Casino Stalker

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation wants Illinois parcel in trust

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

An undated artist's rendering of a proposed Class II gaming facility in DeKalb County, Illinois. Image from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas is asking Dekalb County, Illinois, to support its land-into-trust application.

In 2006, the tribe paid $8.8 million for 128 acres within the historic Shab-eh-nay Reservation. Plans call for a Class II gaming facility on the land.

But before that can happen, the tribe is submitting a land-into-trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The county board will meet tonight to consider whether to support the request.

Resolution R2015-66, an item on the agenda for the meeting, is titled "Resolution to Support the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s 'Land in Trust' Request." It states: "The DeKalb County Board does support the request of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to the United States Government to acquire the lands in trust located in DeKalb County and that the Board Chairman is hereby authorized to convey that support on behalf of the DeKalb County Board."

A view of the ancestral Shab-eh-nay Reservation in Illinois. Photo from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

The county signed an intergovernmental agreement in 2008 to address impacts of the casino. The deal includes revenue sharing provisions.

"The tribe is planning gambling in a limited form, seems willing to share some of its profits with local governments and charities, and undoubtedly will provide some jobs and benefit to the south county area," The DeKalb Daily Chronicle said in an editorial today. "In the spirit of goodwill toward a potential future partner, the County Board should endorse their request to have the land held in trust."

The original 1,280-acre reservation was set aside for Chief Shab-eh-nay and his band by treaty in 1829. The tribe contends the reservation has never been extinguished by Congress.

Get the Story:
Potawatomi Seek Community Support For Federal Trust Casino (Northern Public Radio 8/19)
Dekalb County Board to consider Potawatomi bingo resolution (The DeKalb Daily Chronicle 8/17)

An Opinion:
Our View: Support Potawatomi claim to land near Shabbona (The DeKalb Daily Chronicle 8/19)