Flandreau Indian Agency (South Dakota)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Santee Sioux

History
The Flandreau Agency was established in 1873 for a group of Santee Sioux living at Flandreau, Dakota Territory. The agency was located at the head of Big Sioux River in what is now South Dakota. The agent conducted much of his business from Greenwood.

From 1879 to 1902, the Flandreau Agency was consolidated with the Santee Agency. In 1902, the agent duties were assigned to the superintendent of the Flandreau School.

During 1948-1949, Pipestone School was also under Flandreau Agency.

Agents and Appointment Dates
John P. Williamson (special) September 10, 1873, and William H. H. Wasson July 1, 1878

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 these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in South Dakota has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs...[8], Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians[9], and others.

Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Blackfeet Agency, 1873-1876, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Roll 235. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ).

Some of the historical records of this agency, 1880-1954, are housed in the Central Plains Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Kansas City, including:


 * Census records
 * A marriage register, 1900
 * Annuity payments
 * Student folders

Many other historical records are also included in the agency and school records.

Microfilm copies of ...Narrative and Statistical Reports... for the Flandreau Agency, 1907-1935, are included in National Archives Microcopy M1011, Rolls 41-42, available in the National Archives system and in the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, beginning with their. Reports for some years are missing.

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at the Flandreau School and Agency for 1892 thru 1939. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, rolls 105 thru 106. 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 ). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.