distribution of hay, corn, and cattle; notations of cattle branded and fields plowed and planted; references to land leases; complaints of damage to crops and of trespassing; mention of the burial of a dead Indian; narratives of events pertaining to the operation of farms; and remarks on other affairs connected with the duties of the district farmer. Some entries consist of allegations by Indians that a specific problem existed. There are also some entries concerning travel expenses, apparently for agency employees; lists of names with corresponding unidentified dollar figures; and lengthy discussions of land livestock controversies. Series 67: Records Of Controversies, 4/1/1867-12/28/1907. The folders are arranged chronologically by date span of the records within; thereunder the documents are arranged chronologically by date of documents. These, mostly manuscript records, include letters and other documents bearing on such controversies as claims for Indian depredations, the December 29, 1890 tragedy at Wounded Knee, the distribution of supplies, an inspection of the agency by a special inspector from the Department of Interior, a fire, a lawsuit, alleged padding of the payroll, an unpopular school superintendent, the return of part of the reservation to the public domain, and other events. In some cases documentation related to a particular controversy may be among the correspondence of Series 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11. See Series 6 (Copies of Miscellaneous Letters Sent), vol 20 for correspondence relating to controversies in the period 1889-92. Series 68: Council Proceedings, 5/26/1875-4/19/1894. Arranged chronologically by date of council. These are typescript transcriptions of two councils between representatives of the US Government and Indian Leaders. Both were held in Washington, D.C. The first council was held between May 18 and June 5, 1875, between the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and Sioux representatives from the Red Cloud (later called Pine Ridge), Spotted Tail (later called Rosebud) and Cheyenne River Agencies. The Sioux delegations were led by Red Cloud and Spotted Tail; President Grant appeared briefly on the Government side. This council dealt with the intrusion of whites into the Black Hills, continued Sioux possession of the Hills, the possible transfer of the Sioux to Indian Territory, the Indians dissatisfaction with their agents, treaty arrangements, and other aspects of the relationship of the Sioux with the Government. Four transcriptions, dated May 26 and 27 and June 1, are present, as is an undated transcription of part of the June 5 session. The second transcription records part of the proceedings of a three day council, beginning on September 26, 1877, between various Sioux and Arapaho chiefs, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the Secretary of the Interior, General George Crook and President Rutherford B. Hayes. The council dealt with treaty rights and obligations, supplies, and the location of agencies within the Great Sioux Reservation. This copy of the transcription was made in 1894. Series 69: Proceedings Of A Council To Accept Reduction Of The Great Sioux Reservation, ca 1889. The pages of the transcript are arranged chronologically by date of session. This letterpress typescript copy is an incomplete transcript of negotiations between the Sioux of the Pine Ridge Agency and a commission sent from Washington to convince the Indians of the Great Sioux Reservation to accept the division of part of the Reservation into several smaller reservations, (the "diminished Sioux reservation") with the balance of the land being opened to white settlement. The transcript covers the period June 15-21, 1889, and break offs in mid-sentence on page 151. A map of the "diminished" reservation is included. Series 70: Account Of A Council Of Pine Ridge And Rosebud Sioux, 2/19/1892-2/24/1892. The notes are arranged chronologically by date of dispatch. These are manuscript notes of dispatches sent by newspaper correspondent J.A. Finley; they relay his interpretation of the course of a council between Indian leaders from the two adjoining reservations. Special Agent James A. Cooper presided. The council was held to confirm the boundary between the two reservations, which in 1888-89 had been established as two of the remnants of the Great Sioux Reservation. Red Cloud and Young Man Afraid of his Horse were among the prominent Sioux chiefs present. Such controversial policies as the attendance of Indian children at eastern boarding schools and Indians workings as picturesque romantics in wild west shows were also discussed. Series 71: Petitions, ca. 1875-11/19/1907. Arranged chronologically by date of document. These mostly manuscript documents include petitions from Indians to the agent, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs or the President of the U.S. The subjects include appointments to agency positions, the retention of an agent, alleged treaty rights, problems with particular individuals, mandatory haircuts for Indian children, the location of a store, payment of per capita money, charges of slander, and granting of collective title to the reservation to the Indian inhabitants. In most cases there are multiple petitioners, but some documents are pleas from individual Indians. See Series 9 (Main Decimal File), code 069, for related correspondence.
Miscellaneous Series, [1904-1948]. These records are housed at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, in Kansas City, MO and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.Series 97: Miscellaneous Allotment Records, [1906-1911]. Arranged chronologically by date of document. These varied records include a note from an "additional farmer" (district farmer) and two notes from unidentified persons regarding specific allotments. There is also a copy of a letter from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to six Indians concerning allotment policy; two lists which provide the name, age and in some cases the home district, allotment number, allotment size and age of Indians taking allotments; lists of Indians with their allotment numbers; an allotment certificate; and various notes sent by additional farmers. The notes are addressed to Special Allotting Agent Charles H. Bates. Series 98: Copies Of Letters Sent By Special Allotting And Disbursing Agent Charles H. Bates, 10/28/1904-4/11/1914. These are arranged chronologically by date of letter. Vol. 1 includes letters dated 1904-14; vol. 2 includes letters dated 1904-11. Both volumes have name and subject indexes. These are letterpress copybooks; nearly all the copies are in typescript. A few telegrams are included. Land allotment work was begun on the Pine Ridge Reservation on Aug. 26, 1904, and was the responsibility of special agent Charles H. Bates. The letters are signed by Bates, usually in his capacity as "Allotting Agent." Occasionally he signs as "Special Allotting and Disbursing Agent," or "Surveyor and Special Disbursing Agent." The correspondence concerns his work allotting land and is addressed to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the Assistant US Treasurer (regarding his disbursing account), Pine Ridge Agent John Brennan, other OIA employees on and off the reservation, Indians, and private citizens. There are occasional references to his related work on other South Dakota reservation. Series 99: Reports Of Special Allotting Agent Charles H. Bates, 9/12/1904-12/11/1909. Arranged chronologically by date of report. There are gaps of up to three months. These are duplicate weekly reports submitted by Bates to the Office of Indian Affairs. They specify the total number of allotments made to date, the week's total, miles surveyed, money expended and other data relevant to his expenditure of time and money. There is also provision for remarks and for an estimate (usually not made) of the time required to complete the work. Series 101: Allottee Record Cards, [1904-1909]. Arranged alphabetically by surname of head of family. These are typescript index cards recording the name, allotment number, sex, age, and relationship to the head of the family of reservation allottees. Some cards also include a notation of an individual's relationship to an allottee listed on another card under a different head of family. In most cases the husband, wife and children living at home are listed on one card. Series 102: Revision of Names on Allotment Roll, [ca. 1906]. Entries are arranged alphabetically by family surname. This register lists all members of a given family, along with their relationship to the head of the household and their Indian name, English (or school) name, sex, age, allotment roll number and (in some cases) relationship to other families on the reservation. There are 6,687 people listed. Series 103: Land Allotment Ledger, 1910-1917. Entries are arranged numerically by allotment number; they have been entered in generally chronological order. Allotment numbers 4440-8269 are included. The name, age, sex and relationship to the head of the household are specified. The land concerned is located by range, township, section and minor division. Remarks are sometimes included, usually referring the entry to another allottee and including information on marriages, deaths or relationship to other allottees. With the individual allotment entries are occasional entries noting the reservation of sections of land for forest or school purposes. Series 104: List of Allottees, ca 1912-1913. Entries are arranged alphabetically by surname of allottee. This is a portion of a typescript list, including only persons with surnames beginning with the letters A-M. The list appears to have been originally compiled in ca. 1912-13. See Series 125 (1913 annuity payroll list) for age comparisons. The list notes the names of each individual in a family holding an allotment; whether the person is the head of the family or a wife, son or daughter; whether he or she is deceased; and his or her age, home district, and allotment number. Series 105: Copies of Allotted Land Appraisals and Related Records, 1/15/1948-12/31/1948. Arranged chronologically by date of appraisal certificate. These mimeographed certificates were completed by an agency employee, usually a range guard. They provide the location of the land involved and specify the allottee's name, the allotment number, the "character" and value of the land (eg., "50 acres are useful grazing," "50 acres are irrigable," the land is worth 200 dollars for mineral exploitation"). The appraiser certifies that he had inspected the land; the superintendent certifies that he had appointed the appraiser. Related records consist mostly of copies of cover letters sent by the superintendent with copies of the certificates to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Director in Billing, Montana. Trust deeds transferring the land from one Indian to another (with the US as trustee) accompanied the certificates to Billings, but copies of the deeds are not present in this series. The cover letters provide detailed information about the transfer of land and request the approval of the Regional Director. A few applications for patents in fee simple, recommended by the superintendent, were sent to the Regional Director and are discussed in cover letters present in this series. There is also a letter from one A.J. Tyndall to the superintendent regarding a land transaction. Series 113: Schedules and Vouchers for Sales of Allotted or Inherited Indian Lands, 12/31/1915-6/30/1918. Entries are arranged numerically by sale number. These quarterly schedules provide the sale and allotment numbers, the names of sellers and buyers, the price, and the date of sale of transactions. Series 114: Land Sale and Lease Deposit Ledger, 7/1/1918-9/30/1922. Entries are arranged chronologically by date of transaction. This manuscript ledger records the date, amount and purpose of deposits made to the special deposit accounts of Indians receiving money for the sale (usually) or lease of an allotment. The name of the payer is noted, as is that of the Indian receiving the payment, the journal voucher number, the allotment number, the land sale number and the balance in the account after the transaction. Series 115: Abstracts of Special Deposit Accounts, 9/30/1918-12/31/1921. Entries are arranged chronologically by quarter. These abstracts note the name of the Indian holding an account, the source of funds for any receipts (eg., oil and gas lease, land sale number, lease payment), the balance in the account, any receipts or withdrawals and remarks on the transaction. Series 116: Land Purchase Reports, 10/1938. The documents are arranged numerically by tract number. These are completed forms, sometimes with accompanying related correspondence, on which a land field agent reports (apparently to the superintendent) on the nature and value of tracts of land which the Government proposed to buy under the terms of the Indian Reorganization Act. The purchases were being arranged as part of the planned 1940 land acquisition project. Statements of the size, location and nature of the land are included, as is a list of any improvements thereon, and a plat of the land.
Publications
Reports and Correspondence Relating to the Army Investigations of the Battle at Wounded Knee and to the Sioux Campaign of 1890-1891 (M983).
Special Case Files. These records are housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC and were microfilmed by the SD State Archives. Copies of this film may be purchased from the SDSA.
Superintendents’ Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports from Field Jurisdictions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1910-1938 (M1011).
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