Land area

Land of the Chippewa, Ottawa nations of the waters of the Illinois, Milwaukee, and Manitowoc rivers and others in Illinois and Wisconsin, ceded 1829 (area 147)

Shape traced from the 1899 maps; approximate. Open on the map

1816
Taken back by the United States
By Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi at St. Louis (1816)
1829
Ceded to the United States
By United Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi (of the Waters of the Illinois, Milwaukee, and Manitoouck Rivers) at Prairie du Chien, Michigan Territory (1829)

In the record

Given up by the Sauk and Fox in 1804, returned by the United States to the Ottawa, Chippewa and Potawatomi in 1816, and ceded by those tribes at Prairie du Chien in July 1829. The area covers about 1.7 million acres in what is now Illinois and Wisconsin.

The 1899 record names Chippewa (Ojibwe), Ottawa and Potawatomi as the people of this land.

How it was taken: a treaty or agreement. The Oklahoma State treaty text records a negotiated cession for a perpetual annuity and goods; no source cited describes coercion.

Today, Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin, Bay Mills Indian Community, Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and 23 more carry the history of the people named here.

Written from the records linked here; open any of them for its sources.

See this cession on the map

Shapes come from C. C. Royce’s 1899 maps as georeferenced by the US Forest Service. They are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land. Royce recorded land the United States treated as ceded; the shape does not show a nation’s territory.

Who is doing the work

This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:

Working with these nations

Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Nation government Ojibwe treaty rights in ceded territories, natural resource stewardship, manoomin, and a Land Conservancy program… Give on their site Website
Honor the Earth Native-led Pipeline resistance, sovereignty, energy justice Give on their site Website
White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) Native-led Recover the original White Earth reservation land base Give on their site Website
Native Land Conservancy (Massachusetts) Native-led Native-led land conservation Give on their site Website

Land return and Native-led work nearby

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Nation government Restoration of about 200,000 acres to reservation status (1975)
Stockbridge-Munsee Community (Band of Mohican Indians) Nation government 372 acres on Monument Mountain's north slope (finalized Apr 2025; $2.5M, $2.26M state grant)

Native legal and land defense, nationally

Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Native-led Litigation and legal advocacy for tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, land and resources Give on their site Website
NDN Collective (LANDBACK Campaign) Native-led LANDBACK campaign (launched 2020; Mount Rushmore closure and return of Black Hills public lands), Indigenous… Give on their site Website
Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) Native-led Land recovery and control by tribes and individual Indian landowners Website
Decolonizing Wealth Project (Indigenous Earth Fund; California Tribal Land Return) Native-led Reparative philanthropy Give on their site Website

Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.

Connections

Links marked “suggested” were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.

Nations named for this land 20

Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Bay Mills Indian Communitymatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Chippewa (Ojibwe)matched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montanamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michiganmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michiganmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwematched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band)matched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Ottawaas named in the 1899 recordsuggested
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahomamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested

Show all 20

Potawatomias named in the 1899 recordsuggested
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesotamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michiganmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakotamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
White Earth Nationmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested

Agreements recorded for this land 2

Located in 2

Sources

Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1816-08-24primary record
Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1816-08-24primary record
Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1829-07-29primary record
Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1829-07-29primary record
Royce’s map sheet: Wisconsin 1 (Library of Congress)primary record
Royce’s map sheet: Illinois 2 (Library of Congress)primary record
USDA Forest Service, Tribal Lands Ceded to the United States (digitized Royce maps)reference work

The record’s fields

Area number in the 1899 record: 147
Dates in the 1899 record: 1816-08-24; 1829-07-29
Kind of instrument: Treaty or agreement
Peoples as named in the 1899 record: Chippewa; Ottawa nations of the waters of the Illinois, Milwaukee, and Manitowoc rivers; Potawatomi nations of the waters of the Illinois, Milwaukee, and Manitowoc rivers
States: IL; WI
Counties: Carroll; Crawford; Grant; Iowa; Jo Daviess; Lafayette; Rock Island; Stephenson; Whiteside
Map sheets in the 1899 record: Wisconsin 1; Illinois 2
Geometry: Approximate shape from Royce’s 1899 maps

Research notes

geometry_role is 'cession' for every USFS feature: no field in the source distinguishes cessions from reservations.

Kind: Land area
Confidence: Medium

Correct this record