Rapid City Indian School and Sioux Sanatorium

One of 28 off-reservation boarding schools built and operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the school existed from 1898-1933 to serve Indian children of the Northern plains—including Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, Shoshone, Arapaho, Crow, and Flathead. The buildings were later used to house the Sioux Sanatorium, an institution established to treat Indians with tuberculosis.

 Superintendents’ Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports from Field Jurisdictions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1910-1938 (M1011).

Sioux Sanitorium Correspondence, 1937-1952.  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.

Arrangement of this series is chronological with the exception of the decimal correspondence which is arranged according to the local modification of the Office of Indian Affairs field service subject decimal code of December 11, 1925.

Included in the correspondence are letters sent to the Commissioner of India Affairs from the superintendents, and chief medical officers.  The decimal correspondence consists of letters sent to and received by the agency superintendents, and medical officers.  Of particular historical interest are: a Sioux San Sun newsletter for June and July 1948 containing a sermon written entirely in the Dakota Sioux language; two letters discussing the appraisal and purchase of Sioux Indian relics from J.A. Anderson in 1938; and two letters from Senator Francis Case concerning WPA construction projects on Sanatorium property.  There are also files containing Department of Interior circulars and bulletins, and public relations files containing Bureau of Indian Affairs Information Service Public Notices.

Nara Roll #   SD Archives Roll #        Inclusive Materials

1                    6717              Chronological Correspondence; Indian Office Letters sent   Jan. 1, 1948 thru Oct. 1950

2                   6718                Chronological Correspondence; Oct. 1950 through Sept. 1951

3                   6719                Chronological Correspondence; Sept. 1951 thru Dec. 1952 Decimal Correspondence;

                                                    003 Miscellaneous Correspondence Jan. 1940 thru Dec. 1942

4                   6720                Decimal Correspondence; 003 Dec. 1942 thru Aug. 1941, Letters to the Indian Office;

                                                    004 Feb. 1941 through 110 Rules and Regulations

5                   6721                Decimal Correspondence; 110 Rules and Regulations through 143 Telegrams

                                                    Incoming Feb. 1944

6                   6722                Decimal Correspondence; 143.1 Telegrams incoming Feb. 1944 through telegrams

                                                    outgoing Nov. 1946

7                   6723                Decimal Correspondence; 143.1 Telegrams outgoing Nov. 1946 through 143.2

                                                    Confirmation Telegrams March 1943

8                   6724                Decimal Correspondence; 143.2 Confirmation Telegrams March 1943 through 425

                                                    Sale of Boilers, 1938

9                   6725                Decimal Correspondence; 458.1 Second landscaping project: (1 of 5)

                                                    WPA Razing Project through Quarterly Veterans Reports, Bureau Issuances; 1940-1946                                                     (Circulars and Bulletins) Public Relations File March 1950-Dec. 1951;

                                                    Dec. 1939-May 1948

10                 6726                Public Relations File; July 1948 through Nov. 1949

Rapid City Indian School Records, 1897-1933.  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.

This series consists of records of enrollment, records of arrivals and departures of students, employee records, correspondence to the Commissioner of Indian affairs, Indian agents, and special agents, superintendent’s subject correspondence, and decimal correspondence.  Arrangement is chronological except for the decimal correspondence which is arranged according to the local modification of the Office of Indian Affairs field service subject decimal code of December 11, 1925.

Nara Roll #   SD Archives Roll #        Inclusive Materials

1                   6687                        Record of Enrollment - “A” FY 1928-Fox 1932-33

2                   6688                        Arrivals and Departures of Pupils - 1932-33 Galligo- Zephier 1932-33

3                   6689                        Copies of Letters and Reports sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs

                                                            May 5, 1917 through May 27, 1920

4                   6690                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            Feb. 21,1913 through July 10, 1914

5                   6691                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            July 10, 1914 through June 9, 1915

6                   6692                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            June 9, 1915 through March 14, 1916

7                   6693                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            March 14, 1916 through April 25, 1918

8                   6694                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            May 1, 1918 through Sept. 15, 1925

9                   6695                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            Sept. 8, 1925 through Feb. 29, 1928

10                 6696                        Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs, Indian Agents, and Special Agents

                                                            Feb. 29, 1928 through Nov. 1931, Superintendent’s Correspondence, General and                                                            Statistical through Justice

11                 6697                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Monthly Weather Reports, 1921-                                                            1925 through Administration and Control: Correspondence with other Agents and                                                             Officials (ending with Stevens, Carl-Supervisor)

12                 6698                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Administration and Control:

                                                            Correspondence with other Agents and Officials, Stevens, Carl-Supervisor through                                                            Buildings and Equipment (Sewer System, 1912)

13                 6699                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Buildings and Equipment

                                                            (Sewer System, 1912) through Supplies and Stock (Miscellaneous Supplies)

14                 6700                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Supplies and Stock (Miscellaneous        

                                                            Supplies) through Offices and Employees (Efficiency Reports, 1909-11)

15                 6701                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Offices and Employees

                                                            (Efficiency Reports 1911 through 1918)

16                 6702                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Offices and Employees

                                                            (Efficiency Reports 1918-23) through Education

                                                            (Admin.-Students eligible for transfer to non-reservation schools)

17                 6703                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Education (Administration-Students

                                                            eligible for transfer to non-reservation schools) through Correspondence

                                                            (individual by file number A-2-84 Rev. Burt 1910-11)

18                 6704                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Education (Correspondence-individuals

                                                            by file number through Curriculum- 1909-1918, 1 of 2, part.)

19                 6705                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Curriculum 1909-1918, 2 of 2 through

                                                            Religious Training 1923-25, (part.)

20                 6706                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File - Religious Training 1925 through Health

                                                            and Social Relations, hospital reports (part.)

21                 6707                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Health and Social Relations-Hospital

                                                            Reports through  Industries and Employment, Horses (part.)

22                 6708                        Superintendent’s Subject Correspondence File -  Industries and Employment, Pigs

                                                            through Annual Report 1927 (part.)

23                 6709                        Decimal Correspondence File -  Annual Report 1927 (part.) through 1929

                                                            Annual Report (has photos of buildings and basketball teams), Administrations and                                                             Control, Memoranda 1928 (part.)

24                 6710                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Administration and Control, Memoranda 1928

                                                            (part.) through Health and Social Relations (part.)

25                 6711                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Health and Social Relations, general 1931

                                                            (part.) through Quarterly Report 1911

26                 6712                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Quarterly Report 1912 through Enrollment

                                                            and Attendance 1909 (May)

27                 6713                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Enrollment and Attendance 1909

                                                           (June) through 1918 (June)

28                 6714                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33, Enrollment and Attendance 1918 (June)

                                                            through 1922 (Oct.)

29                 6715                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Enrollment and Attendance 1922 (Oct.)

                                                            through 1930 (July)

30                 6716                        Decimal Correspondence File 1903-33 -  Enrollment and Attendance 1930 (July)

                                                            through 1933 (March)                               

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