In 2006, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas purchased 129 acres in DeKalb County, Illinois for .8 million—land that the tribe says has a historic connection to its reservation, Shab-eh-nay Reservation, established by an 1829 treaty. Now, in one of his final acts as assistant secretary of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, Kevin Washburn announced the environmental review process will begin for the tribe’s land to be taken into trust for a Class II gaming operation.
The BIA has scheduled a public meeting for January 26 in Malta, and it will take written comments through February 22.
The approval of the Prairie Band’s land-trust application could have far-reaching impact, since its present-day reservation in Mayetta, Kansas is about 500 miles from the proposed casino site in Illinois.
