Indigenous Peoples of Wyoming

Learn about the tribes and bands, agencies, records and reservations of the Indians of Wyoming.

To learn how to get started with American Indian research, find research facilities, and American Indian websites click here.

Wyoming is a Delaware Indian word meaning mountains and valleys alternating.

Tribes and Bands of Wyoming
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Wyoming has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.


 * Arapaho
 * Bannock
 * Cheyenne
 * Comanche
 * Crow
 * Dakota
 * Kiowa
 * Kiowa-Apache
 * Pawnee
 * Shoshoni
 * Ute

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
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 were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Wyoming has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Fort Bridger Agency
 * Red Cloud Agency
 * Shoshone Agency
 * Shoshone and Bannock Agency
 * Upper Platte Agency
 * Wind River Agency, Ft. Washakie, WY, 82514

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

Allotment Records
Allotted Tribes of Wyoming

•Wind River

Indian Schools
The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

Family History Library
The Family History Library has copies of the Wind River Agency files of Wyoming for the years 1881 to 1953. These are detailed records kept by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The original records are at the National Archives Rocky Mountain Region (Denver). Other American Indian records are listed in the subject section of the FamilySearch Catalog under the names of the tribes, such as SHOSHONI INDIANS.


 * Wyoming Superintendency 13 films Family History Library 1st film

See also the Family History catalog Wyoming Native Races for over 600 titles

Reservations
There is only one federally-recognized reservation in Wyoming. Most of the records kept by the federal government about the tribes will be found in the appropriate agency.

For a current reservation map - Wyoming - Indian Reservations- The National Atlas of the United States of America. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

Further information about Indian reservations in the United States can be found in the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Other reservations may have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Wind River Reservation -- located in west-central Wyoming; Tribes: Shoshoni and Arapaho

For Further Reading
See also American Indian For Further Reading.


 * Wyoming_History Wiki page for a calendar of events
 * Wyoming_Military Recordsfor Wiki page list of forts
 * Morgan, Dale L. Shoshonean Peoples and the Overland Trails: Frontiers of the Utah Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1849-1869, ed. Richard L. Saunders. Logan: Utah State Univ. Press, 2007.