Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
Record Group 1
Scope and Content: Series 1-1

The correspondence, by laws, and minutes of meetings under the BCIM's second Executive Director, Father Joseph A. Stephan, is divided into annual chronological increments, and there under, the arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, the District of Columbia, etc. The localities include both individual places and institutions that are widely dispersed or clusters of sparsely settled areas with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. "Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation;" "New Mexico, Pueblo Reservation."

Filed at the end of these states, territories, or areas is BCIM general correspondence pertaining to two or more missions or schools within it, e.g. "Alaska, General Correspondence."

After 1887, the federal government allotted most reservations. In many instances, with assistance from the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Catholic missions and schools were able to secure allotments on the lands so used. If and when that occurred, the allotment descriptions are interfiled within the correspondence of the respective missions and schools by their date of issuance.

General Information

These records contain extensive and diverse historical narratives about Native Americans and their communities, and especially Native American Catholics and their Catholic parishes and events. Also detailed are the Catholic missionaries and their evangelization through parishes, schools, and special events. These accounts are especially valuable whenever related historical records have not survived elsewhere.

Additions and Special Compilations, 1873-1990: BCIM correspondence from the Stephan (1885-1900), Ketcham (1901-1920), Hughes (1921-1935), Tennelly (1936-1976), and Lenz (1977-1990) administrations acquired after 2000, which has been neither microfilmed nor interfiled within those respective records. Rather, these additions have been maintained separately and cross-referenced with their respective holdings.

Reformatted records: The microfilm version of the Series 1-1 Correspondence is available via interlibrary loan within the United States; please follow the Guidelines for Interlibrary Loans.