Indigenous Peoples of Colorado

Online Resources

 * Native American Obituaries. Index.
 * Browse Index.

Learn of the Indians of Colorado, tribes and bands, agencies, Indian schools, reservations, and records.

The word Colorado originates from a Spanish word "ruddy" or "red"

Tribes and Bands of Colorado
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Colorado has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Apache
 * Arapahoe
 * Bannock
 * Cheyenne
 * Comanche
 * Jicarilla
 * Kiowa
 * Kiowa-Apache
 * Navajo
 * Pueblo
 * Shoshone
 * Uncompahgre Band of Utes
 * Ute (Southern and Ute Mountain)
 * White River Band of Utes

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 Colorado 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.


 * Conejos Agency
 * Consolidated Ute Agency
 * Denver Special Agency 1871-1875
 * Fort Lewis Agency
 * Los Pinos Agency
 * Middle Park Agency
 * Navajo Springs Agency
 * Southern Ute Agency, P.O. Box 315, Ignacio, CO 81137
 * Uintah and Ouray Agency -- located in eastern Utah; agency which serves the Uintah and Uncompahgre Utes, formerly of the Middle Park and White River Agencies.
 * Upper Arkansas Agency
 * Upper Platte Agency
 * Ute Mountain Agency, General Delivery, Towoac, CO 81334
 * White River Agency

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
The General Allotment Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1887, marking the establishment of the allotment of land to individuals as the official and widespread policy of the federal government toward the Native Americans. Under this policy, land (formerly land held by the tribe or tribal land) was allotted to individuals to be held in trust until they had shown competency to handle their own affairs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was the trustee.

Individual American Indians were given a prescribed amount of land on a reservation based upon what land was available and the number of tribal members living on that reservation. Generally, the amount of land allotted was 160 Acres for each head of family, 80 Acres for each single person over eighteen years of age, 80 Acres for each orphan child under eighteen years of age, and 40 Acres for each single person under eighteen years of age. This was dependent upon there being sufficient land available on the existing reservation. If the total acreage on the reservation was insufficient, the amounts of land were pro-rated accordingly.

Not all tribes and reservations were allotted.

Colorado Allotted Tribes


 * Southern Ute Reservation, Ute Mountain Reservation, Absentee Wyandot

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...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Colorado 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 Lewis School 1892-1916 under the Southern Ute Agency (National Archives at Denver)
 * Grand Junction School
 * Ignacio Boarding School 1937-1979 (National Archives at Denver)
 * Navajo Springs School
 * Ute Mountain School

Family History Library
For a complete list of available records use the FamilySearch Catalog and search by Tribe and Location (state and county)


 * Central Superintendency Records 1813-1878 (108 films - M856) Family History Library 1st
 * Colorado Superintendency 1861-1880
 * American Indians in Colorado. By Johnson Donald Hughes.  WorldCat

FamilySearch Catalog Colorado Native Races

Reservations
From the mid-1800's, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.

For a currant reservation map - Colorado - 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.


 * Southern Ute Reservation Federal, under jurisdiction of Southern Ute Agency, Tribes: Mauache Capote Ute
 * Ute Mountain Reservation Federal, under jurisdiction of Ute Mountain Agency, Tribe: Wiminuche Ute

See Also:

 * Colorado - History for a calendar of events some pertaining to American Indians
 * ColoradoMilitary Records for a list of forts