Sisseton Agency, D. T.
CHARLES CRISSEY, U. S. IND. AGT.
This Agency has been established about ten years; the people are Wahpeton and Sisseton Sioux Indians; some were in the outbreak of 1862–3 as hostiles, but a large per cent, as friendly Indians. Most of them wore the Indian dress of cloth and skins, and lived in tepees.
They now dress entirely in citizen’s clothing, and live in log-houses, some with shingled roofs and board floors; most of them with dirt roofs and floors. The number of houses built of logs is 220, and 15 frame. There are five organized churches with a membership of 416 Indians and ten whites. Two of the churches are building new frame buildings, 28 × 50 ft. and 20 × 30 ft., respectively.
There are about 4,025 acres under cultivation; there was broken of new ground during the spring, 1,055 acres. There was raised last year about 17,000 bushels of wheat and oats, with a little barley. The estimated crop this year will be 25,000 bushels. The Indians have bought without Government aid, during the last three seasons, 16 reapers, 8 fanning-mills, and 4 sulky horse-rakes; one has purchased a self-binder.
Many of them are able to do such work as an ordinary carpenter or blacksmith does. We have built three frame houses and have two more nearly completed. I depend on Indians as help in running our threshing machines, engines at our at steam-mills, caring for our horses, and have employed no extra white help, other than one white man to oversee each department, since April 1st, 1879.
The largest crop raised by any one Indian last year, was 573 bushels of wheat and oats, two others raising nearly as much. We have threshed for one only this season, and he had 1,500 bushels of oats. We have distributed to those who have never been supplied with teams previous to June last, to work with, 95 yoke of work cattle, with plows, yokes, chains, harrows, etc. The only way they had to supply themselves previous to June last, was by yoking the beef cattle and using them, thus depriving themselves of fresh beef; and when an Indian does that, it is a good sign that he is well on the road to civilization.
There are three schools, two Government and one mission; 7 teachers, five Government and two mission.
The number of scholars attending one month or more during the year is 104; number attending boarding schools, 78; number attending day school, 26; number of months which school has been maintained during the year, 10; average attendance during that time, 81. Largest average attendance during any one month, 100; about 25 of the 78 boarding scholars attended the mission school, the Government furnishing the same with most of the clothing and rations; both Government and Mission Boarding schools have been well maintained and successfully managed, the scholars showing marked improvement during the past year, and the parents much more interest than ever before.