Episcopal Church sacramental registers from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Purchased from Center for Western Studies, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ca. 1990. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, CA (Certified Archivist), 2015.

Historical Note

In accordance with the "Peace Policy" of President U.S. Grant, the Episcopal Church established its ministry at Pine Ridge Agency, Dakota Territory, in 1879, and it was the first Christian group to do so.

Catholic diocesan priests first visited in 1884 and were followed by Jesuits who established Holy Rosary Mission and School four years later.  The Presbyterian Church established a mission in 1887.

1879	The Episcopal Church initiated its Pine Ridge Mission with two church workers.
1880	It established Holy Cross Mission at Pine Ridge Agency (now Pine Ridge).
1881	The Episcopal Church temporarily withdrew its missionaries.
1882	The Episcopal Church resumed its mission with two new missionaries, one of whom was a native church worker (Rev. Amos Ross).
1885	The Episcopal Church established St. Barnabas' Church, Medicine Root Creek (now Kyle), 45 miles northeast of the agency.
1887	The Episcopal Church established St. Philip's Church, Wounded Knee, and reservation-wide, it claimed 1,280 native converts.  The Presbyterian Church established a mission with some native church workers.
1888	The Episcopal Church established St. Julia's Chapel, Porcupine Creek and St. Peter's Church, White Clay Creek.  North of the agency on White Clay Creek, the Jesuits established Holy Rosary Mission and School.
1889	The Episcopal Church established St. Paul's Chapel, Wounded Knee Creek and St. Hope Chapel, Corn Creek; more stations on Medicine Root Creek and Corn Creek; and expanded its ministry to include Cheyenne Indians at Pine Ridge Agency.  Reservation-wide, the church claimed 2,200 native converts.
1890	Reservation-wide, the Episcopal Church claimed over 2,200 native converts served by 21 church workers and assistants at seven mission churches and stations.

Scope and Content

Series 1, Sacramental Registers, 1879-1908: 16 mm. reel microfilm of Episcopal Church sacramental registers from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This reel contains legibility issues throughout.

Restrictions: There are no restrictions to this collection. However, researchers assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

More Related Resources

• Native America Collections: Checklist to Marquette special collections about native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

• Search the Collections (sidebar)

• Episcopal Church, Diocese of South Dakota Archives: Finding aid at Center for Western Studies, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

• Guides to Catholic-Related Records about Native Americans in the United States: Over 1,000 repository entries in PDF format to help genealogists and historical researchers find the records they need on American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The entries provide contact information on the repositories, brief descriptions about the records, the Native groups served, and the associated Catholic organizations. Many of the entries include institutional chronologies to explain the history of the records.