Opinion
Editorial: Tribes' claim to Colorado was 'erased'


"Gambling opponents in Colorado - we're among them - are probably comforted by knowing that the federal government's 1965 settlement of land claims with two Oklahoma-based Indian tribes seems to have erased their claim to 27 million acres of real estate in northeastern Colorado.

But guess what? They still want to "trade" their rights to all that land for enough land to put a casino-resort complex near Denver International Airport.

The casino promoter isn't giving up, and neither are officials of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. The promoter, Steve Hillard, says the tribes will pursue their proposal through Congress, the courts or even a citizen initiative. That's despite the memo from the Interior Department's top lawyer this week notifying them that the matter was settled in 1965 for $15 million and that the department cannot 'undo the final judgement.'"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Gambling foes need to keep up the fight (The Denver Post 9/10)

Relevant Links:
Cheyenne-Arapaho Homecoming Project - http://www.homecomingproject.org

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Colorado governor rejects Cheyenne-Arapaho bid (06/21)
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