This index to the Letters Sent by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1882, collection provides the dates each reel covers. Government Information MAY NOT hold all of these reels. The record in the library catalog describes the extent of our holdings. For help, or to make an appointment to view a reel, email rad@colorado.edu
This series consists of handwritten copies of the general outgoing correspondence of the Office of Indian Affairs. Included are instructions to superintendents, agents, and other employees and acknowledgments of and replies to incoming correspondence. Reports to the Secretary of War (or to the Secretary of the Interior after 1849) and to certain other officials, including chairmen of congressional committees, were copied in a separate series of volumes called "Report Books" (see M348).
Until 1869 the letters were copied in chronological order. Beginning in that year, two or more books were used simultaneously. Letters relating to certain broad subjects (such as land, finance, and civilization) were copied into separate books, but within each book the arrangement continued to be chronological. Most of the volumes are indexed by name of addressee and, to some extent, by subject. There are also marginal notations of the page numbers for other letters to the same person.
The spreadsheet attached below contains a reel-by-reel description of the complete collection.