Scope and Contents note
The collection consists of government correspondence and other records dating from 1874-1880 related to the Malheur Indian Agency in Canyon City, Oregon. The files relate to the struggle between the Interior Department and the Army for control of Indian affairs. Correspondents include Indian agents and government officials in Washington D. C., including the Secretary of the Interior. Records include supply lists, food supply lists, funding lists, and one 1872 map regarding the land in the Indian agency’s jurisdiction.
All of the materials are photostat copies of the original items of the Department of the Interior.
The records were selected by Robert C. Clark, Department of History, University of Oregon.
Dates
- 1874-1880
Creator
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Malheur Agency (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use note
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Historical Note:
The Bureau of Indian Affairs negotiated treaties with Native Americans throughout the United States, resulting in the creation of reservations around the country. In Oregon the reservations included Siletz, Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Klamath, and Malheur. Beginning in the 1850s, government officials promoted an agrarian based society on the reservations, regardless of tradition subsistence practices of the people or the quality of the land. Employed by the federal government, Indian agents managed the reservations. Agriculture, schooling, finances, and other aspects of life on reservations were regulated by Indian agents.
Source: No author. “Oregon History: Uncle Sam’s Handiwork.” Oregon Blue Book. Electronic version: http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural/history/history17.htm
Jackson, Curtis E. and Marcia J. Galli. A History of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its Activities Among Indians. San Francisco : R & E Research Associates, 1977.
Extent
0.5 linear feet (1 container)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The federal government created Indian reservations across the country in the 1800s. In Oregon the reservations included Siletz, Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Klamath, and Malheur. Agriculture, schooling, finances, and other aspects of life on reservations were regulated by Indian agents employed by the federal government. The U.S. Office of Indian Affairs Records, Malheur Agency, consist of correspondence and records from 1874 to 1880 regarding conflicts between the Interior Department and the Army over control of Indian affairs.
Arrangement note
Collection is organized into one series: Correspondence and ledger sheets.
- Indian agents -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Indians of North America -- Oregon -- Government relations Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Maps Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Military Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Native Americans Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Oregon Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Politics and Politicians Subject Source: Archiveswest
- United States. Army
- United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Malheur Agency
- Title
- Guide to the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs Records, Malheur Agency
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Vida Germano
- Date
- 2004
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
