Fort Yuma Indian Agency (Arizona)

The Fort Yuma Agency is a currently functioning agency. The supervising office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is the Phoenix Area Office.

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Yuma, Quechan, Cocopah

History
Although it was assumed that Fort Yuma Agency, during its early years, was in Arizona, it was actually located across the Colorado River in the extreme southeastern corner of California (see Fort Yuma Indian Agency in California).

Fort Yuma initially was a military post. A reservation was established for the Yuma Indians in 1884. The Indians on this reservation were supervised by the Colorado River Agency, and later by the Tule River Agency.

A school was established, at first by the Catholic Sisters, in about 1880. The school was obtained by the federal government in 1895 and made a reservation boarding school. In 1900, the school was given agency status.

The Fort Yuma Agency was transferred to the Colorado River Agency, 1 August 1935, and made a subagency.

Records
Some records of the Fort Yuma Agency are in the Pacific Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Los Angeles, including:


 * Education records, 1913-1928
 * Register of births and deaths, 1915-1925
 * Allotment files, 1923-1935
 * Census records, n.d.
 * Other administrative records, 1907-1951

Microfilm copies of ...Narrative and Statistical Reports... for the Fort Yuma Agency, 1905-1937, are included in National Archives Microcopy M1011, Rolls 55-56, available in the National Archives system and in the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, beginning with their microfilm numbers 1724273-1724274.

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency for 1905 and from 1915 thru 1935. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, rolls 165 thru 166. 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 numbers 576854-576855). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.

Some records of the Fort Yuma Agency are listed under Fort Yuma Agency in California.