SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Prairie Land Potawatomi Nation has reclaimed land in Illinois that was promised to the tribe’s leader 175 years ago but stolen by the federal government 20 years later.
A law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week transferred Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, 1,500 acres (607 hectares) in north-central Illinois.
“We are proud to once again call this land home,” said Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation based in Mayetta, Kansas.
The action returns to the Potawatomi territory in the same area that was ceded to Chief Shab-eh-nay in a treaty with the U.S. government in 1829. Nothing ever altered that treaty, but when Shab-eh-nay and his people left for several years to visit family in Kansas, the government sold the land to white settlers.
It’s not entirely the same soil that the U.S. took from Chief Shab-eh-nay. The boundaries of his original 1,280-acre (518-hectare) reservation now encompass hundreds of acres of privately owned land, a golf course and county forest preserve. Returning the original land would undoubtedly put the transfer into an interminable legal wrangle.
“This moment reflects the power of collaboration and the shared desire to build a future rooted in justice and respect,” Rupnick said. “Illinois has shown true courage and vision by leading the way in the Land Back movement, demonstrating that healing and reconciliation are possible.”
The land will stay open to the public as a park, with the state providing maintenance.
Rupnick for years has traveled repeatedly from Kansas to Illinois to negotiate with local and state governments, provide equipment to help clean up after storms and speak with neighbors, many of whom fear changes will come to the park that will disrupt their lives. Rupnick told lawmakers last spring it made no sense to install a casino because of the number of state-sanctioned gambling houses in operation.
He did not rule out constructing a hotel, however, noting that the park, 68 miles (109 kilometers) west of Chicago, has 150 campsites, draws 500,000 visitors a year, and the closest lodging is a 20-minute drive away.