Turtle Mountains – Chippewaheritage.com

Prior to the 1863 Treaty at the Old Crossing, the Turtle Mountain Band claimed almost 20-million acres of land in eastern and northern North Dakota. After the signing of the 1863 treaty and the subsequent taking of land under the protested McCumber Agreement of 1892, almost all of this land was taken from the band by the United States without just compensation or value.

Today, the main part of the Turtle Mountain Reservation is located in Rolette County, North Dakota, encompassing an area of 6 miles by 12 miles. It covers 72 square miles (46,000 acres; 19,000 ha). Another 26,175 acres (10,593 ha) of trust land is located in Rolette County, North Dakota, around the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Total acres in Rolette County are 72,255 acres (29,241 ha). Another 6,698 acres (2,711 ha) of trust land is managed by the Trenton Indian Service Area in western North Dakota. The remaining land, totaling 67,852 acres (27,459 ha), is individually-owned public domain allotments located primarily in Montana, with small parcels in North Dakota and South Dakota. The total area of the Turtle Mountain Reservation is 146,805 acres (229.383 sq mi; 59,410 ha).

Typical lakes and forests of the Turtle Mountain reservation.

Turtle Mountain Reservation and trust land in ND, MT, and SD