Prairie Island Indian Reservation
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Prairie Island Indian Community ( Dakota: ''Tinta Winta'') is a Mdewakanton
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
in Goodhue County, Minnesota, along the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Most of the reservation now lies within the city of Red Wing, which developed after this land was set aside. The reservation was established in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. The federally recognized tribe has lost much reservation land to the requirements of two major federal projects of the 20th century. The
United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
was authorized by Congress to construct
Lock and Dam No. 3 Lock and Dam No. 3 is a lock and dam located near Red Wing, Minnesota on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 796.9. It was constructed and placed in operation July 1938. The site underwent major rehabilitation from 1988 through 1991. The ...
along the river to improve navigation, and took over reservation land to support this. Later, the federal government authorized construction in 1973 of the
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is an electricity-generating facility located in Red Wing, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, and adjacent to the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation. The nuclear power plant, which began ...
nearby, taking more reservation land for this project. The main reservation lies within the city of Red Wing. Off-reservation trust lands are located both within Red Wing and in Welch Township in northern Goodhue County, as well as in Ravenna Township in eastern
Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...
. These more than double the total landholdings of the tribe. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a land area of The reservation had 310 residents in the 2020 census, including off-reservation trust lands. The tribe operates Treasure Island Resort & Casino on its land near the Mississippi River north of Red Wing.


History


Termination efforts

As part of the Indian termination policy that was followed by the US government from the 1940s to the 1960s, four Native American Groups in Minnesota were targeted. A memo dated 19 January 1955 for the BIA issued from the Department of the Interior indicates additional terminations were being reviewed in proposed legislation for four Indian communities of southern
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
including the Lower Sioux Community in Redwood and Scott counties, the New Upper Sioux Community in Yellow Medicine County, the Prairie Island Community in Goodhue County and about 15 individuals living on restricted tracts in Yellow Medicine County. Discussions between the BIA and the Indians from the targeted area began in 1953 and continued throughout 1954. Though the Prairie Island and Lower Sioux communities drafted agreements with individual land ownership, the Upper Sioux strongly opposed fee simple title to tribal lands. On 26 January 1955 Senator
Edward Thye Edward John Thye (April 26, 1896August 28, 1969) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 26th governor of Minnesota from 1943 to 1947 and a United States Senator from 1947 to 1959. Early life and education Edwa ...
introduced into Congress a bill (S704) to provide for termination of the tribes. Opposition, not only of the Indians, but of other citizens who realized their state expenditures might increase, were made to the committee reviewing the bill. The Minnesota Governor's Commission on Human Rights also opposed the legislation, indicating that it would "not adequately protect the interests of the Indians..." The bill died in committee, never reaching the Senate floor.


Controversial construction

The Community has lost land to major federal projects.
United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
was authorized by Congress to construct
Lock and Dam No. 3 Lock and Dam No. 3 is a lock and dam located near Red Wing, Minnesota on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 796.9. It was constructed and placed in operation July 1938. The site underwent major rehabilitation from 1988 through 1991. The ...
along the river to improve navigation, and took over reservation land to support this. Later, the federal government authorized construction in 1973 of the
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is an electricity-generating facility located in Red Wing, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, and adjacent to the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation. The nuclear power plant, which began ...
nearby, taking more reservation land for this project. The plant's owner and operator,
Xcel Energy Xcel Energy Inc. is an American utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving more than 3.7 million electric customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico in 2019. It consists of four oper ...
, has stored
radioactive waste Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...
in above-ground
steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
casks on the site since 1991. As this area is in the
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
of the Mississippi River, the Prairie Island Community and others feared that seasonal flooding could damage the casks, resulting in contamination of this important river. In 2003 Xcel gained legislative authority in Minnesota to expand the number of radioactive waste casks it had on site. The legislature granted the request, but required the company to make greater use of
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
in generating power, such as
wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...
. In addition, it was required to pay the adjacent
Prairie Island Community Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
up to $2.25 million per year to help with improvements to their evacuation plan (in case of a nuclear accident), as well as the acquisition and development of new land for their reservation. In addition, this money was to help pay for a health study and emergency management activities by the small tribe. In the 21st century, the Prairie Island Community and others in the area opposed renewal by the NRC of the operating license of this plant, but it was approved in June 2011.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the combined reservation and off-reservation trust land have a total area of , of which is land and is water. The land area of the reservation alone was , while the land area of the off-reservation trust land was .


Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the combined population of Prairie Island Indian Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land was 310. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the reservation and off-reservation trust land was 80.0% Native American, 6.8%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.3%
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.6%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1.0% from other races, and 10.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 10.3%
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race.


References


Prairie Island Indian Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Minnesota
United States Census Bureau


External links


Prairie Island Indian Community
{{authority control American Indian reservations in Minnesota Geography of Dakota County, Minnesota Populated places in Goodhue County, Minnesota Native American tribes in Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River 1889 establishments in Minnesota