Puget Sound District Indian Agency (Washington)

History
The Puget Sound District Agency was established in 1851 at Steilacoom, Washington. It was located at Olympia, Washington during the years 1857-1861. By 1862, this agency had ceased to exist since Puyallup Agency, Tulalip Agency, Neah Bay Agency, Skokomish Agency and Quinaielt Agency had all been established.

Agents and Appointment Date
Edmund A. Starling 1851, Joseph M. Garrison 1853, Michael T. Simmons 1856, and Wesley B. Gosnell 1860

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.

A small amount of correspondence and financial records for the Puget Sound District Agency, 1854-1861, are in the Pacific/Alaska Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Seattle.