Sunset Magazine, which published muckraking articles

The Indian Rights Association was founded in 1882, and the organization lobbied to influence policy that would benefit Indian acculturation. It also monitored the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tried to keep tabs on Indian living conditions. In 1924, the organization began to issue a monthly publication called Indian Truth, and collaborated with the American Indian Defense Association on an expose of Indian exploitation in Oklahoma.

After that, article after article about the government’s mistreatment or exploitation of Indians appeared in magazines. Titles like “The Red Slaves of Oklahoma,” “The Deplorable State of Our Indians,” and “Red Tragedies” made it plain that their writers didn’t intend to let anybody off the hook. Though the Bureau of Indians Affairs largely ignored the articles–except to defend itself against their charges–the publicity helped bring the Indians’ grievances and substandard quality of life before the public.

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