The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people in Michigan named for a 19th-century Ojibwe chief. They were formerly known as the Gun Lake Band of Grand River Ottawa Indians, the United Nation of Chippewa, Ottawa and Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan, Inc., and the Gun Lake Tribe or Gun Lake Band. They are headquartered in Bradley, Michigan .
25-452: Allegan State Game Area is a 50,000-acre (200 km) forest attracting campers, hikers, bikers snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, horse trail riders and hunters. It is located in west-central Allegan County, Michigan , with one gateway just west of the city of Allegan . It is more commonly referred to as Allegan Forest. It has two primitive campgrounds, one owned by the state of Michigan but operated by Allegan County. Ely Lake Campground
50-441: A hotel. Further, they estimated the enterprise would bring 600 casino jobs. The tribe publishes a newspaper, called The Tribal Tribune. They provide cultural workshops on traditional practices, such as cradle fire from flint, tapping and processing maple sugar, creating basswood and hemp dogbane cordage, snowsnakes or zhoshke'nayabo , and black ash basketry, a traditional art form among Michigan tribes. The reservation
75-436: A household in the county was $ 45,813, and the median income for a family was $ 51,908. Males had a median income of $ 38,681 versus $ 26,887 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,918. About 5.00% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over. The county government operates the jail , maintains rural roads, operates
100-662: A large language family extending from the Atlantic Coast and around the Great Lakes, and had some cultural similarities. Original members of the Gun Lake Band were survivors of these three tribes who gathered together in community near Gun Lake, Michigan . The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians were recognized as a sovereign nation by the United States' federal government in 1988. It has
125-489: A pavilion for day use with picnic tables and fire pits. Silver Creek Campground is in a good location for road biking as all the roads leading to Silver Creek are paved country roads, even though within the campground the roads are dirt. The forest is a mixture, but largely hardwood. The Kalamazoo River flows through the northern portion. It is popular with canoeists and fisherman. Behind the Calkins Bridge Dam
150-426: A popular place for vacation homes, and that development continues, especially around Saugatuck and Douglas . Another draw is Allegan State Game Area , a 45,000 acres (180 km ) forest attracting campers, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and hunters. Allegan County contains Saugatuck Dunes State Park with trails through scenic dunes and a swimming beach on Lake Michigan. The county also contains Pier Cove Park,
175-578: A public beach with Lake Michigan access. Lake Allegan is a popular destination. The Michigan peninsula was long occupied by bands of the Pottawatomi and Ojibwe of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians . The United States government forced the tribes to cede their extensive territories to the federal government, in exchange for annuities and small reservations. The federally recognized Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi has
200-586: A reservation here. The boundaries of Allegan County were laid out by the Territorial legislature in 1831. The county was organized in 1835. At that time there were only about four European-American families in the area. Among the first settlers of Allegan County were Giles Scott and Turner Aldrich. According to the US Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,833 sq mi (4,750 km ), of which 825 sq mi (2,140 km )
225-445: A written constitution and elected democratic government, consisting of several tribal council members. The current (3/6/23) Tribal Council is as follows: The tribal council voted on rules for enrollment or membership in the tribe. As of 2009, the tribe's enrollment is open only to babies born to current tribal members. The tribe says they are "a body of mixed-blood Chippewa , Ottawa , and Pottawatomi " who trace their descent from
250-643: Is included in the Grand Rapids – Kentwood – Muskegon Combined Statistical Area . It is primarily an agricultural area that is rapidly becoming urbanized as the population centers of Grand Rapids on the northeast and Kalamazoo to the southeast expand into Allegan County. The county has long been a regional tourist draw, particularly the Tulip Time Festival in Holland and the area along Lake Michigan . The Lake Michigan shoreline has long been
275-483: Is land and 1,008 sq mi (2,610 km ) (55%) is water. By land By water As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 111,408 people living in the county. 92.9% were White , 1.2% Black or African American , 0.6% Asian , 0.6% Native American , 2.8% of some other race and 1.9% of two or more races . 6.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 23.0% were of Dutch , 17.5% German , 8.3% English , 7.1% Irish and 7.1% American ancestry. As of
SECTION 10
#1732773189409300-578: Is on Ely Lake, a small inland lake while the Silver Creek Campground is owned and operated by Allegan County. They both have picnic tables and fire pits at each campsite and vault toilets and water pump stations. Ely Lake, a non-motorized boat lake has a swimming beach and Silver Creek has a shallow spring-fed creek. They both welcome tent and hammock camping, as they are located in a heavily forested area. There are camping fees and reservations can be made. Silver Creek Campground also has
325-500: The 2000 United States Census , there were 105,665 people, 38,165 households, and 28,394 families living in the county. The population density was 128 inhabitants per square mile (49/km ). There were 43,292 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 93.47% White , 1.31% Black or African American , 0.55% Native American , 0.55% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 2.77% from other races , and 1.32% from two or more races. 5.72% of
350-533: The Ojibwe (Chippewa), Ottawa , and Pottawatomi peoples, who lived around the Great Lakes in what became Canada and the United States. The tribes tended to be highly decentralized, with most people living in bands. Under pressure and encroachment by Europeans, there were substantial population losses among the tribes, and some of their people moved west into Minnesota. Others remained in rural areas of Michigan and Wisconsin. They all spoke Algonquian languages , part of
375-518: The GOP was mortally divided and Theodore Roosevelt carried it on the Bull Moose ticket. Allegan County is part of the annual Arts and Eats tour, which highlights local art, food, and farms. 42°35′N 85°54′W / 42.59°N 85.90°W / 42.59; -85.90 Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan Ancestors of this mixed band belonged to
400-477: The Kalamazoo becomes the large, but shallow, Lake Allegan. During hunting season, many come to hunt whitetail deer , Canada geese and wild turkeys . Trails are laid out for hikers and horse riders in the summer and snowmobilers and cross-country skiers in the winter. The forest is broken up by private ownership with sections of woods and sections of homes. The state occasionally buys private land to add to
425-732: The United States Supreme Court decision of Carcieri v. Salazar . The primary tribal enterprise is the Gun Lake Casino. The first phase was built in 2009 on part of the 147 acres in Allegan County, Michigan that the tribe was given in January 2009 as a land base by the federal government. It generated 750 jobs during construction. The tribe estimated that it would attract 60,000 guests annually to area hotels. The tribe did not plan to build and operate
450-476: The county in his 46-state landslide of 1936 than he did in 1932. Lyndon Johnson is the only Democrat to have carried the county since 1884, and even then only by 701 votes; it was the last time a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the county's vote until Barack Obama received 43.63 percent of its vote in 2008. The only other time that the Republicans lost the county in the 20th century was in 1912, when
475-511: The forest and fill in the gaps. Allegan County, Michigan Allegan County ( / ˈ æ l ə ɡ ən / AL -ə-gən ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan . As of the 2020 United States Census , the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan . The name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to sound like a Native American word. Allegan County comprises the Holland, Michigan Micropolitan Statistical Area , which
500-418: The major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records , administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are
525-540: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.6% were of Dutch , 17.8% German , 9.6% American , 8.4% English and 7.2% Irish ancestry, 93.6% spoke only English ; 5.2% spoke Spanish at home. There were 38,165 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who
SECTION 20
#1732773189409550-606: The principal chief Match-e-be-nash-she-wish . Under the Treaty of Chicago in 1821, the US government provided him and his followers with a reserve near Kalamazoo , Michigan . The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Reservation ( 42°38′03″N 85°39′26″W / 42.63417°N 85.65722°W / 42.63417; -85.65722 ) is located in Wayland Township , south of the city of Wayland, Michigan . Since being recognized,
575-567: The responsibility of individual cities and townships. (Information as of September 2022) Allegan County has been strongly Republican from its start, and is very Republican even by the standards of West Michigan. Since 1884, the Republican nominee has carried the county in every presidential election except 1964. It was one of the few counties in the nation where Franklin D. Roosevelt was completely shut out in all four of his successful runs for president. FDR actually garnered fewer votes in
600-711: The tribe was assigned land in trust by the federal government in 2005. In 2009 under Carcieri v. Salazar , the US Supreme Court ruled that the government could not take land into trust for tribes that were recognized after the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 . Congress in 2014 passed Public Law No: 113-179 (09/26/2014), a law to clarify that the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band's land trust assigned to them in 2005 could not be challenged in court under
625-439: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.15. The county population contained 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males. The median income for
#408591