Land area
Land of the Winnebago in Minnesota, ceded 1859 (area 416)
- 1855
Set aside as a reservation
- 1859
Ceded to the United States
In the record
Granted to the Winnebago in 1855 as 18 miles square on the Blue Earth River in Minnesota; the western part was given up in 1859, to be sold by the United States on their behalf. The area covers about 88 thousand acres in what is now Minnesota.
The 1899 record names Winnebago as the people of this land.
How it was taken: a treaty made under documented pressure. MNopedia says the Ho-Chunk signed because they needed money to pay off debts, and the treaty itself directs sale proceeds to pay Winnebago debts.
Today, Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska carry the history of the people named here.
Written from the records linked here; open any of them for its sources.
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
Land return and Native-led work nearby
- 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
- Dream of Wild Health Native-led Owns a 30-acre farm in Hugo MN Give on their site Website
- Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Native-led Environmental and climate justice Give on their site Website
- Native Governance Center Native-led Strengthening Native nation governance and capacity to exercise sovereignty Give on their site Website
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 3
- Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsinmatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
- Winnebagoas named in the 1899 recordsuggested
- Winnebago Tribe of Nebraskamatched by the Forest Service, under reviewsuggested
Agreements recorded for this land 2
- Winnebago at Washington, DC (1855)1855suggested
- Winnebago at Washington, DC (1859)1859suggested
Located in 1
Sources
- Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1855-02-27primary record
- Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1855-02-27primary record
- Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1859-04-15primary record
- Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1859-04-15primary record
- Royce’s map sheet: Minnesota 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
- 416
- Dates in the 1899 record
- 1855-02-27; 1859-04-15
- Kind of instrument
- Treaty or agreement
- Peoples as named in the 1899 record
- Winnebago
- States
- MN
- Counties
- Blue Earth
- Map sheets in the 1899 record
- Minnesota 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