Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Crow Indian Agency Records, 1877-1894
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Crow Indian Agency
- Title
- Crow Indian Agency Records
- Dates
- 1877-1894 (inclusive)18771894
- Quantity
- 1 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 87 (collection)
- Summary
- This collection consists of seven letterpress books of outgoing correspondence (1877-1894) of Crow Indian Agents Lewis .H. Carpenter, George W. Frost, Augustus R. Keller, C.H. Barstow, Henry J. Armstrong, H.E. Williamson, and Moses P. Wyman. Includes reports and letters to the U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs; minutes of meetings with tribal council; census; texts of treaties; inventories; accounts of events; and financial materials.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Crow Indian Agency was established in Montana Territory by a treaty concluded at Fort Laramie on May 7, 1868. An earlier treaty had been made at Fort Laramie on September 17, 1851, establishing various tribal boundaries in Montana, but had never been ratified formally. The 1868 treaty provided for the construction of an agency complex on the south side of the Yellowstone River near Otter Creek, and the assignment of Indian agents to locally administer tribal affairs and relations with the United States government. Agency headquarters were moved to the Stillwater River near present Absarokee, Montana, in 1875, and in 1884 to its present site on the Little Big Horn River.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records. 1877-1894. .5 linear foot. This collection consists of 8 letterpress books of outgoing correspondence of Indian agents at the Crow Agency (1877-1894). The books are an incomplete run, representing approximately half of the correspondence for the period. There are several gaps of a year or more, the longest being from August 1883-September 1887. The agents were Lewis H. Carpenter (to July 1877), George W. Frost (July 1877-December 1878), Augustus R. Keller (December 1878-December 1881), acting agent C.H. Barstow (March-June 1880), Henry J. Armstrong (January 1882-December 1885), Henry E. Williamson (December 1885-May 1888), and Moses P. Wyman (July 1889-June 1894). The largest proportion of the correspondence consists of reports and letters to U.S. Commissioners of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. Included in these letters are minutes of several meetings of the agents with the tribal council, censuses, texts of treaties, inventories of Agency property, and financial reports. In addition there are letters to companies and individuals doing business with the Agency, and with military officers in nearby forts. This collection has been microfilmed (Microfilm 293).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Outgoing Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Lewis H.
Carpenter; George W. Frost) |
1877 January- 1878 January |
| 1 / 2-3 | Letterpress books (correspondents include Augustus R.
Keller) |
1879 September- 1880 December |
| 1 / 4 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Augustus R.
Keller; C.H. Barstow) |
1881 November- 1882 January |
| 1 / 5 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Henry J.
Armstrong to U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs H. Price) |
1883 January- August |
| 2 / 1 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Henry E.
Williamson) |
1887 September- 1888 February |
| 2 / 2 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Moses P.
Wyman to U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs T. J. Morgan) |
1890 November- 1891 May |
| 2 / 3 | Letterpress book (correspondents include Moses P.
Wyman to U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs T. J. Morgan) |
1892 April- 1894 February |
Printed Material Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 4 | List of printed material transferred to the Library |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Crow Indians--Census
- Crow Indians--Trading Posts
- Crow Indians--Treaties
- Indian Agents
- Indians of North America--Treaties
- Trading Posts
Corporate Names
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Crow Indian Agency (creator)
Geographical Names
- Crow Indian Reservation (Mont.)--Politics and Government
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
