Oklahoma Tribe Claims Rights to Kansas City Land

June 21, 2001

Source: The Kansas City Star

On June 21, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "for nearly a decade, the Wyandotte tribe has sought, without success, judicial or legislative authority to erect a casino somewhere in Wyandotte County [in Kansas] - which the tribe left under treaty in the 1850s for its present-day reservation in Oklahoma... The tribe on Monday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., that raises those stakes to a new level by claiming legal rights to nearly 2,000 acres of developed real estate north of downtown Kansas City, Kan... The disputed land includes the 14-year-old, $1 billion General Motors plant, where 3,200 employees assemble Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Intrigue automobiles. The plant was built on the site of a former municipal airport... The Wyandotte took the action, said Chief Leaford Bearskin, 'to enforce rights that have been trampled on. We intend to pursue our rights through the courts until which time justice is served.'"