Fort Sill Apache have won the right to establish a thirty acre reservation on their homelands in southern New Mexico. Members of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe are descended from the Chiricahua and Warm Springs Apaches, who originally lived in parts of New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico.

After surrender of the famous Apache leader, Geronimo, in the 1880s, they were first sent to prison camps in Florida, and later to Oklahoma.

“This is what I see as the start of a long journey home,” said Jeff Houser, chairman of the tribe whose headquarters are currently based in southwest Oklahoma. The Fort Sill have a 10-acre headquarters in Oklahoma and 120 acres of farmland, Houser said, but no reservation.

The U.S. Interior Department earlier this month approved a proclamation that awards the Fort Sill Apache 30 acres to establish a reservation near Deming, New Mexico.

This comes four years after the federal government put the land on the Akela Flats in trust to settle a dispute between the tribe and the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma over the Fort Sill Apache’s plans to expand their casino in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Tribes across the country have faced long, sometimes deadly, fights to regain their ancestral lands. The creation of new reservations is not unheard of but it’s far from common. Cate Stetson, a New Mexico attorney who specializes in Indian law, said it has been decades since a new reservation has been created in the state.

Fort Sill Tribe hopes to build a casino on new reservation.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Houser said the goal is to return the tribe to its ancestral homelands in New Mexico, and, eventually, the tribe hopes to be able to build a casino on the site, he said.

“Given that the ultimate goal would be to return, that really requires a lot of resources,” Houser said. “We could probably house all the tribal members that want to move there, but that would increase the unemployment rates in the county. If we build a casino, that could provide jobs.”

Efforts to establish gaming on the land in the past were blocked.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act prohibits gambling on most tribal trust land acquired after 1988, but it contains an exemption for tribes who are being granted a reservation for the first time.

Thompson said the tribe is appealing the National Indian Gaming Commissions rejection of its past effort to build a casino on the site.

“We already argued this was our de facto reservation. This just solidifies what we already argued,” he said. “We will probably just send a letter to the commission asked them to take notice.”

Thompson said the tribe is also talking with state and federal officials about getting the necessary endorsements for the building a casino.

As a New Mexico tribe we should have the same rights as the tribes in the rest of the state.

The reservation designation, he said, “solidifies our position that we are a New Mexico tribe and that as a New Mexico tribe we should have the same abilities as the tribes in the rest of the state to be able to game on our land.”

The tribe, Houser said, has 685 members, about a quarter of whom live near tribal headquarters, another quarter live elsewhere and about half of whom live outside Oklahoma.

Houser said that while the proclamation gives the tribe just 30 acres, “hopefully we can expand our presence.”

Asked if he would move tribal headquarters to New Mexico, Houser said, “that is not my decision. But that is my dream.”

Apache ancestors would be proud of the tribe’s efforts to return to New Mexico.

Houser said his ancestors would be proud of the tribe’s efforts to return to New Mexico. His grandfather was born on the Ojo Caliente Reservation near Truth or Consequences in the 1800s, he said.

“Our many years of patience, persistence and dedication to returning to our homeland are evident in receipt of this Reservation Proclamation,” Houser said in a statement. “This further confirms our status as an official Tribe in the state of New Mexico. We look forward to the day when our tribal sovereignty here is also fully recognized and we are equal to our fellow New Mexico sovereign tribes and pueblos.”

In 1990, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Riverboat Gambling Act, allowing for the operation of 10 riverboat casinos in Illinois. The Act allows for riverboat gambling upon any water within or on the border of the State of Illinois, other than Lake Michigan. Chicago area riverboats are located on the Des Plaines, Fox, Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

You must be 21 years of age to board a riverboat that has gambling, and wagering must be cashless, so tokens and chips are used.

The Illinois Casino Gaming Association (ICGA) represents 7 of the 9 casinos currently operating in Illinois. The association coordinates industry initiatives, including advocacy and education on such issues as economic development, community service and responsible gaming.

ICGA members are as follows:

ALTON
Argosy Alton

AURORA
Hollywood Casino

ELGIN
Grand Victoria Casino

JOLIET
Hollywood Casino Joliet
Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel

METROPOLIS
Harrah’s Metropolis Casino

ROCK ISLAND
Jumer’s Casino

The Illinois Casino Gaming Association (ICGA) is a not-for-profit organization representing seven of nine riverboat gaming operations in Illinois. (Industry data includes all nine casinos). Together, these businesses are the entertainment of choice for millions of people, recording over 14, 600, 000 admissions each year. We are active corporate citizens who provide a huge boost to local and state economies.

The casino gaming industry provides nearly 7543 jobs, and every year injects more than $1 billion into the state’s economy. In 2008, we spent nearly $145.5 million with local vendors and suppliers and stimulate tourism, attracting numerous out-of-state visits a year to our communities.

Illinois casinos are dedicated to the communities where they do business, as well as to Illinois as a whole. In 2008, casinos donated more than $23 million to charities and civic projects across the state. In addition, ICGA actively promotes responsible gaming as a funder of 1-800-GAMBLER, a 24/7 help line and referral service for problem gamblers, and is a supporter of other programs aiding those impacted by problem gaming.

Bucky’s Casino

Yavapai Casino

Owned by: Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe
Website: http://www.buckyscasino.com/

Bucky’s and Yavapai Casinos feature more than 525 slot machines, Black Jack, and Poker. This pair of casinos are located about 90 miles northwest of Phoenix in the mountains near Prescott, Arizona.  If you’re looking for a scenic drive take 1-17 north to the Cordes Junction exit (262). Head west on Highway 69 to Prescott. Approaching Prescott, you’ll find Bucky’s Casino on the hilltop on your right, adjacent to the Prescott Resort.

Bluewater Resort & Casino

11300 Resort Dr.
Parker, AZ 85344
Phone (888) 243-3360 (toll free), (928) 669-7000 (local)
Owned by: Colorado River Indian Tribes
Website: www.bluewaterfun.com

BlueWater Resort & Casino is on the shores of the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona.  BlueWater provides exciting nonstop casino action, a 164-slip marina for boating fun, 200 deluxe rooms and suites (all with incredible river and mountain views), a variety of dining options to suit the most discerning tastes, and over 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

The casino has 475 Slot machines, Blackjack, Poker, and Bingo.   BlueWater features a wide array of exciting concerts, shows and special events year ‘round – both indoors and out, including concerts under the stars along the majestic Colorado River at the BlueWater Amphitheater.

About the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT)

The Colorado River Indian Tribes include four distinct Tribes – the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo. There are currently about 3,500 active Tribal members.

The CRIT Reservation was created in 1865 by the Federal Government for “Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries,” originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, who had inhabited the area for centuries. People of the Hopi and Navajo Tribes were relocated to the reservation in later years.

The reservation stretches along the Colorado River on both the Arizona and California side. It includes almost 300,000 acres of land, with the river serving as the focal point and lifeblood of the area.

The primary community in the CRIT Reservation is Parker, Arizona, which is located on a combination of Tribal land, leased land that is owned by CRIT and land owned by non-Native Americans. There are other, smaller communities on the reservation, including Poston, located 10 miles south of Parker.

Poston was the site in World War II of one of the United States’ largest Japanese internment camps, where thousands of Japanese-Americans were held over a three-year period. The camp sites are now home to a monument dedicated to those who died and suffered while in internment, and CRIT is currently in the process of creating a museum to commemorate the era.

The primary economic activity on the CRIT Reservation has always been agriculture, going back to the days when mesquite trees were plentiful along the banks of the river and were relied upon for everything from food to cooking to Tribal traditions and ceremonies. CRIT continues to have a strong farming and agricultural industry, including growing cotton, alfalfa and sorghum.

However, in recent years the Tribal economy has diversified greatly, and now includes forays and businesses in several different fields. Sand and gravel, real estate development and retail stores have all been part of the Tribes’ economic development efforts. And over the past decade, a heavy emphasis has turned toward tourism, as CRIT opened the BlueWater Resort and Casino in Parker and has endeavored to attract both cultural and recreational tourists to the area.

Tribal Seal
    The tribal seal of the Colorado River Indian Tribes was designed and officially accepted in 1966 as a result of a contest open to all members. This design, by John Scott, was selected because it represented all aspects of the Tribes.

The sunburst design around the edges depicts the sun’s rays, with 52 points for 52 weeks of sunshine. Riverside Mountain appears on the horizon, and the Colorado River flows across the seal. A crosshatch design is included to represent the checkerboard of farmed parcels in the reservation, and a shaft of wheat crossed with a branch of cotton represent the prime agricultural resources.

The four feathers at the top of the seal represent the four Tribes – the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo.

Tribal Flag
Designed by Margie McCabe, the Tribal Flag was adopted in 1979 by the Tribal Council and serves as a symbol of pride, unity and progress among Tribal members.

Brown represents the earth. Blue is for the water and the River which gives life to the earth. The orange rays are the eternal rising and setting of the sun upon the earth and water. And the four feathers represent each of the four Tribes that make up CRIT.

Apache Gold Casino Resort

PO Box 1210
San Carlos, AZ 85550
Phone:(800) 272-2438 (toll free), (928) 475-7800 (local)
Located: 5 miles East of Globe on Highway 70
Owned by: San Carlos Apache
Website: www.apachegoldcasinoresort.com