Chickasaw Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

United States American Indians  Indians of Oklahoma  

The Chickasaw Indian Agency is a currently operating agency. Its supervising field office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is the Muskogee Area Office.

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Chickasaw

History
The Chickasaw Agency was established in Indian Territory in 1839 for the Chickasaw who had moved from Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. By 1842, the agency buildings were located at Fort Washita. In 1856, the Chickasaw Indians were assigned to the Choctaw Agency and the old Chickasaw Agency was discontinued.

Sometime in the 20th Century, the Chickasaw Agency was re-established and is a currently operating agency.

Agents and Appointment Dates
Gaines P. Kingsbury June 11, 1837, A. M. M. Upshaw March 4, 1839, Gabriel W. Long November 6, 1849. Kenton Harper June 30, 1851, Andrew Jackson Smith September 1, 1852

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 Chickasaw Agency, 1824-1870, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 135-148. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ).