Two Wisconsin tribes settle land claim for casinos

Wednesday, December 8, 2004  

Two Wisconsin tribes will settle their land claims to build casinos in the Catskills region of New York, Gov. George Pataki (R) announced on Tuesday.

The Oneida Nation and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans are part of a claim to 250,000 acres in upstate New York. Along with Oneidas from New York and Canada, they say the land was illegally transferred to the state.

But the Oneida Nation of New York says the other tribes can't assert rights in ancestral territory. The tribe is opposed to out-of-state deals Pataki has finalized in recent weeks.

Last month, Pataki settled with the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cayuga Nation of New York for Catskills casinos. A third tribe, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, also settled its claim for a Catskills casino.

State law currently allowed just three casinos in the Catskills but none have been built. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is the furthest along with the Cayuga Nation next in line.

Pataki wants the law changed to allow five casinos. The Stockbridge-Munsee Band already has a site in mind but the Wisconsin Oneidas do not.

Get the Story:
Two Wisconsin tribes get casino go-ahead in New York (AP 12/7)
Land claim settlement (News 10 Now 12/7)
Oneidas settle NY land claims (The Green Bay News-Chronicle 12/8)
State tribes settle dispute (Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers 12/8)
New York tribe slams casino deal (AP 12/8)
2 tribes drop claims (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 12/8)
New casino plan drops land claims (The Syracuse Post-Standard 12/8)
2 More Tribes Drop Claims in Exchange for Casinos (The New York Times 12/8)
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Trading Cove Scores In Catskills With Casino OK (The New London Day 12/8)
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