Comanche Indian Agency (Texas)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Southern Band of Comanche

History
The Texas Agency was established in 1847, with responsibility for all of the Indians of Texas. In 1855, two reservations were established in Texas and an agent was assigned to each.

The Brazos Agency served the Indians along the main fork of the Brazos River, near Fort Belknap in Young County. The tribes involved were the Caddo, Anadarko, Tonkawa, Tawakoni, Kichai, Delaware, and Shawnee. The Comanche Agency served the Southern Band of Comanche on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, about 35 miles southwest of Belknap.

In 1859, both agencies and the Indians assigned to them were transferred to the Wichita Agency in Indian Territory.

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 these offices.

Correspondence regarding the Comanche Agency, 1855-1859, is included in Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Texas Agency, 1847-1859, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 858-861. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ). Correspondence after 1859 concerning the settlement of Indian affairs in Texas is filed under "Wichita."