That story for another day is coming
in a forthcoming book
When my mother died the summer of 2014, I returned to Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota. That’s where she grew up and I spent my childhood vacations. Driving into Warroad, I noticed a new Seven Clans Casino under construction. I soon learned from Beth Marvin in the Warroad Heritage Center that Red Lake Nation had forced from that land the descendants of Kakaygeesick, an Ojibway medicine man I had met when I was 10 years old. Beth took me to meet Don Kakaygeesick to find out how and why he and his family in 2012 had to move from his great-grandfather’s allotment.
That began my efforts to figure out the history of Kakaygeesick, his allotment, and the dispossession of his heirs. My research revealed what borders, blood quantum, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs had to do with me, the great-granddaughter of Swedish immigrant homesteaders.
This long and complicated story is the subject of my forthcoming book. This past week, I signed a contract with She Writes Press for Dispossessed to be released in the summer of 2026.
Meanwhile, you can continue to find here a weekly glimpse into my ongoing and expanded research on the Warroad community and its history.
Subscribers can upgrade to “founding member,” and I will mail you a signed complimentary copy of the book when it becomes available.
Yay! Congratulations on getting a deal with She Writes Press! It's exciting to see more and more people taking an interest in Lake of the Woods and the history of a unique region.
Jill! Congratulations! My favorite Minnesota cultural historian is publishing her book. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this news ever since finding you on Substack. So excited for all of us.🎊👏🎉🌟