President Llevando "Cowboy" Fisher, center delivers $800,000 check to purchase the Thunderchild Facility and land located in Wyoming; Accompanied by Council members Vernon Small and Merlin Sioux.
Northern Cheyenne Tribe spends more than $2 million on land purchases
By Clara Caufield LAME DEER, Mont. — Over the past year, the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council in conjunction with the Tribal Land Authority has ambitiously purchased significant real estate, land and buildings both on and off the Reservation. According to staff from the tribal Land Authority, since the fall of 2013, the Tribe has expended $2,406,500 for a variety of major real estate purchases. The funding for these purchases comes from a loan from 1st Interstate Bank, secured by the 1996 Water Rights Settlement Loan made interest free to the State of Montana as part of the Tribal Water Rights Settlement. That loan was required as part of the Settlement funds provided by Congress in the initial legislation which provided for repairs to the Tongue River Dam and recognized tribal water rights. The State of Montana will soon start making annual payments on this congressionally mandated loan to the Tribe. Part of that income has been used to collateralize the tribal loan from 1st Interstate. The properties that have been purchased include: Bear Butte (Free Spirit Campground, 40 acres) - $900,000; Thunderchild Treatment Facility (over 500 acres with 1st water rights) - $800,000; the old Cady’s Gas Station located at the intersections of Highway 212 and Cheyenne Avenue ($339,000); the old Morning Star Enterprises Complex including building and several lots on the fee-patent Lame Deer town site ($325,000) and a concrete building and lot (old Post office) in Lame Deer ($32,750). Land Authority members could not be reached for comment as of press time. President Llevando “Cowboy” Fisher, a leading proponent of the land and real estate purchases reported that these purchases will greatly extend the land holdings of the Tribe. “Land is one thing that will always benefit our future generations.” The newly purchased properties are in fee patent status, meaning that they will be taxed until transferred into trust property. The Bear Butte property is included as one of the Tribal land holdings that will be put into trust if the Cheyenne Lands Act, currently being considered by Congress is enacted into law. But, the others, including the Thunderchild property in Wyoming would be transferred into trust through a process governed by BIA regulation which can be very complex and time-consuming. The former Morning Star Enterprise building is now being used for offices for the Northern Cheyenne Land Authority and the Land Buy-Back Program. Although a number of options for the utilization of the other properties have been discussed, at present no development plans have been finalized. President Fisher has suggested that the Thunderchild Center could be utilized for an inter-tribal drug/alcohol treatment center or as an off-reservation college campus. He encourages tribal members to contact his office with ideas or recommendations for how these properties could be used to benefit the tribal membership. (Clara Caufield can be reached at: acheyennevoice@gmail.com.) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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