Natchitoches 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. It was sometimes called the Lower Louisiana Agency. About 1821, the agency was moved to Sulphur Fork in Arkansas Territory and from that time on was called the Red River Agency.

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 this agency are filed under Red River Agency or Caddo Agency.