Spirit Lake Indian Reservation (North Dakota)

The Spirit Lake Indian Reservation is located in Benson and Eddy Counties in central North Dakota, near Devils Lake. It was originally known as Devils Lake Reservation.


 * Established -- 19 February 1867
 * Agency (BIA) -- Fort Totten Agency
 * Principal tribes -- Assiniboin, Cuthead (Pabaksa), Santee, Sisseton, Yankton, and Wahpeton Sioux
 * Population --

History
The Spirit Lake Reservation was originally known as the Devils Lake Reservation and was established by Treaty of Feb. 19, 1867 (XV, 505) and by agreement of Sept. 20, 1872, confirmed in Indian appropriation act approved June 22, 1874 (XVIII, 167).

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Records of many of the Indians who have lived on the Spirit Lake Reservation are among the records of the Fort Totten Agency records, some of which are available at the Central Plains Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Kansas City.

The 1900 federal census included population schedules for the Devils Lake Indian Reservation. The census includes the non-Indian employees of the Devils Lake Agency, as well as many pages of Indian Population Schedules for the native population of the Reservation. They are recorded as District 263, Devils Lake Indian Reservation, in Benson County, North Dakota.

Listings of the Indians living on the Devils Lake Indian Reservation in 1915 and 1925 are included in the state census of North Dakota. The major portion of the 1915 enumeration is filed under the various districts of Sioux County. However, there are many Indian families and individuals enumerated in other counties, as well. The 1925 census includes listings for the Devils Lake Reservation filed under the subdivision of "Tribe Devils Lake Sioux."

Web Sites

 * Constitution and By-Laws of the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe North Dakota