Office of Indian Affairs Letter Appointing Physician at Osage and Kaw Agency, 1885

Washington, D.C., 1885. Poor to fair. Staining, short tears, toning and dust soiling, with creasing. One small open tear with no loss of text.. Typewritten letter from the commissioner of the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Hiram Price, officially appointing L.M. Hutchinson, M.D. as the Physician at Osage and Kaw Agency, "to serve at Kaw reservation, at a compensation of $1200". Price (1814-1901) was commissioner from 1881 until 1885 under President Garfield. The Kaw Nation was forced to relocate to a reservation in 1873; by 1879, nearly half their members had died due to contagious diseases. They survived in the 1880s by leasing land out to white ranchers. Typewritten on official letterhead measuring 9.75" by 7.75". Ink initials to upper right-hand corner. Accompanied by three printed business cards for Hutchinson measuring approx. 1.5" by 3.75" The Kaw Nation (or Kanza or Kansa) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas. It comes from the central Midwestern United States. It has also been called the "People of the South wind", "People of water", Kansa, Kaza, Konza, Conza, Quans, Kosa, and Kasa. Their tribal language is Kansa, classified as a Siouan language.

The toponym "Kansas" was derived from the name of this tribe. The name of Topeka, capital city of Kansas, is said to be the Kaw word Tó Ppí K é meaning "a good place to grow potatoes". The Kaw are closely related to the Osage Nation.