Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) has awarded a grant for $750,000 to the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa of Bayfield, Wisconsin, to help with operations at Legendary Waters Resort & Casino and assist with a land purchase. This grant is part of the SMSC’s most recent round of more than $10 million in grants awarded to 18 American Indian tribes in eight states.

A majority of the grant will be used for improvements to Legendary Waters Resort & Casino. “Addressing these needs now will provide us with future economic benefits that will enable us to move forward with our marina expansion in the future,” wrote Tribal Chair Rose Gurnoe-Soulier in the request letter. A ticket data warehouse system to store data as well as other resources will be upgraded.

The SMSC grant also includes $150,000 to help purchase land adjacent to Legendary Waters Resort & Casino along the shores of Lake Superior and Highway 13, the main thoroughfare through the Red Cliff Reservation. A land use study will help the Red Cliff Band determine future usage of the property.

“On behalf of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, I would like to thank you for your support of our efforts over these past few years. It is a relationship that this community values, honors and appreciates,” wrote Gurnoe-Soulier in the request letter. “It is with grateful hearts that we thank you for the $750,000 grant that the SMSC has awarded to the Red Cliff Band. We continue to be amazed by the generosity you have extended to our community,” she wrote afterwards.

Background

The SMSC has awarded a total of $38.25 million in loans and grants to Red Cliff in recent years. That includes a $23.5 million loan for improvements to Legendary Waters; a $12 million loan for the new Red Cliff Community Health Clinic; and $2 million in grants for reservation improvement projects, such as renovations to the tribe’s early childhood education facility, youth center, community center, campground, marina, and library; and a $966,000 grant to fund community development and debt consolidation.

The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation is located on the southern shores of Lake Superior in northwest Wisconsin. The reservation spans approximately 14,093 acres, and tribal enrollment is approximately 6,247 members.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated nearly $272 million since 1992, including more than $152 million to other tribes, tribal organizations, and American Indian causes.Shak