Illinois House approves land transfer to Potawatomi Nation after lengthy negotiations

The Illinois House has approved a bill to transfer a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County back to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. This follows nearly 20 years of negotiations and aims to restore land lost in an 1829 treaty. The transfer is contingent on a land management agreement to keep the park open to the public. The Potawatomi's original reservation was sold in the 1840s under questionable legality, as federal law prohibits the sale of tribal land without congressional approval. The tribe has been working to reclaim its land since 2006 and recently had 130 acres taken into trust. The bill now awaits the governor's signature, while the tribe seeks federal legislation for additional land claims.