Nez Perce Farmer and Child
Photograph courtesy of University of Idaho Special Collections MA97-34-13a

As early as 1819, U.S. Indian policy focused on acculturation, with settling Indians on farms and education to lead the way. As a result, Indian agents usually devoted a section of their annual report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on agriculture, commenting on such topics as number of new farms, crops, acreage under cultivation, and local growing conditions.