Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe history

1858 – Minnesota joins the union.

1884 – The Band’s leaders receive assurances that the presence of non-Indians on Mille Lacs Band land would be investigated and resolved.

1902 – Government representatives visit Mille Lacs to negotiate an agreement for damages done to Mille Lacs Band members by settlers.

1914 – Chief Migizi obtains a promise from Congress to purchase 40-acre home sites for the landless Band members.

1946 – Congress passes the Indian Claims Commission Act as part of an effort to resolve land claims between Indian tribes and the United States government.

1960 – Sam Yankee is elected Chairman of the Mille Lacs Band’s tribal government.

1975 – Chairman Gahbow is instrumental in forming the Mille Lacs Band’s Nay Ah Shing School following a walkout by reservation youth from a public school in nearby Onamia.

1988 – Congress passes the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) which recognizes that Indian tribes have the right to own and operate casino gaming businesses on reservation lands.

1992 – The Mille Lacs Band opens Grand Casino Hinckley.

1994 – Based on the success the Mille Lacs Band and other tribes have shown in self-governance, President Bill Clinton signs legislation turning the Self-Governance Demonstration Project into a permanent project.

1996 – The Band secures federal regulatory approval to acquire First State Bank of Onamia through the formation of the nation’s first wholly Indian-owned holding company.

2004 – The Band opens a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility, partnering with the Garrison Kathio West Mille Lacs Lake Sanitary District to provide treatment services to residents and businesses of the West Mille Lacs Lake region.