Caddo Indian Agency (Louisiana)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Caddo, Quapaw, Pascagoula, Apalachee, Biloxi, Koasti, Taensa, Alabama, Shawnee, Delaware, other small bands including roaming Indians from Texas (then part of Mexico)

History
An agency was established in 1804 and was located at Natchitoches. About 1821, the agency was moved to Sulphur Fork in Arkansas Territory and at that time was called the Red River Agency. In 1825, it was moved about 25 miles down-stream to Caddo Prairie. That site was flooded and, as a result, in 1831 it was again moved about 50 miles even further down-stream to Peach Tree (or Orchard) Bluff, on the Bayou Pierre Channel, south of the site of Shreveport, Louisiana.

The agency was most commonly called the Red River Agency, although it was sometimes referred to as the Caddo Agency in Louisiana. The agency was discontinued in 1834 as the Caddo moved to Texas. In 1859, the Caddo Indians moved to the Wichita Agency in Indian Territory. The Quapaw, who once were under the Caddo Agency in Louisiana, eventually moved to their reservation in Indian Territory and were placed under the Neosho Agency.

Agents and Appointment Dates:
George Gray December 1, 1819, Thomas Griffith March 18, 1829, Jehiel Brooks Notified March 29, 1830

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.

Most of the early records of the Caddo Agency are filed under the name Red River Agency.

Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Blackfeet Agency, 1824-1842, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Roll 31. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the FamilySearch Library and its FamilySearch centers (their ). The Office of Indian Affairs filed some correspondence under the heading of "Caddo" even after the agency was closed, mainly dealing with the payment of annuities to the Caddo Indians.