Crow Creek Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Crow Creek Indian Reservation is located in parts of Buffalo, Hughes
Hughes County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,481 people, 6,512 households, and 4,310 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 7,055 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, and Hyde
Hyde County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,671 people, 679 households, and 456 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 769 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
counties on the east bank of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
in central South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has a land area of 421.658 sq mi (1,092.09 km²) and a 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
population of 2,225 persons. Its major town and capital of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is Fort Thompson
Fort Thompson, South Dakota
Fort Thompson is a census-designated place in Buffalo County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,282 at the 2010 census, making it the largest settlement on the Crow Creek Reservation.-Geography:...
, located adjacent to the Big Bend Dam, which holds back Big Bend Reservoir (also known as Lake Sharpe
Lake Sharpe
Lake Sharpe is a large reservoir behind Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River in central South Dakota, USA. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Sharpe is approximately long, with a shoreline of ....
), one of the Missouri
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
Mainstem reservoirs constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
in the Pick-Sloan Plan.
The people of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe are a mixture of Dakota and Lakota speaking "Sioux", who settled on the reservation after escape or exile from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
following the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
in Minnesota, and were relocated from de-established Indian Reservations further east in South Dakota. Although considered to be a part of the Great Sioux Reservation
Great Sioux reservation
The Great Sioux Reservation was established in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, and includes all of modern western South Dakota and modern Boyd County, Nebraska...
by some writers, the Crow Creek Reservation, established in 1862, has always been separate.
The reservation originally included bottom lands along the Missouri, which had been farmed by Arikara
Arikara
Arikara are a group of Native Americans in North Dakota...
and other tribes prior to these tribes being wiped out in smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and other epidemics in the 18th century; today, several Arikara or Mandan villages are archeological sites on the Crow Creek Reservation. Lake Sharpe flooded much of this land, forcing relocation of Fort Thompson and other settlements, and worsening the economic conditions in the area. Allotment and land sales reduced both the amount of land in tribal and Indian ownership, and even the boundaries of the Reservation shrank between its establishment in 1862 and modern times.
The Reservation, and the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, is organized into three Districts. The Tribe runs its own school, the Crow Creek Tribal Schools system with an elementary school at Fort Thompson and a K-12 boarding and day school at Stephan, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Fort Thompson. Most of the Tribe's land is leased to a few large ranching families, and unemployment is high. The Tribe operates the Lode Star Casino and Hotel and attracts many tourists to the reservation, the archeological sites, Lake Sharpe's fishing and boating, and people traveling. The reservation is located southeast of Pierre
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
, and north of Chamberlain
Chamberlain, South Dakota
Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brule County. Chamberlain is home to the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, which profiles the lives of nomadic Plains Indians...
. It is reached via South Dakota Highway 47
South Dakota Highway 47
South Dakota Highway 47 is a state route that runs north to south across the central portion of South Dakota. It begins at an unnumbered highway at the North Dakota border north of Eureka, and ends at the Nebraska border, where it becomes Nebraska Highway 137...
or South Dakota Highway 50
South Dakota Highway 50
South Dakota Highway 50 is a state route serving south central and southeast South Dakota. The current alignment begins at the junction of South Dakota Highway 34 at "Lee's Corner" east of Fort Thompson, and ends at the Iowa border near Richland, where it continues as Iowa Highway 3...
off Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
, or via South Dakota Highway 34
South Dakota Highway 34
South Dakota Highway 34 is a state route that runs across the entire state of South Dakota, parallel to Interstate 90. It begins at the Wyoming border west of Belle Fourche, as a continuation of Wyoming Highway 24. The eastern terminus is at the Minnesota border east of Egan, or southwest of...
east from Pierre.
The Lower Brule Indian Reservation
Lower Brule Indian Reservation
The Lower Brulé Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation that belongs to the Lower Brulé Lakota Tribe. It is located on the west bank of the Missouri River in central South Dakota in the United States. It is adjacent to the Crow Creek Indian Reservation...
is located immediately across the Missouri River from the Crow Creek Reservation.
A monument at Big Bend Dam dedicated in 2002, the Spirit of the Circle Monument, honors the more than 1,300 people who died of malnutrition and exposure over a three-year period in the 1860s at the reservation following the forcible removal of the Santee Sioux that resulted from their defeat in the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
.
Oscar Howe
Oscar Howe
Oscar Howe was an American artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein paintings.-Early life and education:...
, the famous Dakota artist, is from the Crow Creek Reservation.
Tribal Information
- Reservation: Crow Creek Reservation; Buffalo, Hyde, and Hughes Counties
- Division: Santee, Yankton
- Bands: Mdewakanton (People of Spirit Lake), Ihanktonwan (People of the End)
- Land Area: 125591 acres (508.2 km²)
- Tribal Headquarters: Fort Thompson, SD
- Time Zone: Central
- Traditional Language: Dakota
- Enrolled members living on reservation: 1,230
- Major Industry: Agriculture
Government
- Charter: None; Constitution and Bylaws: Yes
- Date Approved: April 26, 1949
- Name of Governing Body: Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council
- Number of members: six (6) council members
- Dates of Constitutional amendments: February 25, 1963, June 23, 1980, February 4, 1986
- Number of Executive Officers: (1) Chairman
Elections
- Election of all six council members and the Chair are held every two years on the third Tuesday in April. Chairman is elected at large by all districts. Tribal Council elects from within a Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary.
- If terms of office are staggered: No
- Number of Election districts or communities: 3
Leaders: Past and Present
- Oscar HoweOscar HoweOscar Howe was an American artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein paintings.-Early life and education:...
, a Yanktonai, pioneered a new era in Indian art. Howe was born on the Crow Creek Reservation in 1915. Throughout his life, he received many honors, including the title Artist Laureate of South Dakota. When he died in 1983, Howe left behind a legacy of cultural heritage and pride. More than 20 Oscar Howe originals are on display at the Oscar Howe Art Center in Mitchell, South DakotaMitchell, South Dakota-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,558 people, 6,121 households, and 3,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.7 people per square mile . There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 664.4 per square mile...
.
- Elizabeth Cook-LynnElizabeth Cook-LynnElizabeth Cook-Lynn is a Crow Creek Lakota Sioux editor, essayist, poet, novelist, and academic, whose trenchant views on Native American politics, particularly tribal sovereignty, have caused controversy....
taught native studies for 20 years before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of two novels and a collection of short stories. She edits theWicazo Sa (Red Pencil) Review, an international Native American studies journal. She is also a traditional dancer on the powwow circuit. Cook-Lynn grew up on the Crow Creek Reservation.