The Santee Sioux Agency was established in 1866 when the Sioux moved to a reservation in Nebraska. It replaced the old St. Peters Agency. The headquarters was located approximately thirteen miles below the mouth of the Niobrara River on the west side of the Missouri River. Samuel D. Hinman built the first church at the Santee Agency in 1867 and established the first school in 1868. A.L. Riggs started the Santee Normal Training School in 1870.
The collection consists of one folder containing pages 289-312 torn from an account book. The top of the first page is labeled in pencil, “Day book of an Indian trader at Santee, Neb., 1884.” The entries date from August 20 to September 5, 1884 and list names of people, the purchases they made and the price of the item. Products and prices listed include sugar (1.00), pork (.75), eggs (.15) and jeans (1.50). Many names have been typed out and listed separately from the original handwritten entries, including S.D. Hinman and A.L. Riggs.