Prairie Island Indian Community
Encyclopedia
Prairie Island Indian Community is a Mdewakanton
Sioux
Indian reservation
in Goodhue County, Minnesota
, along the Mississippi River
, in and around the city of Red Wing
. It was created in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. Much of the reservation land was lost following construction of Lock and Dam No. 3
along the river by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
to improve navigation. Later, the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant
was built nearby. The community has grabbed headlines because of the decision to store radioactive waste
in above-ground steel
cask
s. The main reservation lies within the city of Red Wing, but there are off-reservation trust lands both within Red Wing and in Welch Township
in northern Goodhue County, as well as in Ravenna Township
in eastern Dakota County
which nearly doubles the size of the reservation's territory. The reservation had 199 residents as of the 2000 census, including its trust lands. Its total land area is 1.6689 sq mi (4.3225 km², or 1,068.1 acre
s).
The tribe operates Treasure Island Resort & Casino near the Mississippi River north of Red Wing.
Mdewakanton
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...
Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in Goodhue County, Minnesota
Goodhue County, Minnesota
Goodhue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 46,183. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.-History:...
, along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, in and around the city of Red Wing
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
. It was created in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. Much of the reservation land was lost following construction of Lock and Dam No. 3
Lock and Dam No. 3
Lock and Dam No. 3 is a lock and dam located near Red Wing, Minnesota on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 796.9. It was constructed and placed in operation July 1938. The site underwent major rehabilitation from 1988 through 1991. The dam consists of concrete long with 4 roller gates...
along the river by the United States 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...
to improve navigation. Later, the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant
The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is an electricity-generating facility located in Red Wing, Minnesota along the Mississippi River, adjacent to the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation. The nuclear power plant, which first began operating in 1973, has two nuclear reactors made by...
was built nearby. The community has grabbed headlines because of the decision to store radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
in above-ground steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
cask
CASK
Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...
s. The main reservation lies within the city of Red Wing, but there are off-reservation trust lands both within Red Wing and in Welch Township
Welch Township, Minnesota
Welch Township is a township in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. It lies about halfway between the cities of Hastings and Red Wing and about 32 miles southeast of St. Paul. The population was 697 at the 2000 census. It is centered on the small community of Welch on the Cannon River...
in northern Goodhue County, as well as in Ravenna Township
Ravenna Township, Minnesota
Ravenna Township is a township in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.76%, is water....
in eastern Dakota County
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...
which nearly doubles the size of the reservation's territory. The reservation had 199 residents as of the 2000 census, including its trust lands. Its total land area is 1.6689 sq mi (4.3225 km², or 1,068.1 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s).
The tribe operates Treasure Island Resort & Casino near the Mississippi River north of Red Wing.