The Mesquakie Indian Settlement, is the reservation land of the Sac and Fox. While the lands are held in federal trust, all acreage has been purchased by the tribe. The settlement has grown from the original 84 acres, purchased in 1857 to about 3500 acres in trust plus another 700 acres subject to life estate. The Mesquakie are currently paying for another 1100 acres which will be placed in trust when the debt is cleared. All lands are commonly owned with no individual allotments. The Mesquakie (commonly called the Sac and Fox Tribe) were members of the Algonguian confederacy and lived on the eastern seaboard. Pressure from white settlers and encroachment from other tribes caused them to migrate to the Lake Michigan area. The Mesquakie, known as the Red Earth People, traditionally occupied permanent villages of rectangular houses and subsisted on summer crops. In the winter, the tribe followed the herds and lived in wigwams. Toward the end of the 18th century, the tribe moved west and settled along the Mississippi River. They allied themselves with the Iroquois and later with the Five Nations in the French and Indian Wars. This is when the "Fox" became associated with the Mesquakie. After moving across the river from the Sauk group (about where Rock Island, IL is now located), the federal government combined the identities of both groups by referring to them as "Sac and Fox." After the Blackhawk Wars in 1842, the Mesquakie were forcibly removed to a reservation in Kansas. To prevent a forced resettlement to Indian Territory in what is now known as Oklahoma, the tribe returned to the Mississippi River Valley in Iowa and purchased its own land. The original purchase was placed in trust with the Governor of IA. In 1896, the BIA assumed jurisdiction over the tribe and the land is now held in trust by the US government. A casino and a bingo hall provide much of the tribe's income. Also a Trading Store, leasing of some of the property to farmers who raise soybeans and corn, and forestry provide additional revenue for the tribe. Members engage in agriculture and the raising of livestock on the agricultural land. Also the residents have their own gardens up to an acre, which accounts for the remaining tillable land in use. They have installed an underground aeration system for sewage treatment. They have also installed a deep, fresh water well and a 30,000 gallon reservoir in 1983. The tribe provides for the health of its residents, and has also built a 20-room apartment complex for its aged residents. Reservation children attend school, pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, on the Mesquakie Indian Settlement. There are over 500 people in the settlement. To contact the tribe directly: Sac & Fox Tribal Office 3137 F Avenue Tama, IA 52339 (515) 484-4678 or 484-5358 Judy Neu Springwater, NY

Hi Judy, Thanks for all your facts about the Mesquakie Indian settlement,most of which I didn't know. My comments were based on personal observations. I remember visiting their places of business in the 1920's with my parents where they sold hand made jewelry and souvenirs to the general public using small stands (Kiosks) along the highway. I remember my Dad saying that they had figured out how to merchandise because the stands were ran by the most beautiful young indian girls that he had ever seen. The parking area then would hold 10 to 20 cars They had another annual fund raiser that lasted about a week called the pow-wow and they presented their tribal dances as well as sold their souvenirs I was never able to attend a pow-wow but they used to have an exibit at the dairy cattle congress in Waterloo and they would present their Dances and usually have a tee-pee set up to look at. I always felt sorry for the Children, their clothes tended to be I'll fitting and there was an aura of poverty about them. Today they should all be comfortably rich because their casino is very popular and has undergone at least two huge expansions. I thought these additional tid-bits might be interesting to others. JAN Jtrippneu@aol.com wrote: > The Mesquakie Indian Settlement, is the reservation land of the Sac and Fox. > While the lands are held in federal trust, all acreage has been purchased by > the tribe. The settlement has grown from the original 84 acres, purchased in > 1857 to about 3500 acres in trust plus another 700 acres subject to life estate. > The Mesquakie are currently paying for another 1100 acres which will be > placed in trust when the debt is cleared. All lands are commonly owned with no > individual allotments. > > The Mesquakie (commonly called the Sac and Fox Tribe) were members of the > Algonguian confederacy and lived on the eastern seaboard. Pressure from white > settlers and encroachment from other tribes caused them to migrate to the Lake > Michigan area. > > The Mesquakie, known as the Red Earth People, traditionally occupied > permanent villages of rectangular houses and subsisted on summer crops. In the winter, > the tribe followed the herds and lived in wigwams. > > Toward the end of the 18th century, the tribe moved west and settled along > the Mississippi River. They allied themselves with the Iroquois and later with > the Five Nations in the French and Indian Wars. This is when the "Fox" became > associated with the Mesquakie. After moving across the river from the Sauk > group (about where Rock Island, IL is now located), the federal government > combined the identities of both groups by referring to them as "Sac and Fox." > > After the Blackhawk Wars in 1842, the Mesquakie were forcibly removed to a > reservation in Kansas. To prevent a forced resettlement to Indian Territory in > what is now known as Oklahoma, the tribe returned to the Mississippi River > Valley in Iowa and purchased its own land. The original purchase was placed in > trust with the Governor of IA. In 1896, the BIA assumed jurisdiction over the > tribe and the land is now held in trust by the US government. > > A casino and a bingo hall provide much of the tribe's income. Also a Trading > Store, leasing of some of the property to farmers who raise soybeans and corn, > and forestry provide additional revenue for the tribe. Members engage in > agriculture and the raising of livestock on the agricultural land. Also the > residents have their own gardens up to an acre, which accounts for the remaining > tillable land in use. > > They have installed an underground aeration system for sewage treatment. They > have also installed a deep, fresh water well and a 30,000 gallon reservoir in > 1983. The tribe provides for the health of its residents, and has also built > a 20-room apartment complex for its aged residents. Reservation children > attend school, pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, on the Mesquakie Indian > Settlement. There are over 500 people in the settlement. > > To contact the tribe directly: > > Sac & Fox Tribal Office > 3137 F Avenue > Tama, IA 52339 > (515) 484-4678 or 484-5358 > > Judy Neu > Springwater, NY > > ==== IOWA Mailing List ==== > The IOWA Lists now have their own website with unsub > instructions, list rules and other useful information. > Visit & Bookmark http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist > > ============================== > You can manage your RootsWeb-Review subscription from > http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/