From the Archives: 70 years since the Indian Relocation Act

Public Law 959, known as the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, was enacted on August 3, 1956. The National Archives has assembled an excellent online guide to BIA urban relocation records, including the original statute, federal relocation promotional materials, field office records, case files, and records from the relocation offices including the Chicago relocation office for folks interested in Great Lakes relocation history.

Additional resources

Native community centers helped preserve culture and connection during urban relocation, Rachel Schuit for Crosswinds, August 3, 2026

The Federal Indian Relocation Programme of the 1950s and the Urbanization of Indian Identity, Donald Fixico, in
RICHARD BESSEL AND CLAUDIA B. HAAKE (eds.), Removing Peoples. Forced Removal in the Modern World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009)