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RED CLIFF HISTORY
A series of treaties between the U.S. Government and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians had passed to create today’s Red Cliff Reservation ... read more!
 
 
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RED CLIFF HISTORY
A series of treaties between the U.S. Government and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians had passed to create today’s Red Cliff Reservation; the most recent being in 1854. Red Cliff is known as, "The Hub of the Chippewa Nation." The Red Cliff Reservation is approximately one mile wide and fourteen miles long, located on the northern-most tip of Wisconsin. Three miles north of the City of Bayfield, the Red Cliff Reservation lies along the shores of Lake Superior. The reservation’s population of 924 is primarily of Native American descent.
In 1854, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs arranged a Treaty Council in an attempt to get the Chippewa Indians to give up their titles to certain pieces of land on Lake Superior. Several Ojibwe chiefs responded to the call, and they convened in the town of LaPointe on Madeline Island. Madeline Island is one of the twenty-two Apostle Islands in the Chequamegon Bay of Northern Wisconsin.  Back to top of page
Today’s reservation began as a small fishing village and the home of the famous warrior and chief, Waub-O-Jeeg in the early 19th Century. The Treaty of LaPointe established the Red Cliff Reservation in 1854 as a land grant to Chief Buffalo, principal Chief of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians. The Reservation was expanded in 1866 by executive order of President Andrew Johnson.
Chief Buffalo, also known as Ke-che-waish-ke was born at LaPointe in the Apostle Islands group of Lake Superior. Chief Buffalo was recognized as the principal chief of the Lake Superior Chippewa for nearly a half century until his death is 1855. He was also instrumental in resisting the efforts of the United States to remove the Chippewa and in securing permanent reservations for his people near Lake Superior. The final resting place of Chief Buffalo can still be found in the historical Indian cemetery at LaPointe today.  Back to top of page
During the early reservation period, most tribal members were forced to make their living working for white employers in nearby Bayfield, Wisconsin. The commercial fishing industry drew many of these workers.
At the turn of the 19th Century, the Commission of Indian Affairs allowed lumbering companies to cut most of the timber on the reservation. Many Tribal members found work in logging, but the Tribe largely missed out on the timber revenues.  Back to top of page
During the 20th Century, commercial fishing in Lake Superior sustained many Red Cliff families. Despite the fact that the Ojibwe had reserved the rights to hunt, fish and gather in treaties signed in Wisconsin Supreme Court case Gurnoe vs. Wisconsin State in 1972, the court found in favor of Red Cliff tribal member, Richard Gurnoe, Sr., upholding that the tribe reserved the right to harvest reasonable amounts of fish.
During the Wisconsin Walleye War from 1987-1991, Red Cliff was not a site of violence in the way other Lake Superior bands were. However, Red Cliff tribal members began exercising treaty rights and member Walter Bresette emerged as a major leader of the treaty rights movement.  Back to top of page
Today, Red Cliff is the site of a fish hatchery run by the Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Commission. The band has also taken control of the reservation’s Head Start program and offers and Ojibwe language immersion program for young children.  Back to top of page
For more information visit www.redcliff-nsn.gov.
 
 
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