State Historical Society of Iowa

Lands Assigned to American Indians West of Arkansas and Missouri, 1836

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, "Map showing the lands assigned to emigrant Indians west of Arkansas and Missouri," 1836

Description

This map was created by the Topographical Bureau to show the assigned territory of tribes west of the Mississippi. The assignments were made as a result of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, which gave the president the authority to create and assign tribes to certain areas of land west of the Mississippi.

Transcript of Lands Assigned to American Indians Map

Source Dependent Questions

  • The map shows the number of acres assigned to tribes as well as population statistics. What indication is there on the map of where these statistics came from? Does it impact the amount of credibility you give the map?
  • Study the map and the borders drawn between tribes. How do you think those borders were decided? How much agency do you think the Indian nations had in regards to these borders?
  • Looking at the part of the map that is now Iowa, by what two methods did the Sac & Fox lose their land?
  • Compare this map with American Indian Reservations in Oklahoma, 1889, what changed for the Sac & Fox?

Citation Information

"Map showing the lands assigned to emigrant Indians west of Arkansas and Missouri," 1836. Courtesy of Library of Congress Courtesy of Library of Congress