The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas is stirring interest with the purchase of 128 acres in Illinois.

The tribe paid nearly $9 million, far above the market rate, for the land in Shabbona. Plans for the purchase are being announced today at a press conference.

Shabbona is the place where Potawatomi Chief Shab-eh-nay lived. In 1829, he signed a treaty with the federal government that set aside a 1,280-acre reserve. A former Interior Department legal official said the tribe's claim to the land is credible.

The tribe previously said it doesn't have to go through the land-into-trust process for treaty land. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 ruled that wasn't the case even for historic reservations.

Shabbona is about 70 miles west of Chicago [Google Map].

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Kansas tribe might eye new casino in Illinois (The Chicago Tribune 5/9)
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