Creek Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Creek, Seminole

History
The Creek Agency in the West was established in 1826. In 1834, it was reduced to a subagency, but was again made a full agency in 1837 and was made responsible for the Seminole Indians who had moved to Indian Territory. In 1842 a separate Seminole Subagency was created.

The headquarters for the Creek Agency was located at various places, all near Fort Gibson and the confluence of the Arkansas, Grand, and Verdigris Rivers. One such location was on the Arkansas River, about 6 miles from Fort Gibson, In 1851, the agency was moved about 5 miles up the Arkansas River, farther away from Fort Gibson.

During the Civil War, Confederate troops occupied Indian Territory. Many of the Creeks remained loyal to the United States and moved to Kansas, first at Leroy, Kansas, then at the Sac &amp; Fox Agency. After the War, the Creek Agency was moved back to Indian Territory, first at Fort Gibson and then 12 miles up the Arkansas River at the site of the old agency.

In 1874, the Creek Agency, Choctaw Agency, and Seminole Agency were consolidated with the Cherokee Agency to form the Union Agency.

Maps
Creek Nation Indian Territory Map of 1905 (My Genealogy Hound)

Records
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value (for the tribe and tribal members) were created by and maintained by the agencies.

Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Creek Agency, 1824-1876, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 219-248. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ). This includes correspondence filed by the Office of Indian Affairs under the heading of "Creek West" for the years 1826 to 1836. After 1836, the Creek Agency correspondence was filed simply under the heading "Creek."