Record Group 48: Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior
The National Archives houses historical records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior in Record Group 48. These records include correspondence, reports, litigation case files, maps, and other materials related to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Agency Overview
Congress established the Department of the Interior on March 3, 1849 (9 Stat. 395), to oversee certain domestic functions and activities of the federal government. The newly created position of Secretary of the Interior was charged with leading the Department and given responsibility over the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA), among other federal agencies.
Indian Division
Initially, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior had a clerk who handled the Secretary's correspondence pertaining to Indian affairs and maintained related records.
In 1870, a formal Indian Division was established within the Secretary’s Office. The Indian Division handled matters referred to the Secretary by the OIA as well as duties relating to Indian affairs that Congress specifically assigned to the Secretary of the Interior. The latter included approving deeds, patents, leases, census rolls, land allotment schedules, and contracts, as well as authorizing individual expenditures, making recommendations on depredations claims, and acting as trustee for Indian trust funds.
The Indian Division was abolished in 1907 during an administrative reorganization. Thereafter, the Secretary’s Office maintained records relating to Indian affairs in general series of correspondence files.
Indian Territory Division
Indian Territory encompassed the lands of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole), Quapaw, Wyandot, Seneca, Peoria, Miami, Ottawa, Eastern Shawnee, and Modoc in present-day eastern Oklahoma. On June 28, 1898, Congress passed the Curtis Act (30 Stat. 495), which solidified federal control over Indian Territory by undermining tribal sovereignty. Specifically, the act abolished tribal courts in Indian Territory and declared that U.S. courts would not enforce tribal laws passed on or after the date of the act. The act also charged the Dawes Commission with preparing citizenship rolls for the Five Civilized Tribes as part of the land allotment process.
In response, the Secretary of the Interior established the Indian Territory Division on July 25, 1898. The division was tasked with overseeing “all business relating to the Indian Territory and the Five Civilized Tribes” except matters relating to appointments and finances. The division thus handled correspondence and maintained records on behalf of the Secretary related to deeds, patents, tribal acts, rolls, and other matters in Indian Territory.
The Indian Territory Division was abolished in 1907 during an administrative reorganization. Thereafter, the Secretary’s Office maintained records relating to Oklahoma and the Five Civilized Tribes in the series, “Central Classified Files, 1907–1972” (National Archives Identifier 593948).
Office of the Solicitor
The Office of the Solicitor performed all legal work for the Department of the Interior. In addition to the legal work directly concerned with the programs and activities of the Department, the Office of the Solicitor also handled matters relating to torts and other claims, inventions by personnel of the Department, and appeals to the Secretary of the Interior in public land proceedings and Indian probate matters.
Records Overview
Textual Records
Textual records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior are housed at different National Archives research facilities, depending on the division or office that maintained the records.
Select series are listed below. For the full archival records descriptions in the National Archives Catalog, please click on the National Archives Identifiers provided.
Proceedings of the Indian Peace Commission, September 1867
Records of the Indian Division
Records of the Indian Division are housed at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Contact the Textual Reference Branch at archives2reference@nara.gov with questions about the records.
- “Letters Received, 1849–1880” (National Archives Identifier 602748)
- This series is microfilmed as Microfilm Publication M825. The microfilm is available online through FamilySearch.org.
- “Letters Sent, 1849–1903” (National Archives Identifier 602905)
- This series is microfilmed as Microfilm Publication M606. This microfilm is available online through FamilySearch.org.
- “Special Files, 1849–1907” (National Archives Identifier 603002)
- This series is partially digitized in the National Archives Catalog.
- “Inspection Reports of Field Jurisdictions, 1880–1907” (National Archives Identifier 603777)
For additional series maintained by the Indian Division, see the Division’s organization authority record in the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 10447127).
Records of the Indian Territory Division
Records of the Indian Territory Division are housed at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Contact the Textual Reference Branch at archives2reference@nara.gov with questions about the records.
Page 1 of the Final Dawes Rolls for Choctaw Citizens by Blood
- “Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1899–1914” (National Archives Identifier 608958)
- This series is microfilmed as NARA Microfilm Publication T529. This microfilm is fully digitized in the National Archives Catalog.
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“Letters Received, 1898–1907” (National Archives Identifier 608805)
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“Letters Sent, 1898–1907” (National Archives Identifier 608926)
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“Special Files, 1898–1907” (National Archives Identifier 608946)
For additional series maintained by the Indian Territory Division, see the Division’s organization authority record in the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 10447300).
Records of the Office of the Solicitor
Records of the Office of the Solicitor are housed at different National Archives research facilities, depending on the location of the specific office.
- Office of the Solicitor (Headquarters): “Oklahoma Indian Court Files, 1942–1950” (National Archives Identifier 823736)
- Contact the National Archives at College Park, MD, with questions about these records.
- Office of the Regional Solicitor, Alaska: “Indian Land Administration Claim Files, 1971–1991” (National Archives Identifier 610816)
- These records are fully digitized and available in the National Archives Catalog.
- Contact the National Archives at Seattle with questions about these records.
- Office of the Regional Solicitor, Los Angeles (California): “Litigation Case Files Relating to Indian Irrigation Projects, 1948–1957” (National Archives Identifier 2292753)
- Contact the National Archives at Riverside with questions about these records.
For additional series maintained by the Office of the Solicitor, see the Office’s organization authority record in the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 10496002).
Cartographic Records
The Cartographic Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, houses maps maintained by the Office of the Secretary of the Interior related to American Indian lands and reservations.
Select series are listed below. For the full archival records descriptions in the National Archives Catalog, please click on the National Archives Identifiers provided. For questions about these records, please contact the Cartographic Branch at carto@nara.gov.
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“General Maps and Plans for a Transcontinental Railroad, 1849–1858” (National Archives Identifier 1667853)
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“Maps and Plans Relating to Government Reservations, 1871–1907” (National Archives Identifier 1662206)
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“Maps Relating to States and Territories, 1875–1914” (National Archives Identifier 1662187)
Photographs and Graphic Works
The Still Picture Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, houses select photographs maintained by the Office of the Secretary of the Interior related to Indian affairs. Often these photographs are interfiled among larger series documenting Department of Interior activities.
Examples are listed below. For the full archival records descriptions in the National Archives Catalog, please click on the National Archives Identifiers provided. For questions about these records, please contact the Still Picture Branch at stillpix@nara.gov.
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“Photographs Accompanying Reports to the Secretary of the Interior, 1887–1930” (National Archives Identifier 516369)
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“Central Photographic Assignment Files Documenting the Secretary’s Activities, and Agency Events, Programs, and Officials, 1971–2005” (National Archives Identifier 5573984)
- “Photographs Relating to the Secretary’s Trips, Speeches, and Other Functions, and Agency Officials, Events, and Managed Sites, 2005–2013” (National Archives Identifier 7682706)
- The series is fully available in the National Archives Catalog.