Depredation Claims seek reimbursement for property owned by frontier settlers, typically livestock, that they argued was stolen by Native Americans. In an effort to maintain peaceful relations between settlers and American Indian tribes, the Federal government reimbursed stolen property between 1796 and 1920. Although the depredation system was established to protect the possessions of both frontier settlers and Native Americans, settlers widely used and abused the system for personal gain. Native Americans seldom filed claims against frontier settlers. To file a claim, a settler would contact the local Indian agent who confronted the accused and demanded compensation. If the accused did not acquiesce, the agent contacted superiors in the Bureau of Indian Affairs to handle to matter. Cases were considered in the Court of Claims of the United States, and unpaid claims for losses were usually paid by the United States Treasury.
This collection contains correspondence, legal forms, and transcriptions pertaining to several Indian Depredation Claims between 1891 and 1899. These cases occurred in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Nevada, and were primarily administered by claims examiner John Wedderburn. The correspondence discusses supplemental information surrounding each claim such as the personal character of the involved parties and requests from lawyers for case related information. The legal document entitled "In the Court of Claims of the United States" summarizes the depredation claim by identifying the parties involved, the items stolen and their value, and the party responsible for compensation. The most common stolen property among these documents is livestock. Other claims request monetary compensation for wounds inflicted by American Indian tribes during raids.
No restrictions.
Gift to the Darlington Memorial Library from Alfred P. James in 1956.
Indian Depredation Claims, 1891-1900, DAR.1956.02, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Indian Depredation Claims, 1891-1900, DAR.1956.02, Darlington Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
This collection was processed by Matt Gorzalski in August 2008.
No copyright restrictions.
This collection was located in the Darlington Memorial Library in the University's Cathedral of Learning until 2007 when it was moved to the ULS Archives Service Center for processing, storage, preservation and service. However, it remains in the custodianship of the ULS Special Collections Department.
Indian Depredation Case Records, 1891-1918, Records of the United States Court of Claims, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 123.7.
Receipts for Sioux depredation claims payments, 1863, General Records, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 75.12.1.
Records of the Depredation Division, 1831-1898, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 75.14.3.
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