Green Bay Indian Agency (Wisconsin)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Menominee, Winnebago, Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Oneida, and the Stockbridge, Munsee, and Brotherton Indians

History
The Green Bay Agency was established in 1815 for the tribes living in the area of Green Bay, Wisconsin, including the Menominee, Winnebago, Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Oneida, and the Stockbridge, Munsee, and Brotherton Indians who had moved in from New York.

In 1829, a separate Fort Winnebago subagency was established for the Winnebago Indians and in 1831, the Rock River Subagency was also established. By that time, only the Menominee and the New York Indians were assigned to the Green Bay Agency, with its headquarters on the Fox River, about 3 miles above Fort Howard. The original agency was abolished at the end of 1836.

In the Spring of 1837, a subagency was established at Green Bay for the Menominee and the New York Indians. By 1839, however, the Stockbridge and Munsee had moved to Kansas and were assigned to the Fort Leavenworth Agency.

In 1855, the Green Bay Subagency was restored to full agency status and was located on Wolf River on the Menominee Reservation. It was sometimes called the Menominee Agency. By that time, the most of the remaining Munsee and the Brotherton Indians had moved or given up their status as Indians. The remaining Stockbridge occupied the southwestern corner of the Menominee Reseervation. The Oneida lived near Green Bay.

In 1857, the agency headquarters was located at Keshena, but was moved to Fond du Lac in 1858. The agent did not always live on the reservation and moved around rather frequently. In 1861, he operated from Portage, in 1863 from Appleton, from 1866 to 1874 from Green Bay, and after 1874 from Keshena. The Green Bay Agency was renamed the Keshena Agency in 1909.

Records
Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Green Bay Agency, 1824-1880, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 315-336. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their microfilm roll numbers 1661045 thru 1661066).

A few textual records for this agency have been transferred to the Great Lakes Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Chicago. The records of the Green Bay Agency and for the Green Bay Subagency have been briefly described on the National Archives web site online. Some small amount of correspondence for the Green Bay Subagency for 1850 has been microfilmed by the National Archives as their Microcopy M951.

Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1873-1900 have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of Microcopy Number M1070. The reports for Green Bay Agency, 1873-1899, are on rolls 18-19 of that Microcopy set. Copies are available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their microfilm roll numbers 1617691-1617692).

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency for 1885, 1888-1889, and from 1891 thru 1908. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, rolls 172 thru 174. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their microfilm roll numbers 576861-576863). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.