Land Allotment Map Tutorials

Discover your ancestral connections and explore historical Native land allotments through our interactive mapping tools. Follow these comprehensive guides to uncover your heritage.

Choose Your Tutorial

Start here if you're new to our platform. Learn the basics of navigating our interactive map.

How to Navigate Our Native Land Allotment Map

Step 1: Accessing the Interactive Map

  • • Click on the "Story Maps" option in the main navigation menu at the top of the page
  • • Select "Native Land Allotment Map" from the dropdown menu
  • • The interactive map will load with a default view of the continental United States
  • • For best performance, use Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browsers

Step 2: Understanding Map Layers

  • • Find the "Map Layers" panel on the left side of your screen
  • • Toggle between different historical periods using the timeline slider (1830-1950)
  • • Available layers include:
    • - Dawes Act Allotments (1887-1934)
    • - Treaty Boundaries (1778-1871)
    • - Reservation Establishment Periods
    • - Contemporary Tribal Territories
    • - Historical Census Records Overlay
  • • Use the opacity slider to adjust layer transparency when viewing multiple layers

Step 3: Searching for Ancestral Connections

  • • Click on the search icon in the upper right corner of the map
  • • Search by:
    • - Family name or surname
    • - Tribal affiliation (e.g., "Cherokee," "Lakota," "Navajo")
    • - Geographic location (county, state, or region)
    • - Allotment number (if known from family records)
    • - Treaty name or year
  • • The map will zoom to relevant locations matching your search criteria
  • • Use quotation marks for exact phrase matches (e.g., "John Tallchief")
  • • Try alternative spellings if initial searches don't yield results

Step 4: Exploring Land Details

  • • Click directly on any highlighted area of the map to open the information panel
  • • The information panel provides:
    • - Original allotment details (date, acreage, legal description)
    • - Name of original allottee and tribal affiliation
    • - Historical photographs (when available)
    • - Land status changes over time
    • - Links to digitized original documents
  • • Use the "Related Allotments" tab to see family connections and neighboring parcels
  • • Toggle between "Historical View" and "Modern View" to see how boundaries have changed
  • • Click "Save to Research" to bookmark this location for later reference

Step 5: Accessing Historical Records

  • • From any allotment information panel, click "View Source Documents"
  • • Available historical records may include:
    • - Original allotment certificates
    • - Land survey maps and field notes
    • - Census rolls and enrollment documents
    • - Correspondence between agents and tribal members
    • - Historical photographs of the region
  • • Use the document viewer to zoom, rotate, and examine details
  • • Click "Download" to save high-resolution copies for your research
  • • Note: Some documents require free registration to access

Step 6: Creating Your Ancestral Profile

  • • Click "My Ancestry" in the top navigation menu
  • • Select "Create New Profile" to start documenting your connections
  • • Add discovered allotments to your family tree by clicking "Add to Profile" from any information panel
  • • Upload additional family documents and photographs to enhance your research
  • • Connect with others researching the same allotments or family names
  • • Generate and download custom reports showing your ancestral land connections
  • • Share your findings with family members via email or social media

Tips & Troubleshooting

For Better Search Results

  • • Start with broader searches, then narrow down
  • • Consider name variations and phonetic spellings
  • • Search by location if family names aren't yielding results
  • • Use the Advanced Search to filter by time period
  • • Check tribal rolls first if you know your ancestral tribe

Common Challenges

  • • Map not loading: Try clearing your browser cache
  • • Missing records: Not all allotments have digitized documents
  • • Name discrepancies: Check for anglicized versions of names
  • • Boundary disputes: Some territories have overlapping claims
  • • Slow performance: Reduce the number of active map layers

Video Tutorials

Beginner's Guide Video Thumbnail

Getting Started (7:15)

Basic navigation and first-time user orientation

Finding Family Connections Thumbnail

Finding Family Connections (12:43)

Advanced search techniques for ancestral research

Document Analysis Thumbnail

Understanding Documents (9:21)

How to interpret historical allotment records

Need Additional Help?

Our community of researchers and tribal knowledge keepers are here to support your journey.